“The main thing we know from science is that dogs don't self-identify in the same sense as humans,” says Sian Lawley-Rudd, an ethical dog trainer and trauma-informed coach based in the United Kingdom. “We know our name is our name and refers to ourselves, whereas dogs do not know themselves — they don’t identify with a name in the same way we do.”
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I see none of you have ever seen Beethoven, or Airbud
I think dogs are pretty much body language experts. Obviously I know they respond to verbal commands, but I think its debatable how much is understanding specific syllables.
I think the body language theory is how packs communicate, I think they are far more attuned, at a level we can't really process, to very subtle body cues. Its even possible that with the advent of spoken communication in humans we "lost" this ability somehow.
I'm sure everyone who has a dog can relate to this situation. You and dog are sitting on the couch together, you decide you will take the dog for a walk, its a random time, not a normal schedule you normally bring it....you make no verbal command to the dog. As you start getting up to put on your shoes, the dog instantly jumps up and runs towards their leash.
I've long puzzled over how my dog can distinguish delivery men (UPS, USPS, even our yard worker) from strangers walking up the drive way. The dog can be on the couch with me with no sight to the window....but somehow tell the footsteps are not a delivery man. How?
My grandmother would insist that the family dog knew when my grandfather, who was walking home from the train station, would reach their city block. The dog would leap off the couch and sit by the door. She knew he would be hone in a few minutes. No one believed her, so she had one of her kids playing outside check. I don't know. Maybe he took the train the same time each day.
This article kind of elaborates on what you're talking about, I think:
https://www.petspiration.com/pet-facts/how-dogs-know-when-youre-coming-homeexplained
Yes, I've thought about those things.
Maybe its sound....I can see that with delivery persons. Maybe they hear the sound of the truck and then ignore the sound of footsteps. That was my top theory for awhile. Except one day a door to door (roofing) saleman drove to my door and walked up to driveway. The dog start growling.
What could it be? different sound of engine? could it be smell from inside??
My guess is smell and sound
Dogs have great hearing or very sensitive ears
Which breed of dog? Some breeds are more aggressive and territorial than others... unless you believe in the blank slate (tabula rasa) for dogs
Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Definitely certain traits are fully built-in various dogs. Ridgebacks are primarily "bay dogs" - that is for hunting they corral prey so that human hunters can come finish them off.
My dog definitely does that, sometimes to comical effect. One time I saw her standing in backyard with her foot on something...looking pleadingly towards the house, almost as if she were stuck. I went and saw she had trapped a frog. Didn't kill it or bite it, just held it there waiting for me (no frogs were shot that day).
Sian did a talk in my local area a few years back, it was a really interesting event.
I can see that my dog doesn't understand her name in the same way we conceptualise a name. But she does recognise the word, and links it to an action. I want her to look at me I call her name, so to her she hears her name being the command word for look at me. When she listens ofcourse she's going through that teenage stage of ignoring every command 🤣🤣
I believe they do recognize their names. And if I recall well, one of my friends had a dog that had one name from her and another from her ex-husband, and was responding to both names. People might say it has to do with voice tone and/or body language but I don't think so.
I just believe they have a high sense of understanding which is in them
Dogs might not know their names like humans do, but they definitely recognize the sound and associate it with attention, food, or love shown to them. So yes, they respond just in their own way.
If only I was a dog, I could easily let you know
Deep study, My dog just answers and I take it as intelligence
It depends on the dog. Some dogs are dogs. Other dogs are something else.
That's a really interesting point. It makes sense, too. It's less about the name itself and more about the sound-action association
Haha, dogs might not self-identify, but they sure knows when it’s treat time! Maybe they are just living their best life without overthinking the name thing
I think they can somehow read our thoughts. I'm speaking for the cat and the dog. In other creatures close to humans may also be a kind of thought-reading. When their name is said out loud, they know it for sure. If I give an example from my cats, I can say this; Because I take care of a lot of cats, I sometimes find it too late that some cats don't come to eat every day. In such cases, I get worried. And that cat never leaves my mind. It's unbelievable, but it comes out after a very short time. I don't know how many times I've been through this. A huge number of them.
My dog does recognise the name but I hardly believe it knows it's her name. Because more than her name, sge responds to my shouting for aggression or calling her for food saying 'come'.
Yeah, I agree. Dogs have good hearing. I think the tone of your voice matters more than the words.
Your dogs follow you, be it your time or body language. Name is just a secondry thing for them, they will recognise you even from the sound of your steps. Just try tapping your foot hard in the ground and see they will react.
So they're more like biological AI. Still smarter than today's AI.
This topic is super interesting, I’ve actually tried this test with a bunch of dogs, and honestly, it felt like no matter what I said, they pretty much acted the same way. They’d just look at me and wait for some kind of command.
My dog instantly comes running from far away when I call her name at the dog park, but I think that's just because she recognizes my voice and wants to know what's going on.
Try calling her by another name, like BITCoooooooIN! And see how she reacts.
How funny it would be if dogs could identify themselves based on their names :D There are not enough dog names, they should have a lot of "nicknames" among themselves :D
what kind of question is that? it obvious
So when a dog responds to their name, what's happening from a scientific perspective?