[mrsD]

I saw this on TV yesterday and thought it was just amazing.


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It was on a Nat Geo Wild show about "dog genius".

It is something to think about!
Be sure to read the fascinating comments too!

[Kitty]

Smart doggie!
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Animals are so smart....I don't think they get enough credit for their intelligence.

[Dr. Smith]

"Never underestimate the [insert characteristic here] of 'dogbrains' " (one word).
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I caught that NG docu. I won't even try to explain it except to say that there is a tendancy for humans to anthropomorphize almost everything their pets do, even when there is little/no evidence to support it.

Our first dog (together) was a border collie mix who had a similar toy arranging behavior (though not nearly as complex/involved). Her big thing was "arranging" a new rawhide. First, she'd carry it around to show it off to everyone that it was new, it was hers, and she had it. Then she'd spend an hour moving it from one place to another - not hiding it; it was always in plain sight - but more like trying to find where it looked best or the best place to keep it? We never knew, but it was a stitch watching her. Sometimes she even expressed a bit of anxiety as if she couldn't find the right place or get something right and was frustrated.

Our current fella does something similar with any new toy. He tries it from place to place in different positions, sometimes balancing it on the rung of a table or chair, on the corner of a table, inside my shoe or boot.... And with things that I would have a difficult time balancing/placing where he puts them. We've found dog toys in some pretty bizarre and inexplicable places (including the bottom shelf of the refrigerator).

We don't question anymore (though we often wonder) - we just enjoy the show.
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Doc

[mrsD]

I can't begin to explain the cat toys around here. I thought Weezie was quite a hoarder, etc. And Houdini is still finding her treasures!


Houdini has been the champ in
1) novel ways to play with something

2) distributing about the house

3) bringing to me in the morning when I wake up-- the treasure of the day.

He has managed to squeeze under our recliner (a very tight little spot, and retrieve some things under there that Weezie lost. He taught HER to squeeze under there (which gives me terrible anxiety--she is pretty huge now) and now they both do it. She watches him sometimes with rapture, I swear! I fear he will be a risk taker outside... I don't intend to let him out until April. But seeing how he is doing indoors...well, it will be "something" I suspect!

I have a new toy that shoots soft discs across the room. He is very taken with this (I bought it on Amazon called the Zip Shot).
He retrieves a few here and there, but I'd like to train him to put them in a little bowl, where I can then get them all back in one action! He looks like he wants to put them "someplace" so now that he has the catching of them down, I think I'll show him to place in one spot. Maybe he will do it! He seems to like to play in complex ways!

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by mrsD
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I have a new toy that shoots soft discs across the room. He is very taken with this

Ok, I just got a mental image of MrsD chasing flying discs across the room, while Houdini rolls on the floor cat-laughing in hysterics....
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He retrieves a few here and there, but I'd like to train him to put them in a little bowl, where I can then get them all back in one action!

Oh.... the CAT chases the discs....
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I never had any luck teaching cats to fetch, though I know it can be done. We just got 2 of our vet friends a robotic mouse (for their cats) for Christmas. The controller is also a "mouse" (i.e. computer mouse-like). No feedback yet, but one of them is on her way over....

Doc

[mrsD]

Houdini doesn't fetch much..... but he is fetching these discs.

I had a male 30 yrs ago who loved to fetch. And Weezie was a huge fetcher, but since she has grown up, it appears to be beneath her dignity. LOL

Cats really have to WANT to do something for you to actually train them. So far Houdini will sit like a statue in the spot I shoot the discs as his way of asking me to do it. If he hears the trigger click from any room of the house, he comes running instantly.
So he loves this new toy. (new since Xmas).

I had an old one years ago for Tippy and Oreo....it was battery powered and made flying saucer sounds and flashed lights when the trigger was pulled. It never quite worked right, and I gave it my son for his cats, and it finally bit the dust. The sounds alerted both cats to the impending disc discharge. This one is manual and just clicks. So I have Houdini trained to 1...2.... and on 3-- I shoot. They became very good at leaping and loved the toy back then too. Seeing how athletic Houdini is I thought of it and found it on Amazon. The discs are really too small for most dogs...who would probably EAT them. But they are a nice size for cats.

[confused0711]

That is such a cool story...sort of makes you wonder if he's receiving transmissions from the mothership. :P

Also a neat thought that he's just expressing himself creatively though. You don't think about that from animals, really.

[mrsD]

Originally Posted by confused0711
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That is such a cool story...sort of makes you wonder if he's receiving transmissions from the mothership. :P

Also a neat thought that he's just expressing himself creatively though. You don't think about that from animals, really.

That Nat Geo Wild "Dog genius" show had more revealing information about thought processes that have been newly discovered in dogs too. Things experts did not know about thinking and reasoning!

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These two clips on are on YouTube....these illustrate dogs' thinking processes. They are fascinating to watch!

[Paulb_47]

I liked that special also. It was good.

I own and train therapy dogs. My current dog is Gracie, a Bouvier des Flandres.

My previous dogs were Bently (a huge, jet black bouvier) who has crossed the bridge and Jeremiah who is retired but keeps Gracie in line.

I started this because of Bently. I adopted him from the American Bouvier Rescue League in 1999. It was required in the adoption contract that I attend at least 1 training class. We both enjoyed the class so I started wondering about another. He passed the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) evaluation so I wanted something else.

Anyway, my mom was in a nursing home and my wife insisted we take Bently with us. I told her they would never let us take a tank like him into a place where people were so fragile. She called, they said bring him, we did.

My mom saw the big blank fluffy tank and sort of woke up mentally. We had a good conversation (the last good conversation as it turned out).

As we were leaving 4 or 5 people asked if their loved one could see Bently. Bently was enjoying all the attention so we visited around with different people. Bently enjoyed himself and so did I.

As we were leaving a light came on in my head. Is this dog a therapy dog? I don't have a clue. I didn't even know how a dog became a therapy dog.

On the internet I went, found a group locally (Delta Society), and applied. 10 weeks later we were a therapy dog team.

Over time we both became passionate about our volunteer work. Bently was starting to get old (he was 5 when I adopted him). I found a bouvier in the local shelter and pulled his fuzzy butt out and therapy dog 2 was ready in a year. Bently was retired after 4 years as my partner and Jeremiah went to work. As Jeremiah aged and after 6 years as a therapy dog I retired him.

A year before his retirement I adopted Gracie from the American Bouvier Rescue League. She is my partner now. Unfortunately for her, her partner is very slow and has to hide a lot of pain on visits. Now, we only do Reading Education Assistance Dog Visits. (Children read to my dog). I have been a handler for 11 years now.

I am also a Delta Society Evaluator and a Reading Education Assistance Dog Instructor.

Yes, I work for a living as a systems analyst.

The dogs have been my sanity. I love the training, the visits and the people.

I have been forced to slow down because of back pain but I use my therapist for myself as well. I'm very fortunate to have two in house therapist right now.

I will take a spinal cord stimulator for a test trial on the 30th and maybe we can start visiting the hospital again. At least that is my hope.

I know everyone on this thread knows how important our pets are for us. They do reduce pain. The give us something to look forward to. They stop feelings of isolation and even fear.

I'll stop here but I just am very happy to find a 'pet' area in Neuro Talk. It naturally belongs! Just ask me.

[Dr. Smith]

Response above in sub-forum....

Doc