Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
blogs.scientificamerican.com
Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
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Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#2That's interesting. Just realized that I'm a tool when my kid is crying.
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#3My own anecdotal proof of this being true -
Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves.
But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactly WHAT we were good for, whether that be feeding, letting him out, play, back scratches that he can't reach, etc.
We were super impressed with his ability to learn a daily routine too. "When they get home, they feed me so I'll stand by my bowl, then after I'm done they play with me so I'll grab my toy, then they take me on a walk so I'll stand by my leash"
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#4Huh, interesting. This makes me think about domestication of animals: it's not just about us training or imposing our will on animals, but it's also about animals understanding that they can use us as tools, as the article puts it.
I say this in jest, but it sort of makes you wonder about who is using whom. Oftentimes, I notice how pets (esp. cats[0]) are looked after 24/7 by their owners, groomed, given food, shelter, etc. and pretty much do nothing but continuously solicit pleasure. Traditionally, we like to think of animals as serving humans, but in a case like this, isn't the opposite true?
[0] I note that cats are not fully domesticated animals. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/11/man-cat-...
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#5That's interesting. Just realized that I'm a tool when my kid is crying.
Relevant reading on how you're a tool when your child is crying.
"When the love object is one's child, natural or adopted, one protects it. The protector will risk his life for his dependent, will want only the best for him-her, will assure him-her of his love. To lose the 'child' means great unhappiness. It means to have lost 'the thing I loved most in all the world.'"
And later,
"children (objects of protection) — they have power over their protectors, the men and women who care for them"
http://naturalthinker.net/trl/texts/Vilar,Esther/PolygamousS...?
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#6My own anecdotal proof of this being true - Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves. But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactl…
Hey, just a quick FYI, you shouldn't play with your dog immediately after he eats, it can cause bloat, see e.g. http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#7My own anecdotal proof of this being true - Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves. But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactl…
Definitely experienced this with older dogs my family fosters. People go straight for the puppies but there are so many great older dogs in shelters. Just have to deal with some behavioral stuff (put up with barking most of the time).
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#8This experiement was featured in the documentary Dogs Decoded, here:
http://vimeo.com/19472436#at=1870
The whole documentary is worth watching, but the fox domenstication part is especially interesting.
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#9My own anecdotal proof of this being true - Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves. But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactl…
Definitely experienced this with older dogs my family fosters. People go straight for the puppies but there are so many great older dogs in shelters. Just have to deal with some behavioral stuff (put up with barking most of the time).
HA - yep, our current dog is a talker, especially when I make any move toward the leash (and of course when he sees any murderous squirrels in our back yard).
Honestly, I know that right now my wife and I can't have a puppy, we just don't have that kind of time. That's where older dogs fit right into our lifestyle, our current old guy just wants his two quick walks a day and a big couch he can sprawl on.
Re: Dogs, but Not Wolves, Use Humans as Tools
#10My own anecdotal proof of this being true - Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves. But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactl…
Hey, just a quick FYI, you shouldn't play with your dog immediately after he eats, it can cause bloat, see e.g. http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm
This is good advice - just for clarity, when I say "play" with our old guy it's more like... the most slow motion version of play on earth. More like he jogs around the yard with his toy while I pretend I can't catch him.