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What do Dogs Think about: Learn Interesting Psychological Facts
Since the early ages, animal behavior has always been an interesting matter to discuss over and research on for human beings. From how horses can run so fast to why dogs are so faithful- every kind of animal behavior is put under scrutiny. Among all of the behavioral factors, a dog’s thought process is one of the most popular concerns always. Looking at the dog playing in one’s bedroom, or the street dog loitering aimlessly here and there, people often wonder, “What do dogs think about”.
As human brains are well-known for their constant chains of thoughts, it is truly a matter of discussion whether the brains of the canine pet of human beings also have the same process as their owners have. Many a time, scientists have worked on these questions. Innumerable studies and research are done and are still going on to understand “what do dogs think about”. So. till now, what is the outcome? What have the researchers found? Let’s know here. Stick to the end to know some interesting facts about the dog’s behavior.
How do Dogs Think?
Before going into the details of what do dogs think about it is necessary to know how they think. Once you know their thinking process, it will be easier for you to understand the further stories. So, how do dogs think? First of all, let us tell you that dogs are not humans. They cannot think by numbers or signs or any human language. Their thinking pattern is quite different.
However, the dogs’ thinking patterns are a bit similar to how human babies think. Like them, dogs recognize people and other dogs by smell. So, through smell cues and visual cues, you can make them think like human babies. Also, dogs understand gestures as babies do. For example, if you move your hands or head, the baby will notice it immediately whereas you cannot grab their attention by calling their names. Similarly, dogs understand gestures easily. Therefore, when it comes to training the dogs the owners often rely upon gestures.
Along with the similarities, there are dissimilarities too. The multiple research facilities situated in Hungary, Italy, Australia, Germany, etc. have been researching how dogs think. A 3-year-old dog called Ninja was put under MRI in Emory University at Atlanta to know what is actually there in a dog’s mind. The neurologist Gregory Berns did the research on dogs’ thinking process and came to the conclusion that “No one can know with certainty. But I think our dogs are experiencing things very much the way we do.”
Science has now gone a long way in understanding the psychological science of dogs. Different aspects of thought processes are looked at while doing the research on dogs. It further helped to get an idea about what do dogs think about. So, let’s discuss how these psychological aspects are present in dogs. Then we will describe the chunks of thoughts in the canines’ brains.
What do Dogs Think about: The Psychological Aspects
Perception
In general, perception is a strain of constant ideas about something or someone. It is that mental process that helps to build up an idea about the surrounding environment through incoming sensory information. The sensory information includes information gathered by smell, vision, hearing, and other sensory processes. For dogs, the olfactory sensory information is the most prominent one. They develop a perception of the environment around them through smell. Along with this, their perception includes other sensory factors like vision, hearing, touch, etc.
Awareness or Conscious Approach
Are the dogs aware of their behavior? Do they hold a conscious approach for what they do? These are probably some of the most asked questions when it comes to the dogs and their behavioral patterns. So, what is the answer? Awareness is a mental state in which you are aware of the existence of a person or a thing even when it is not in front of your sight. It is also called the concept of “object permanence”. As per the study, it is developed in human babies through six stages. For dogs as well, the six stages are there. However, the sixth or the final stage is found in them by the average age of 8 weeks.
Social Learning
Whenever we talk about psychological aspects of any living being, social learning comes as a prominent factor. Dogs learn it through observations and a little bit of training. With the reinforced training they can learn multiple things like reacting towards social gatherings, recognizing people, sensing the presence of unknown people.
Often, they seem to follow human cues. They observe human gestures and behaviors and behave accordingly. They also comprehend human voice instructions and learn how to behave.
Memory
How can we forget this point? Memory is a cognitive remembering of past happenings. We human beings tend to flow by nostalgic memories. But do the dogs feel the same? As the study says, dogs too have a good sense of memory. They can remember the names of the objects and later recall them when necessary. In this way, they can find you the red ball, if you put it in its memory previously that it is a red ball. It is found that when it comes to memory and self-control, the larger dogs perform better than the smaller ones.
So, depending on this study of different psychological factors, researchers try to derive concrete answers for what do dogs think about. Here, let’s have a quick look at what they think.
What do Dogs Think About
We have already studied how our canine friends think. It is now time to go specific about what they actually think. What’s in the minds of your little pug or big labrador baby? However, the thoughts are not likely to change due to breed. But, yes, sometimes the size of the pets matter. So, let’s know what do dogs think about.
A Thought about their Owner
Having thought about the owner often makes the dogs happy. As the dogs get their foods and comfort from their owners, they are more inclined towards them. So, the relationship between the pet dog and its owner is much like a human couple. Dogs leaped up in joy when they see their owners after a long time, just like you wear a large smile when you meet your partner after a long time.
They can Recognize
When it comes to recognizing someone or something, often dogs are good at it. Not only by smell but also by fae they can recognize people. Also, due to their strong olfactory sensation and other essential factors, they can recognize things easily. This means if you are close with your dog, it will remember you no matter what happens.
Dogs are Emotional
Yes, like you, your dog has emotions too. They can be angry; happy; pleased; anxious. They can love; hate; fear; feel pain. However, they do not possess complex emotional factors like guilt, shame, etc.
Dogs have Willpower but for a Limited Time
When you ask what do dogs think about, one answer is common all the time. The dogs are always willing to do several tasks. So, they have a passion for doing things in their minds. But unfortunately, the zeal usually does not last for long. generally, it stands to last for more or less than 10 minutes.
I hope you are enjoying the discussion. Now, as we have discussed the major details of what do dogs think about, let’s enjoy some interesting trivia about dogs and their psychology.
What do Dogs Think about: 5 Interesting Facts that Amaze you
- Dogs can sense the magnetic vibration on Earth: Dogs’ sensory perception is stronger than human beings. So, they can sense any kind of magnetic vibration on Earth.
- Dogs’ urine can damage the metals: Next time when your dog pees on your scooter or the nearby metal stands, be cautious. It may damage the stuff. The acids present in the urine are the main reasons for this.
- Their vision is colorful: A common myth we often hear. That is dogs can see things only in black and white. Well, this is not true. As per recent studies, they can see things in color due to the pair of cones available in their eyes. They can distinguish between blue and yellow but fails to do so between yellow and green.
- They can see UV rays: Interestingly, dogs can see UV rays. Also, it is said that they can hear some ultrasound waves.
- Wagging tail tells much: When you see your dog wagging their tails, it does not necessarily define happiness. Sometimes, fright, tension or insecurity can be the reasons.
Bringing the Curtain Down
So, these are all whereabouts about what do dogs think. I hope the lengthy discussion helped you to gain the necessary knowledge regarding this. If you are interested to know more about the dogs, we have something for you. Click here to read if Zyrtec is safe for your dogs not.
