Dogs understand human perspective, say researchers

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21411249

Dogs understand human perspective, say researchers

Dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human's point of view than has previously been recognised, according to researchers.

They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see.

This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behaviour when they knew their owners' perspective had changed.

The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on 84 dogs.

The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could adapt their behaviour in response to the changed circumstances of their human owners.

It wanted to see if dogs had a "flexible understanding" that could show they understood the viewpoint of a human.

It found that when the lights were turned off, dogs in a room with their human owners were much more likely to disobey and steal forbidden food.

The study says it is "unlikely that the dogs simply forgot that the human was in the room" when there was no light. Instead it seems as though the dogs were able to differentiate between when the human was unable or able to see them.

(continued)

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Could've saved time and money and just asked any dog owner.

[cronus]

Could've saved time and money and just asked any dog owner.

Dogs have got them researchers well trained, nowadays.

[Tero]

Could've saved time and money and just asked any dog owner.

Dogs have got them researchers well trained, nowadays.

Then why are there still cats?

[Rum]

Alfie is clearly an exception and is definitely cognitively challenged. Today we went for a walk and at one stage stopped at a river for the two dogs to have a drink. Alfie had a stick in his mouth which I had been throwing for him off and on for a while. He got into the river, dropped the stick, which of course floated off down stream. Alfioe finished his drink and of course went frantic looking for the stick in the place he had dropped it.

[Audley Strange]

My first dog used to steal and hide my underwear when he saw my school tie coming out at the end of holidays. I used to think he knew that if I went to school I couldn't take him out for long walks and general fun and so attempted to stop that.

He also used to live revenge and I went to bed several times to find he had stashed something unpleasant under my bed (usually bones or waste food he'd raided from the bin.)

Dogs are excellent.

[Jason]

Dogs have personality. Personality goes a long way.

[cronus]

Dogs have personality. Personality goes a long way.

You are not a postman then?

[Jason]

I'm Samuel L. Jackson.

[klr]

[JimC]

My first dog used to steal and hide my underwear when he saw my school tie coming out at the end of holidays. I used to think he knew that if I went to school I couldn't take him out for long walks and general fun and so attempted to stop that.

He also used to live revenge and I went to bed several times to find he had stashed something unpleasant under my bed (usually bones or waste food he'd raided from the bin.)

Dogs are excellent.

The underwear thing suggest to me that dogs are kinky...

Cats, of course, are the intellectuals of the animal world...

[Clinton Huxley]

Cats understand human perspective, they just don't think it's important.

[JimC]

Cats understand human perspective, they just don't think it's important.

Which is a healthy corrective, which is why human cat owners are morally superior to the rest of our species...

[Audley Strange]

Having two cats I can honestly say you're deluding yourself that you are anything more than a butler to the lazy bastards.

[JimC]

Having two cats I can honestly say you're deluding yourself that you are anything more than a butler to the lazy bastards.

Well yes, that's true, but they do discuss Spinoza amongst themselves when they're in the shed at night...

Take that, dog owners!