Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Think Like a Dog: A Study in Human Behavior?

Posted: 02 May 2009 06:37 AM PDT

Who could resist sharing this: "CAMBRIDGE - Studying a species known to chase its own tail may seem an unlikely way to better understand the human mind. But scientists at Harvard University's new Canine Cognition Lab hope to gain insight into more than the psychology of dogs from visiting pet pooches - including an alert German shepard named Celia and a rottweiler called Taylor who loves to eat chicken."

Those of us with dogs know perfectly well that our canine friends are far smarter than many people give them credit for. This is likely more Dr. Larry's focus than mine, but I couldn't help chiming in on this article and the idea of the study.

Hey, Harvard researchers: my dog probably knows more than you do, about lots of stuff! Well, my dog 'did'...everyone who reads this knows my Carmie passed a few months ago. Truth is, it's encouraging to see scientists recognize the value of observing and studying our furry friends, not just dogs but maybe cats and raccoons and horses and bears and any other animal, to learn a bit about how people 'think'... After all, we're all warm-blooded animals. More importantly, with our pets, they are intelligent enough to 'read' us...better, often, than we read them. IMHO

Attempts to capture the video that accompanies this article failed (video not available, the site says) so I'll have to share some of the thoughts in the article, instead.

"Here's this species we live with. Everyone has their views about how smart they are. No doubt we are overinterpreting - and in some cases underinterpreting," said Marc Hauser, a Harvard professor who has long studied cognition in cottontop tamarin monkeys and who heads the new lab. "To what extent is an animal that's really been bred to be with humans capable of some of the same psychological mechanisms?"

So, what's up with all of this? Testing dogs to see if they can understand images (you have to read the article) and whether or not they feel guilt? All they have to do is ask pet parents: yes, my dog knows the difference between a steak and an apple...just by the picture. Ok, it was a learned behavior, but she caught on quickly enough. And guilt - you betcha! Dogs learn right from wrong, and they act guilty when they've done something wrong.

Now cats...not so much. Cats can't really be bothered learning human determined actions. Cats prefer to train their humans to deliver on cue. That's just how life should be, to a cat.

Any thoughts on this study? How smart is your dog? BTW, the Canine Cognition Lab is recruiting... want your dog tested?