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235 sats \ 5 replies \ @freetx 3 Sep \ on: Do Dogs Recognize Their Names ? Animal_World
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.
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This article kind of elaborates on what you're talking about, I think:
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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??
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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
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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).
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