Article

2005-10-27 -Short Attention Span Theater-

On the lighter side: Why your dog is smarter than a wolf

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Posted by dog lover 2005-10-27 09:58|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 who had dogs of his own, suspected the dogs were awaiting permission to open the gate, that they regarded opening the gate as a violation of their master's rules.

what a load of crock. A dog that can't open a gate is more than willing to jump over the fence or walk out an open one.

I had a wolf hybrid who learned how to open the 5 ft high latch on the gate, as a little puppy. He'd jump up and knock it until he hit it just right.

Posted by 2b 2005-10-27 11:06|| 2005-10-27 11:06|| Front Page Top

#2 Two of my dogs can get off the front porch. One, an English Mastiff-Pit Bull mix, opens the gate. The other, a mixed breed stray, jumps over. Angel watched me open the screen door as well and is able to open it. Buddy can't seem to figure out how to open the screen door and it's probably easier to jump over the porch gate. My horse Apache tries to open gates and untie knots after he watches me do it. He can open certain types of gates and he can untie certain types of knots.

Posted by Deacon Blues">Deacon Blues 2005-10-27 11:12|| 2005-10-27 11:12|| Front Page Top

#3 It's an interesting article and all, but it seems like a bunch of overstated assumptions to point out that wolves are more independent than dogs.

Posted by 2b 2005-10-27 11:14|| 2005-10-27 11:14|| Front Page Top

#4 Independent of whom, is the point.

Canids (dogs, wolves, etc.) have more complex social structures, body-language and social signals than even the great apes. It's why we have lived together for 14,000 years now. At least in my pack, the dependence thing is somewhat overstated since my breeds can and do hunt - and the dogs here can catch their own food if necessary. Both my spaniels and my sighthounds have caught rabbits on the run, for instance, and one of the spaniels has caught squirrels.

My smartest dog was a male I bred who was quite independent. He was also bonded closely to me - and the two things are not contradictory. He was the pack alpha when I wasn't around, and my deputy when I was, and took excellent care of the other dogs when a potential danger approached.

He could also: turn on the stereo, push a chair up to the refrigerator and serve either water or ice cubes to himself and the other dogs (setting the door dispenser level as it suited him), open exercise pens from inside (including opening snap bolts with his teeth), climb trees, jump the chain link fence with ease, open the chain link fence gate for the dogs who couldn't jump the fence, CLOSE the gate on the younger dogs he decided shouldn't be loose .....

Posted by dog lover 2005-10-27 11:24|| 2005-10-27 11:24|| Front Page Top

#5 The alliance between canines and humans has been mutually beneficial to both species. Dogs and men have prospered through their symbiotic relationship.

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-10-27 11:29|| 2005-10-27 11:29|| Front Page Top

The late and lamented "Bob the Poodle" was a problemsolver. one time he had a toy which was too long to pull directly through the small opening in a sliding glass door. He jumped over it a couple of times, analyzing it, then bent his muzzle around pulling it through endwise. After that my wife and I got to the point of spelling words.

Posted by BigEd 2005-10-27 11:43|| 2005-10-27 11:43|| Front Page Top

#7 Bob has Condi's eyes.

Posted by ed 2005-10-27 11:49|| 2005-10-27 11:49|| Front Page Top

#8 LOL!

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-10-27 12:01|| 2005-10-27 12:01|| Front Page Top

#9 "These are animals who've been brought up in a normal way, which allows us to see and understand them in their natural environment, which is the human environment."

/itz a dawgs life

Posted by Hatfield 2005-10-27 12:22|| 2005-10-27 12:22|| Front Page Top

#10 A horse that unties knots. I like that image.

Dogs are like humans in that each have unique talents and specialties. Some problem solve well, others don't. Wolves (at least my hybrid) are very smart and problem solve well, but they march to the tune of a different drummer than do ordinary dogs.

Posted by 2b 2005-10-27 14:45|| 2005-10-27 14:45|| Front Page Top

#11 Dogs are mere mortals. When I die, I want to return as the spoiled Egyptian god that is my wife's cat.

Posted by Darrell 2005-10-27 15:09|| 2005-10-27 15:09|| Front Page Top

#12 Periodic post for those who've not seen it... Dogs Rock

Posted by .com 2005-10-27 15:17|| 2005-10-27 15:17|| Front Page Top

#13 Canine freestyle aka dancing with dogs. Much more fun than the old structured, boring obedience routines. Thanks, .com!

Posted by dog lover 2005-10-27 15:35|| 2005-10-27 15:35|| Front Page Top

#14 Why your dog is smarter than a wolf

been feeding 2 meals a day to wolves, lately? :-)

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-10-27 16:16|| 2005-10-27 16:16|| Front Page Top

#15 :)

And Blog Dog says that dancing's nothing, heh.

Posted by .com 2005-10-27 16:17|| 2005-10-27 16:17|| Front Page Top

#16 Love it, .com.

And yeah Frank, my dogs aren't stupid - they have me very well trained to provide for their every need. Food, including raw meat and good bones, a warm dry place to sleep on soft bedding, no parasites, attention when they want it, lots of open space to run when they want that ....

Meanwhile the coyotes who near-starve each winter around here are desperate for bony rabbits if they can catch them.

Posted by dog lover 2005-10-27 16:26|| 2005-10-27 16:26|| Front Page Top

#17 Where do I sign up, lol? :)

This fella needs a home, too...

Posted by .com 2005-10-27 16:36|| 2005-10-27 16:36|| Front Page Top

#18 Dogs - 5 in 10 years of marriage - All with individual personalities

Chelsea - Black Russian Terrier - Carried a sack containing meat from, the store without trying to get into it...Won Best Opposite Sex for breed, ARBA show, Sept 1995, Ontario CA
Note : Breed basically developed from Giant Schnauzers and Rottweilers AKC accepted in 2004...

Bob - Poodle - (see Above)

Ike - Boxer - Knew when people were ill and would sleep next top them to comfort them. Mother-in- law has arthritic knees, liked him curling up next to her legs-but complained because he snored loud.. - Deaf. Knew commands by hand signals.

Zita - German Shepherd - (aka Iron Maiden) Comforts son when he's crying. Considers herdelf prime security guard.

Lili - Poodle - When given a babyback rib, will hold it upright between paws, and, turn head sideways to eat it.

Posted by BigEd 2005-10-27 17:30|| 2005-10-27 17:30|| Front Page Top

#19 An oldie video you know what it is before you click it... but do it anyway! That seemin Goldie got a little something goin for it. I think a little tad of spaniel.

Posted by Shipman 2005-10-27 17:45|| 2005-10-27 17:45|| Front Page Top

#20 Frankly, most of my dawgs are nice and friendly with the odd perversion, but stand out only because they tolerate me.

Posted by Shipman 2005-10-27 17:48|| 2005-10-27 17:48|| Front Page Top

#21 I'm a cat and fish guy (less needy heh heh ) but dogs are damn good friends, doing things with their owners that cats and other pets don't. Never underestimate the bond between ANY pet owners and their pets. I lost a Plecostamus in my aquarium the other day - he was 15 yrs old and had only one eye (a misguided freshwater crab-import experiment in the 90's) but he was mine, and I actually teared up...what a pussy

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-10-27 19:16|| 2005-10-27 19:16|| Front Page Top

#22 Hey, Big Ed. Congrats on the specialty Best of Opposite. I like the Black Russian Terriers ... won't have one anytime soon as the breed would not do well with my other dogs. Won't have a Briard for the same reason, plus my sig other balks at that much dog in a single package LOL.

I'm okay with cats, we have 2. But the dogs are special .... ;-)

Posted by dog lover 2005-10-27 19:43|| 2005-10-27 19:43|| Front Page Top

#23 "but stand out only because they tolerate me."
Story of MY life, anyway. LOL.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2005-10-27 21:02|| 2005-10-27 21:02|| Front Page Top

#24 My first real dog (we had others, but they weren't mine) was Smokie (named for an Ohio Highway Patrolman that pulled me over shortly after I first got her) was a natural-born sheepherd even though she'd never seen the animals before. My small flock got out of their pen one day and I took her out with me to try to get the beasties back in - all I had to do was point and Smokie put those damned sheep right back in the pen as natural as if she'd been doing it her whole life (and that was the first time she'd ever even seen them in real life).

My current dog (Shadow) is the same breed (half-Huskie/half-German Shepherd) and he's also smart as a tack. In the car in which he frequently rides, he's on guard duty, but outside of it he's everybody's friend. He can jump like a deer (well over 5 ft from a sitting position), but will not attempt to clear a 2-1/2 ft kiddie-gate if he's not given permission to do so. He hates cats though and kills them on sight if he can (and ignores my commands not to) - stubborn bastard in that regard...nevertheless, he knows my moods and knows when I need him and he's always there - another reason for his name since he's been that way since he was 12 weeks old (always by my side).

Thanks,
LC FOTSGreg

Posted by LC FOTSGreg">LC FOTSGreg 2005-10-27 21:05|| 2005-10-27 21:05|| Front Page Top

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