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dogs

baco

New Blood
B
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Sep 15, 2011
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anyone who owns or has owned a dog, has had the experience where they think that the dog is reading their mind. Alot of this is probably familiarity, but dogs are renown for having exceptional hear and sense of smell. I wonder if if there isnt a subtle biochemical language, or a subtle EMP from our brain biochemistry that they can percieve and interpret. Technically this would not be extra sensory, but extreme sensory perception. it is quite normal for them, but very unusual in people, if it occurs at all. any ideas on how to test this theory?


ron
 
I'm trying to figure out what cues I'm giving that makes my dogs think it is time for their walk. I know they are hearing something, but I've yet to figure out exactly what.

We walk at all different times of the day. I put certain things in my pockets and do a few things by the front door before I put their walking collars on. But sometimes I just go near the front door and they make it known they are anxious to go. Yet they don't react most of the time I go near the front door, which is often.

Keep in mind this is when they are in the kitchen behind the baby gate and they cannot see me. Sometimes they get it wrong and get excited when I'm not taking them out. But the majority of the time they only react when it is time for their walk.

One would think I'm making some noise they associate with going out. And I agree. But I have tried to figure out just which noises they are reacting to and I can't. I'm very inconsistent, it's not like it is an obvious pattern.
 
I think humans have gotten so poor at non-verbal communication that when we see animals use it so effortlessly we think it is "magic". Dogs are especially good at picking up on social cues...it's an essential survival strategy in the wild.
 
aggle-rithm said:
I think humans have gotten so poor at non-verbal communication that when we see animals use it so effortlessly we think it is "magic". Dogs are especially good at picking up on social cues...it's an essential survival strategy in the wild.
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And yet my dogs cannot seem to figure out which spot those silly rabbits ducked into the bushes through. :p
 
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GD: you have the dog, but there's one other item needed for this to work, and it seems you've lost it...
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As SG points out, my two are pretty good about figuring out when a walk or a car ride may be in their future. Likewise, when food/treats may be around. However I think their 'abilities' are limited only to things of interest to the doggy domain. To suggest they're reading my mind when I'm contemplating a complex idea, or reading a book, or watching TV is a bit ludicrous. I suspect that they're good at picking up non-verbal cues as has been intimated, and it may also be confirmation bias. 'Hairless house ape is moving around, fumbling for metal jangly things - may be about to open gate and/or start the automatic walking device. I'd better look excited.' I would only notice this sort of excitement if I was paying attention and actually about to go for a walk/drive.
 
Who doesn't love talking about dogs?

Contrary to the experiences here, my dogs seem less involved in "reading" my mind, rather they seem focused, nay, obsessed with "planting" thoughts in my mind... "Feed Me" is probably the most frequent, followed by "Walk me", though this priority reverses on odd occasion from time to time. I suspect their abilities are growing in this regard, as I often find my hand moving to fetch their treats when I've resolved not to do so moments before.
 
Our dog knows when one of us is coming home--if we're in our own cars. I think he can recognize the sound of the cars from several hundred yards away, and he runs to the front door and whines until whoever is returning walks in. However, if we ride home with someone else, he doesn't react until we actually are at the door.
 
Antiquehunter said:
... 'Hairless house ape is moving around, fumbling for metal jangly things - may be about to open gate and/or start the automatic walking device. I'd better look excited.' I would only notice this sort of excitement if I was paying attention and actually about to go for a walk/drive.
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: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.
 
Spektator said:
Our dog knows when one of us is coming home--if we're in our own cars. I think he can recognize the sound of the cars from several hundred yards away, and he runs to the front door and whines until whoever is returning walks in. However, if we ride home with someone else, he doesn't react until we actually are at the door.
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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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SG: My suspicion would be a difference in the way you walk might be the clue they're keying off of. I suspect that wehn you plan to walk them, you move towards the front door with more "purpose" in your step than if you just happen to wander that way. Might also explain why they sometimes react when you aren't walking them...you have that more purposeful walk they hear but not for the same reason.

Just a guess, though :)
 
Let's not forget that man and dog have lived in a "symbiotic" relationship for at least 10,000 years. No other creatures on the planet have that level of communal history to my knowledge.

According to a documentary on the evolution of dogs I saw recently (NOVA: Dogs Decoded), they are the only animal other than humans that understands the significance of pointing at something.

We've actively bred them to understand us.
 
baco said:
Technically this would not be extra sensory, but extreme sensory perception. it is quite normal for them, but very unusual in people, if it occurs at all. any ideas on how to test this theory?
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Take a litter of puppies and selectively clip the relevant nerves, making some blind, some deaf, some without the sense of smell and lots of combinations of the set. Might need a few litter's worth. It might take more than a snip job as well -- maybe brain lesions in selected areas?

Raise them. See what happens.

Once you narrow down the sense involved, repeat with less puppies.

Also, you'd like to pin down just what you are testing for so you don't waste puppies unnecessarily.
 
Alareth said:
Let's not forget that man and dog have lived in a "symbiotic" relationship for at least 10,000 years. No other creatures on the planet have that level of communal history to my knowledge.

According to a documentary on the evolution of dogs I saw recently (NOVA: Dogs Decoded), they are the only animal other than humans that understands the significance of pointing at something.

We've actively bred them to understand us.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. I would have bet that horses understand pointing too.
 
aggle-rithm said:
I think humans have gotten so poor at non-verbal communication that when we see animals use it so effortlessly we think it is "magic". Dogs are especially good at picking up on social cues...it's an essential survival strategy in the wild.
Click to expand...

They are extremely observant and good at remembering things that relate to what matters (food walks etc). They can also work a crowd. :)
 
That was a really repulsive half assed "research" idea, Marplots.

Edited by LashL: 
Edited for civility.
 
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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.

If you think they are reading your mind, merely do the test with the dog not able to see/smell/hear the human. If the dog can read your mind while it is in an isolated room far away from you, you might have something worth testing.
 
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