Hum Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 FRIDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- To anyone who is familiar with the eerily human-like qualities of man's best friend, the news that dogs can read your mind shouldn't come as any surprise. The latest research adds to growing evidence that dogs can interpret both human body language and general behavior, and use it to their advantage. "Dogs and [human-raised] wolves are capable of distinguishing between a person looking at them, someone who's paying attention and someone who's not," said Monique A.R. Udell, lead author of a study published recently in the journal Learning & Behavior. "They're more likely to beg [for food] from someone paying attention to them." Researchers have been learning more and more about the surprising capabilities and intelligence of Canis lupus familiaris, better known as the domestic dog. One recent study found that dogs have the developmental abilities of a human 2-year-old, with the average dog capable of learning the meanings of 165 words. "Over the last five years or so, we've been trying to understand how dogs and relatives of dogs such as wolves respond to social companions," explained Udell, who was a researcher at the University of Florida in Gainesville when the study was conducted. The findings, said Udell, are "important because previous research suggested that something happened to dogs during genetic domestication that made them begin to think like humans. This shows that wolves are capable, if reared with humans, of [picking up human cues]." more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Absolutely nothing dog/wolf owners haven't known for 60,000 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kronckew Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 as docm noted, nothing new there...and how much did that 'research' cost the taxpayer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I've had the same experiences with cats. Cats seem downright psychic. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 My experience with cats leans more towards them being psychotic, but whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJD Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Someone has been watching the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mokthraka Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 as docm noted, nothing new there...and how much did that 'research' cost the taxpayer? Probably nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Dogs have learned to read facial expressions the same way a human does, from left to right, or up and down, depending on where in the world you are from and the mannerisms of how people themselves view and react to others emotions. They are also one of the few, if not only, animal to understand a finger point and trace the "invisible line" to what we are pointing at. They can smile, frown, and show many more emotions. They also have the ability to understand words and associate them with specific items. One dog I believe had over 300 words memorized to different items, and could tell size apart as well when told to get "big" or "small". They don't even need to be told commands as well. I have a dog that when she is riding with me, and I exit the car, she jumps from the back seat up to my driver seat. When I return, I just open both front and back doors at the same time, and she hops right out the front and right back into the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charisma Veteran Posted July 21, 2011 Veteran Share Posted July 21, 2011 Duh, didn't they see Lassie? :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebor Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Absolutely nothing dog/wolf owners haven't known for 60,000 years. My experience with cats leans more towards them being psychotic, but whatever. I could not possibly agree more with both these statements (Y) I do miss owning a dog :( Maybe when I have a big garden and more time to spend with one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dick Montage Subscriber² Posted July 21, 2011 Subscriber² Share Posted July 21, 2011 Oh come on, I grew up with dogs in the family and have known this since I was about 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acnpt Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 They still don't understand that a postman delivering letters, isn't going to burgle the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted July 21, 2011 Member Share Posted July 21, 2011 ....and how much did that 'research' cost the taxpayer? We probably don't want to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mokthraka Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 They still don't understand that a postman delivering letters, isn't going to burgle the house. They do it for ****s and giggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seizure1990 Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 In class once, I wrote a personal essay about some dogs I knew, and my peer reviewer thought I was shamelessly exaggerating some interaction I had with a dog, I guess because it was too human. She mostly seemed skeptical of the part where I was actually talking to it in full sentences. The dog and I had gotten into a tiff earlier in the day, and so he had been avoiding me for many hours. Later in the day, I saw him gradually sitting closer and closer to me, so I met him half way, and then told him why I was upset, apologized to him for the discipline I had given him, and then he licked my face and trotted off happily, understanding exactly what I was saying I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Doesn't everyone talk to their dogs in sentences? :innocent: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagerd0g Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I talk to my dog all the time. Sometimes I respond back to myself in a different voice (which I perceive he would sound like) as if he's replying to me. I guess I'm talking to myself. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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