7 ms·

Dogs are really amazing animals and we are super lucky that they love us. They will clean up any food you spill, the alert you to danger, they will fight off b

by sjg007 5y ago

Dogs are really amazing animals and we are super lucky that they love us. They will clean up any food you spill, the alert you to danger, they will fight off bears or other attackers. They can smell cancer, covid19 and contraband. Just simply amazing animals.

csomar 5y ago
> They will clean up any food you spill I don't think they are cleaning, but eating that food. > the alert you to danger They alert when they are scared and looking for your help. > they will fight off bears or other attackers Not really. Some trained breeds are powerful enough. But smaller and non-trained dogs will run for their lives. > They can smell cancer, covid19 and contraband. No. They can be trained to smell them, though. They just happen to have a strong sense of smell like many other animals.
- rpmisms 5y ago
  > I don't think they are cleaning, but eating that food. Still helpful > They alert when they are scared and looking for your help. Never owned a guard dog, I see. My dog has almost zero reason to be scared of anything, she's massive and strong. She lets me know when anything suspicious happens nearby > Not really. Some trained breeds are powerful enough. But smaller and non-trained dogs will run for their lives. Well, obviously. My Pyr can take a small bear, or at least her dad did with no problem. > No. They can be trained to smell them, though. They can already smell them, they can be trained to alert us to those smells. Do you just not like dogs?
  - csomar 5y ago
    > Do you just not like dogs? No, I have a dog and had dogs since ~10. I just don't have that emotional attachment that makes me see them as these amazing fairy-tale creatures. They are just animals with a human bond. Also a huge dog doesn't make me feel any safe. Unless you are living in a jungle or war is breaking out in your neighborhood, you don't need a massive dog that can take a bear. Some dog breads are too powerful and can hurt real humans. These are still animals after all and can be unpredictable and harm others[1]. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_t...
    - rpmisms 5y ago
      You aren't a dog person, understandable. The bond can get very strong, and pairing that effect with a dog's unique ability to read human intent and emotion can lead to a very strong relationship. You're generalizing very strongly here. Many large dog breeds are LGDs, which are generally non-aggressive, to say the least. The most common dog injuries are from Pitbulls and Rottweilers, which have unique temperaments and aren't particularly large. I live in a poor suburban area. My large dog is an active deterrent to would-be criminals, and she's very gentle and lazy. Based on your verbiage, I'd assume you'd prefer I have a special license to own her?
- SamPatt 5y ago
  Alerting is useful regardless of the dog's motivation. However my dog is definitely not alerting solely out of fear. He can be aggressive towards strangers in certain situations, and I'm totally confident he would confront an intruder. Though alerting is already enough to warn them and warn us too, even if he didn't.
flatiron 5y ago
> contraband Some people don’t like the narc dogs.
- WrtCdEvrydy 5y ago
  bacon in my pockets usually manages it, just give it to the dog when he gets interested. airport staff usually hate it, but you can always play dumb and be like "doggie was hungry"
leephillips 5y ago
It’s not luck, though, right? They are man-made; selectively bred to cooperate with and have affection for humans.
- shepherdjerred 5y ago
  It’s lucky that our ancestors selectively bred them so that we get to benefit from them today.
  - lovemenot 5y ago
    It's lucky that there were innate characteristics in dogs' ancestral species, which allowed for their domestication. Tail-wagging in juvenile wolves and foxes was selected for in adult dogs. Their acutely sensitive hearing and olfactory sense complements our eyes etc.
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  I consider it a matter of mutual respect. Early humans and dogs are both pack hunters and likely stalked the same prey. I figure dogs were pretty impressed with our take-downs and were glad to share the spoils, and vice versa. Throw in a warm fire and you got yourself a friend.
  - Filligree 5y ago
    Of course, they were wolves at the time. It must have been quite an interesting relationship.
    - selcuka 5y ago
      It was and still is possible to domesticate wolves. They are harder to train but it is perfectly possible [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_ani...
      - 5y ago
randerson 5y ago
> clean up any food you spill Except that half of what we eat and drink is toxic to dogs. Our job is to block the dogs natural tendency to kill themselves. A true symbiotic relationship.
- nkssy 5y ago
  Plenty of what we eat isn’t that great for us either. Humans are complex critters.
  - sigg3 5y ago
    Not really. We just eat everything.
    - cameronh90 5y ago
      A hyper intelligent race of vultures might consider us sensitive eaters for avoiding carrion.
      - nkssy 5y ago
        Those silly apes leaving good food on the ground! That's quality aged meat!

by sjg007 5y ago

csomar 5y ago

> They will clean up any food you spill I don't think they are cleaning, but eating that food. > the alert you to danger They alert when they are scared and looking for your help. > they will fight off bears or other attackers Not really. Some trained breeds are powerful enough. But smaller and non-trained dogs will run for their lives. > They can smell cancer, covid19 and contraband. No. They can be trained to smell them, though. They just happen to have a strong sense of smell like many other animals.

rpmisms 5y ago
> I don't think they are cleaning, but eating that food. Still helpful > They alert when they are scared and looking for your help. Never owned a guard dog, I see. My dog has almost zero reason to be scared of anything, she's massive and strong. She lets me know when anything suspicious happens nearby > Not really. Some trained breeds are powerful enough. But smaller and non-trained dogs will run for their lives. Well, obviously. My Pyr can take a small bear, or at least her dad did with no problem. > No. They can be trained to smell them, though. They can already smell them, they can be trained to alert us to those smells. Do you just not like dogs?
- csomar 5y ago
  > Do you just not like dogs? No, I have a dog and had dogs since ~10. I just don't have that emotional attachment that makes me see them as these amazing fairy-tale creatures. They are just animals with a human bond. Also a huge dog doesn't make me feel any safe. Unless you are living in a jungle or war is breaking out in your neighborhood, you don't need a massive dog that can take a bear. Some dog breads are too powerful and can hurt real humans. These are still animals after all and can be unpredictable and harm others[1]. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_t...
  - rpmisms 5y ago
    You aren't a dog person, understandable. The bond can get very strong, and pairing that effect with a dog's unique ability to read human intent and emotion can lead to a very strong relationship. You're generalizing very strongly here. Many large dog breeds are LGDs, which are generally non-aggressive, to say the least. The most common dog injuries are from Pitbulls and Rottweilers, which have unique temperaments and aren't particularly large. I live in a poor suburban area. My large dog is an active deterrent to would-be criminals, and she's very gentle and lazy. Based on your verbiage, I'd assume you'd prefer I have a special license to own her?
SamPatt 5y ago
Alerting is useful regardless of the dog's motivation. However my dog is definitely not alerting solely out of fear. He can be aggressive towards strangers in certain situations, and I'm totally confident he would confront an intruder. Though alerting is already enough to warn them and warn us too, even if he didn't.

flatiron 5y ago

> contraband Some people don’t like the narc dogs.

WrtCdEvrydy 5y ago
bacon in my pockets usually manages it, just give it to the dog when he gets interested. airport staff usually hate it, but you can always play dumb and be like "doggie was hungry"

leephillips 5y ago

It’s not luck, though, right? They are man-made; selectively bred to cooperate with and have affection for humans.

shepherdjerred 5y ago
It’s lucky that our ancestors selectively bred them so that we get to benefit from them today.
- lovemenot 5y ago
  It's lucky that there were innate characteristics in dogs' ancestral species, which allowed for their domestication. Tail-wagging in juvenile wolves and foxes was selected for in adult dogs. Their acutely sensitive hearing and olfactory sense complements our eyes etc.
jazzyjackson 5y ago
I consider it a matter of mutual respect. Early humans and dogs are both pack hunters and likely stalked the same prey. I figure dogs were pretty impressed with our take-downs and were glad to share the spoils, and vice versa. Throw in a warm fire and you got yourself a friend.
- Filligree 5y ago
  Of course, they were wolves at the time. It must have been quite an interesting relationship.
  - selcuka 5y ago
    It was and still is possible to domesticate wolves. They are harder to train but it is perfectly possible [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_ani...
    - 5y ago

randerson 5y ago

> clean up any food you spill Except that half of what we eat and drink is toxic to dogs. Our job is to block the dogs natural tendency to kill themselves. A true symbiotic relationship.

nkssy 5y ago
Plenty of what we eat isn’t that great for us either. Humans are complex critters.
- sigg3 5y ago
  Not really. We just eat everything.
  - cameronh90 5y ago
    A hyper intelligent race of vultures might consider us sensitive eaters for avoiding carrion.
    - nkssy 5y ago
      Those silly apes leaving good food on the ground! That's quality aged meat!