Do Dogs Know that They're Dogs?

Mine drive my wife's car occasionally, but really they prefer to be passengers, with their head out the window!:D

 
There's a video on the interweb somewhere (I looked but couldn't find it) of a guy who has a right-hand-drive car and a big dog, a Great Dane or Saint Bernard, or some such.

Going down the road he crouches down low in the driver's seat with the dog riding in the passenger seat. Of course, it looks like the dog is driving and everyone they pass takes a double...triple...take. It's pretty humorous.

On the "do dogs have feelings?" front.

About 10pm last night I got a call from my sister that mom may not make it through the night. Blood pressure through the roof, very rapid heartbeat, headache, shallow breathing, flushed, etc. The nursing home said "things are changing rapidly" and recommended that we call a priest and hospice.

So, of course, I hop out of bed, take a quick shower, and head to my hometown...about an hour up the road. Obviously, I was fairly upset when I left the house.

They gave her meds and by 1 AM she was resting comfortably and my sister and I went home. I got home about 2 AM.

Our dogs sleep in our bedroom: each has its own doggy bed. They sleep there whether we're both home or just one of us is. But not last night. Chris said the entire time I was gone all three of them sat in the kitchen staring at the door leading to the garage (the door I went out of). And, as far as she knew, they never laid down, every time she looked they were just sitting there staring at the door. And did so until I came home. When I came through the door they welcomed me back, jumped up (after being invited), licked my face, and we all went upstairs to bed.

And, fortunately, mom's her normal self this morning.
 
Sorry to hear your mom is having medical issues, Tim. Karen's dad is back in the hospital as of Christmas Eve Day also. Sigh.
 
denverpilot said:
Sorry to hear your mom is having medical issues, Tim. Karen's dad is back in the hospital as of Christmas Eve Day also. Sigh.
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Thanks, Nate. Mom's 100, she drove until she was 95. It's been a good run and we should all be so lucky. It's been a steep decline recently though and now she's quit eating. It's just a matter of time.

They say that sometimes folks want to "go home" on Christmas. I think this was true in mom's case.

Give my best to Karen. Hope things go as well as possible considering the circumstances. It's never easy.
 
timwinters said:
Thanks, Nate. Mom's 100, she drove until she was 95. It's been a good run and we should all be so lucky. It's been a steep decline recently though and now she's quit eating. It's just a matter of time.

They say that sometimes folks want to "go home" on Christmas. I think this was true in mom's case.

Give my best to Karen. Hope things go as well as possible considering the circumstances. It's never easy.
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A good run, indeed....but still doesn't make the end much easier. Blessings on your family during the transition.
 
Grayfriars Bobby was reported to make his owner's beat (a policeman) each day and then sleep on the grave. He he had followed his owner's funeral procession.

But, you know, when he and his owner would make their route each day, the people gave him treats. So, after the owner's death, he continued to make the route, and continued to get the treats.

My wife who is a writer and photographer researched his story and visited Edinburgh, Scotland with the statue. His story is one of the entries in her book Road To A Better Life, which just happens to be a free download this week to Kindle on Amazon.com. (End of plug.)
 
Speaking of dogs, I just saw this on another forum I frequent:

 
murphey said:
I've had numerous trainers/vets/whatever tell me that dogs have very little long term memory. All I know is that come mid-June, my dog would run to the front door any time there was a noise. Dad would spend the summer with me to get out of the Phoenix heat and he was the dog's favorite toy. During the rest of the year, dog didn't care about the front door but seemed to know that his best friend would be arriving sometime in the summer.

Tell me that's not long-term memory.
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They also say that dogs only live in the present. Bull!

Come up on the mess. Just look at it. Try to find the guilty dog, even before you say "What happened here?" The dog will be high tailing to the furthest hiding place.

With my girl, if I just quietly say "you wanna go for a ride?" I get a jump up and dance and dragged to the front door.
 
Henning said:
Even better, "Why does my friend Beverly's dog react to her when she's a deaf mute and never says anything?"
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How did Pancho know to come and follow and obey when when she was totally deaf?

I never believed she deaf until she never responded when I called her from the other room no matter how loud I screamed.
 
jesse said:
It sure seems like it sometimes but its likely just a combination of habit and body language more than complete interpretation of the words/phrase.
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Not true. I could tell Bertha, "Go upstairs and see Mommy and she'll give you a cookie." She'd get up, head right to Mom, and wait.
 
timwinters said:
<SNIP>
I can't vouch for horses...I don't know horses.
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My sister is a lifelong equestrienne, loves horses, always has, always will, but she's a realist. She refers to her horses as being "plum brains", because apparently that's how big their brains are. We have two guinea pigs, I would say that they're more responsive to their owners are than any horse ever has been.
 
I had an opportunity to be with another awesome dog today. Laddie from Texas Collie Rescue. I was the PNP pilot taking him from Denton to Tulsa. He came up from Houston this morning and spent the day with me at my office. Very calm dog, never barked, was curious about new people and place, but not pushy. When riding in the car, settled down quickly. When out on a walk, was all ready to go somewhere and kept me at an honest place. Was a perfect companion in the airplane.

I only knew him for a few hours but already miss his company....
 

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I really hate to ask what the other forum is??:nono: I could only watch the first 30 seconds. :no:
Maybe this is the explanation for the bunny with the pancake on it's head?? :rofl:

rpadula said:
Speaking of dogs, I just saw this on another forum I frequent:
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rpadula said:
Speaking of dogs, I just saw this on another forum I frequent:

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Someone has waaaaaay too much time on their hands and really understands how to use editing software! Absolutely brilliant but absurd.
 
I hesitate to post this because no one has ever believed it but I swear that my wife's parent's Saint Bernard had a rudimentary vocabulary. Since they were German, it was in German of course. Once when the two family cats were fighting I saw him look at them and bark out something that sounded very much like "Ruhe!". That is "Quiet!" in German. Also, he would go stand at the door and bark out something that sounded very much like "Raus!" (Out).

He had his own sofa with a folded blanket at one end. He would go lay on the sofa and then use his mouth to pull the blanket up over himself.
 
Graueradler said:
I hesitate to post this because no one has ever believed it but I swear that my wife's parent's Saint Bernard had a rudimentary vocabulary. Since they were German, it was in German of course. Once when the two family cats were fighting I saw him look at them and bark out something that sounded very much like "Ruhe!". That is "Quiet!" in German. Also, he would go stand at the door and bark out something that sounded very much like "Raus!" (Out).

He had his own sofa with a folded blanket at one end. He would go lay on the sofa and then use his mouth to pull the blanket up over himself.
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Bertha the bulldog once talked. "Do you promise to be good and go to bed?" "I WILL!"
(Did that dog just talk? What did you think she said? What do YOU think she said?)

 
Henning said:
:eek: WTF was that!?!:nonod:
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DavidWhite said:
what did I just watch
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N747JB said:
I really hate to ask what the other forum is??:nono: I could only watch the first 30 seconds. :no:
Maybe this is the explanation for the bunny with the pancake on it's head?? :rofl:
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murphey said:
Someone has waaaaaay too much time on their hands and really understands how to use editing software! Absolutely brilliant but absurd.
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denverpilot said:
Somehow I don't want to know what that forum is. :)
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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

They're dogs who don't know they're dogs!

It was in the Macresource forums deals forum. Someone there actually knew what it was and added this handy Wikipedia link to the backstory. murphey was closest to the mark.

I found the bunny with the pancake on his head a long time ago on Fark.
 
this one is common around my house
 

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Well, now the question of the thread can be changed from:

"do dogs know that they're dogs?"

to:

"do dogs need a compass deviation card?"

http://io9.com/dogs-align-their-bodies-along-a-north-south-axis-when-t-1493457072

Ever wonder why dogs need to get themselves into just the right position to do their business? As it turns out, dogs align their body axis according to Earth's magnetic field when they squat to poop—a behavior that changes when the magnetic field is unstable. But why do they do it?
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Tejas Coonhound Rescue has published a calendar as a fund raiser.

This image is the cover. I loved the "forced perspective" illusion that the dog is floating in mid air.

2014_coonhound_companions_wall_calendar.jpg
 
timwinters said:
There's a video on the interweb somewhere (I looked but couldn't find it) of a guy who has a right-hand-drive car and a big dog, a Great Dane or Saint Bernard, or some such.

Going down the road he crouches down low in the driver's seat with the dog riding in the passenger seat. Of course, it looks like the dog is driving and everyone they pass takes a double...triple...take. It's pretty humorous.

On the "do dogs have feelings?" front.

About 10pm last night I got a call from my sister that mom may not make it through the night. Blood pressure through the roof, very rapid heartbeat, headache, shallow breathing, flushed, etc. The nursing home said "things are changing rapidly" and recommended that we call a priest and hospice.

So, of course, I hop out of bed, take a quick shower, and head to my hometown...about an hour up the road. Obviously, I was fairly upset when I left the house.

They gave her meds and by 1 AM she was resting comfortably and my sister and I went home. I got home about 2 AM.

Our dogs sleep in our bedroom: each has its own doggy bed. They sleep there whether we're both home or just one of us is. But not last night. Chris said the entire time I was gone all three of them sat in the kitchen staring at the door leading to the garage (the door I went out of). And, as far as she knew, they never laid down, every time she looked they were just sitting there staring at the door. And did so until I came home. When I came through the door they welcomed me back, jumped up (after being invited), licked my face, and we all went upstairs to bed.

And, fortunately, mom's her normal self this morning.
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Wow. I only met one of your dogs that you brought in your plane but those are some of my favorite pictures from that trip to the UP.

I train dogs (and horses) and I always think that you can usually tell how a human treats their animals when you see them together and observe their behavior.

I certainly knew what you had with your dog was special.
 
Interesting thread. Here are my observations about my dog Bart.

1. He hates the groomer and the vet. I know this because when i drive him there, he will not get out of the car. I have to really coax/command him out. Any other location, it's an easy on and off. The strange thing is i live in a city, so i street park in different locations and blocks. I just can't figure out how he knows where i am taking him!?

The vet told me that unlike human beings, they have built-in GPS. We need Garmins, but Bart has one already built-in. I wonder if it's IFR certified? :D

While out on a jog a few miles from home, I did happen to lose him. Sure enough, Bart found his way home, thru San Francisco traffic. I still have no idea how he did this thru busy city streets.

2. Bart flies with me a lot. We flew roundtrip from San Francisco to Washington DC for the holidays. It was his and my longest cross country by far. I had no idea if he would get sick or not. However, i am happy to say, i think he took the long flight better than i did. He seemed generally happy and upbeat, while i was way more exhausted.

The only time he complained was on my last fuel stop in southern utah (U96) out of 3. The sun was setting, 3 hours away from home, and i needed to get back in the air. I went to push Bart in the baggage area, and he put his little paws out to prevent me from putting him in. I could have died laughing right there on the spot. I felt bad for him, but we had to go! I will remember those little laws for a long time! :D

3. A few days ago, I flew to an airport and had lunch with friends. After lunch and a walk, Bart chose which airplane he liked the best. He is one smart dog! What more proof of doggy intelligence do you need?

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