They haven’t begun to grasp how well dogs understand humans:
Dogs really are “man’s best friend” and “get” humans in a way other animals simply can’t relate to. Sorry “Game of Thrones” fans, a new study finds even the dog’s closest relatives – wolf pups – don’t gel with people the same way.
Researchers from Duke University say 14,000 years of domestication plays a big part in this. In fact, man’s best friend has actually evolved to understand human gestures and look to humans for help in a way that no other animals do.
Study authors, who compared wolf pups raised by humans to dogs who had barely any contact with people, discovered that dogs still outperform their wolf counterparts in tests of their understanding and co-operation with humans. The team behind the research adds their results show dogs instinctively understand people.
I discovered today that our dogs know what “perambulation” means. I’m not kidding. We had to find other ways to discuss the possibility of going outside for a walk without using the words “outside”, “walk”, or even “the w-word”. Saying “how do you feel about a perambulation” worked for a few weeks, until today, when one of the Ridgebacks immediately leaped to her feet and barked as soon as she heard the word, which promptly set off the rest of the pack.
I wonder how long it will take them to learn Chinese?