I’m a dog person. I like them, and they like me. I have never been able to make any of them understand the concept of pointing though, not one. They invariably stare at my hand – they know it must be important, but they can’t figure out how. Even my current dog, a Welsh Corgi, which according to the sign at Pass Pets is “highly intelligent” (another sign claimed a different breed was “very intelligent”, but we didn’t have time to ask the attendent whether highly beat very), can’t figure it out. This fine article in Science News claims that not only can dogs do this, but they have an innate, evolved in ability to do so. In fact, according to the research in the article, dogs are better than chimpanzees in figuring out what people’s gestures mean. The test was to put food in one sealed bowl and let them find it. The researchers would then look at or point at the correct bowl and let the animal use this gesture as a way to find it. This makes me feel better, because I talk to my dogs. They don’t let on they understand my pointing; maybe there just not letting on they understand my talking either. I don’t just praise mind you, but on walks we have whole discussions (pretty much one sided, I have to admit). I ask them what they’re smelling, what they’re hearing, and a perennial favorite, are you ever going to take a dump on this walk so we can go home? 

While I can’t get dogs to understand pointing, they’ve always understood the steps needed to take a walk. Now when it gets dark outside, my dog gets excited, and likes to be close – he doesn’t want you slipping out without him noticing. Certain sounds bring the dog running any time — the sound of the closet door where his leash is kept and the sound of the front door being unlocked. When you put on a coat, he does a little dance of joy. I know just how he feels – no seriously, I do. Freshman year in college, my dorm room overlooked a bike shelter. I was sweet on a particular girl, and in no time at all I could recognize the sound of her bike security chain from all the others. I’d hear the sound of the chain, I’d go look out the window. After I let slip my conditioning to my buddy Carl Drews, good scientist that he is, one afternoon he shook a chain at random and then waited, repeated this procedure a few times, and then shook her chain. I looked out the window, and instead of seeing her, I saw Carl grinning up at me – giving new meaning to the phrase pulling my chain.

The latest research indicates that dogs come from East Asia. When the first Americans came over the land bridge from Asia, they brought their dogs with them, just like the second Americans when they came over from Europe. And three dog night is the correct expression – it seems that 95% of dogs are descended from three lineages. They don’t mention Carolina dogs; it would be interesting to see how they fit in. Since the DNA was mainly collected at dog shows, I doubt they collected any.

Tags: conditioning, dog