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dogs

Skeptic Ginger said:
That's disgusting, marplots. Are you going to tell us someone has already done this?
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Not that I know of. I suppose if we were talking about bacteria it wouldn't be as controversial.

Sometimes the price of getting an answer isn't really worth getting an answer.
 
It's hard to be objective but I didn't go near the door, I was debating with myself to bag the rest of the work I had to do and take the dogs out for a walk. It really was nice out tonight. One of my dogs started whining the, "I want to go out whine". I went in the kitchen to let them lick my lunch plate. They so much wanted to go out they ignored steak drippings on the plate. That is really rare for them.

I still don't see anything I did differently except think about going out. I didn't shut off the computer or TV. I didn't put my shoes on. I was still fighting the belief I needed to get a few more things done. And for the last week or more, I haven't walked the dogs until late at night. This was hours earlier so timing was not it. And they did not whine about going out all last week until I started getting ready to go out.

I'm sure I must be doing something but for the life of me, except thinking about going for a walk, I cannot figure out what it is.
 
marplots said:
Not that I know of. I suppose if we were talking about bacteria it wouldn't be as controversial.

Sometimes the price of getting an answer isn't really worth getting an answer.
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No, sometimes the lack of concern for living beings is mind boggling. There are always multiple ways to research subjects. Blinding an animal, even a mouse, is not one of them. Bacteria do not have eyes and ears to my knowledge.

Now it will probably take me another month to get the Slum Dog Millionaire scene out of my mind again.
 
Amapola said:
Human beings communicate more than they realize with body posture etc. Dogs are not "psychic" but they are very observant. They can readily notice tiny differences in the way a human walks or acts. ...
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But my dogs were in the kitchen and I was in my home office. They could not see me.
 
Sadly, can't have dogs now, but my cats are extremely good at cold reading my intentions to snatch them up for a dose of flea preventer or to take them to the vet.

Sometimes, the older sister is wrong and hightails it when I'm only going to close the door or give her a scratch on the chin. The younger sister is just generally skittish, so it's harder to tell with her.

I've tried to pay attention to my behavior, and I've actually been able to notice (and correct) some "tells".

But you know, it's really no more amazing than a skilled poker player's ability to read opponents and make what appear to be miraculous calls and lay-downs.

Certainly, when my intent is to grab a cat, there must be differences in my physical attitude, even when I'm pretending that I'm not angling for a capture.
 
Tormac said:
Acording to an eppisode of Nova Science Now dogs do have an amazing level of non verbal comunication skills ( http://video.pbs.org/video/1777525840 ) and are brilliant at reading humans even when compared with our closer realatives.
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I'd like to see more research done on their claim that dogs, like humans, focus more on the right side of the human face, while other critters focus equally on both sides. If true, that's very interesting.
 
I'll agree with Piggy, our resident catbeasts are very good at reading body language. They absolutely know when a grab-and-cuddle is about to be attempted and skidaddle and positively know for days when a vet visit is planned.

Older catbeast knows when I have an early start - I leave a PC bag by the front door - and knows that the catflap will be opened early but if I'm up and about at the same time but not going out she doesn't even stir from her radiator bed.

They know our routines and can read body language very well.
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
That pseudo-research involving this ability has always intrigued me. I've seen very convincing video documentation of dogs sensing their owner's return. But with all TV programs like this, they aren't scientific studies. I'd love to see some valid research of the phenomena. If true, I wonder if it would qualify for the MDC?
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If I remember correctly, Richard Wiseman had a chapter about it in Paranormality. There was a dog whose owners claimed it could tell they were coming home, and there was a series of tests that were filmed. I'm pretty sure there has been some discussion on this forum about that (there was some dispute about the interpretation of the results), but I don't have time to follow that up right now. I'll post a link later if I find it (and no-one else has beaten me to it).
 
Skeptic Ginger said:
But my dogs were in the kitchen and I was in my home office. They could not see me.
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And you'll have to admit to some confirmation bias/ selective memory creeping in here that helps reinforce the idea in our heads that dogs "know" when we're about to take them for a walk.

e.g.,
Skeptic Ginger said:
:D
My dogs make sure I notice. They whine if they think we are going for a walk and I'm not fast enough getting them out of the kitchen. If they are wrong, it's very annoying. They are more often wrong when my son is around and they are particularly excited anyway.
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zooterkin said:
If I remember correctly, Richard Wiseman had a chapter about it in Paranormality. There was a dog whose owners claimed it could tell they were coming home, and there was a series of tests that were filmed. I'm pretty sure there has been some discussion on this forum about that (there was some dispute about the interpretation of the results), but I don't have time to follow that up right now. I'll post a link later if I find it (and no-one else has beaten me to it).
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This was the thread I was thinking of, and you might find a couple of others if you search for "Jaytee", the dog's name.
 
Evidence of NOT reading my mind - I had to run some errands this morning, so of course dogs decided they wanted to go for a ride. Most of the shops are closed in town (hangover day post-Chile's national holiday this weekend) so the run around town was shorter than expected. Returned to house, dogs won't get out of car. Currently, they are still seated in the back seat, with the back door open, but they apparently prefer to sit in the car expecting another excursion, rather than... anywhere else.

They are not reading my mind at the moment.
 
I have an 11 year old Plott Hound and a 10 month old Bloodhound. The old one knows all the cues...my unconscious eye and eyebrow movements etc.
When I get ready to take them somewhere I was made aware that I subtly look at the door or glance around like I'm looking for my keys or wallet. The wife pointed out these cues as I was unaware I did them.
Often when I know the older dog is watching me and it's time to go, I'll just quickly glance at the front door and he goes nuts. The puppy is just now starting to pick up on the facial cues.

When training Waylon the Bloodhound we use the "look at me" command to get them to focus on your face for instructions. Hounds are a bit different to train as they are not 'bred' to take commands from people. They are independent thinkers and humans follow them to whatever they are baying at.

They both know when to expect my wife or I to arrive home and can pick out the sound of our cars from a good distance. They are almost always surprised when one of us comes home early. If we are late they usually look at the door and out the windows and begin pacing around. They will do that for about an hour and then settle down, then periodically go check the door and look out the window. They do get psyched out by the other Mini Cooper on our street. They think it's the wife when they hear it coming down the road.

No mind reading or psychic abilities, but I'm constantly amazed and surprised at their ability to pick up our moods, intentions and patters. That refined ability has served them well for thousands of years. Training the puppy to do nose and trail work is one of the most incredible things I've been involved with.
The hound nose ability is stunning and the confidence it gives the dog doing what it was bred to do is extremely satisfying. I love my hounds.
 
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