The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind- Time Magazine

[sammgirl]

The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind - TIME

[Boemy]

Understanding a pointed finger may seem easy, but consider this: while humans and canines can do it naturally, no other known species in the animal kingdom can.

My cats STILL haven't mastered the meaning of a pointed finger. I point at something and instead of following the invisible line, they just look at my hand.

[Xandra]

Originally Posted by Boemy

My cats STILL haven't mastered the meaning of a pointed finger. I point at something and instead of following the invisible line, they just look at my hand.

Mine looks at me like it thinks I'm going to eat it lol

That was pretty good article. People and dogs have an amazing and unique relationship. I wonder if you developed a set of tests and conciously selected for those with the quickest most accurate recognition, what you would come up with in 40 or so generations. I know we have Border Collies and GSD's but I'm talking only bred on the basis of reading people.

[smkie]

This evening I pointed to the floor where i spilled a few drops of milk and Mary had no problem whatsoever knowing what i meant. HEr tongue was out even before she lowered her head.

I often point to the spot i want the dog to come to and sometimes tap my finger on the ground in the beginning when they are just learning. THey understand that as well.

[4dogs3cats]

I have done that before. I'm going to do it and show you how differently my dogs all react. Let's all do it!

[4dogs3cats]

We've all seen guilty dogs slinking away with lowered tails, for example. Horowitz wondered if they behave this way because they truly recognize they've done something wrong, so she devised an experiment. First she observed how dogs behaved when they did something they weren't supposed to do and were scolded by their owners. Then she tricked the owners into believing the dogs had misbehaved when they hadn't. When the humans scolded the dogs, the dogs were just as likely to look guilty, even though they were innocent of any misbehavior. What's at play here, she concluded, is not some inner sense of right and wrong but a learned ability to act submissive when an owner gets angry. "It's a white-flag response," Horowitz says.

THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS.

I brought dog poop that was CLEARLY Baileys into the house. Brought Chance into the room and didnt even say a WORD. He saw BAILEYS poop and slunk away ears down.

Dog sees poop on tile floor. Dog is sad. DOESNT KNOW WHY!

[smkie]

I think we have just been around each other (dogs and people) to understand our language..as far as cats go, i think they don't care what we think. THe parrots i got to work with at the bird circus i swear were smarter than any animal i been around. I could put one on the table to do his routine and he would just shake his head no at me. He knew our gestures well enough. HE didn't feel like working and he knew just how to tell me so.