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My older dog seeks out and eats the same wild herb consistently when she has stomach problems. This is not like grass eating in that it does not induce vomiting
by psiops 5y ago
My older dog seeks out and eats the same wild herb consistently when she has stomach problems. This is not like grass eating in that it does not induce vomiting. I see my younger dog observing and then imitating. These ideas that humans have "unique behaviours" seem really outdated, the assumption should be reversed.
- petra 5y agoDoes he imitate only when having stomach problems ? How do you/he recognize stomach problems in the older dog?
- psiops 5y agoAll these things are highly anecdotal obviously. But the younger dog seems to try it out whenever my older dog does it. I can tell my older dog is having stomach problems by lack of appetite and/or energy, which I doubt my younger dog can consciously link to stomach problems. But who knows, their sense of smell is inconceivably better than ours, maybe they can smell each others' ailments to an extent.
- 4gotunameagain 5y agoThis does not imply that dogs have a theory of mind. It could simply be mimicry and behaviourism. It is notoriously difficult to distinguish between behaviouristic arguments and more involved, theory of mind ones. Consider the anecdote where a dog was forbidden into the living room. After a while, while the owner was reading his newspaper, the dog appeared at his feet. Surprised, he ordered the dog out and then observed it sneaking inside while walking on its heels, since the tapping of the dog's nails on the floor was what alerted him to the dog's entrance. Did the dog explicitly think that, hey, it must be the sound of my nails on the hard floor that alerts his attention ? Or did the dog through a semi-random trial and error saw that when it was walking on its heels, the owners attention was not provoked, thus started doing that ? (example borrowed from the book "Baboon metaphysics")
- UltraViolence 5y agoNot theory of mind but rather trial-and-error and seeking out and remembering what works. And maybe it's passed on from generation to generation merely by imitation.
- ASalazarMX 5y agoI wouldn't put it past a dog to understand that making less noise lets him sneak where he's not wanted. It's basic hunting behavior.
- simonh 5y agoWhen I was a kid our cat taught our dog how to open a door that was slightly ajar, reaching round with a paw to pull it open. She even closed it again so the dog could practice.