I always considered dogs as very intelligent animals. But yesterday one of my Pits did something which blowed me away. I gave her a raw bone together with other food in her bowl.

When I payed attention to her again, I saw, she had eaten all of the other food, but the bone she couldn't somehow not pick out of the bowl.

I wanted to help her but in this moment she picked the edge of the bowl, lifted it and turned it upside down, so that the bone fell out of it.

I have never seen this before, maybe because I didn't look in this very moment. For me this was a form of thinking.

Are dogs like that? Or how would you explain this?

Yes, dogs think. They also problem solve.

My youngest dog comes to get me if he can't solve a problem. Barks at me and leads me to what he wants.

My first one would sit in the living room corner while I trained the second. After a few minutes, I'd see her over there doing the exact same thing that I was training the other dog to do.

If you want to be blown away, read the story of Chaser the Border Collie.

I don't now exactly what you mean with the story of the border colie. But recently I've seen in a TV show, how two dogs were somehow trapped in a floating kayak without a person in it.

They were scared to jump out into the river. On the opposite shore was a Labrador who noticed this. They are known to be equipped with something like webbeds, they are
good swimmers.

He went into the river in order to help these other dogs. He swam towards the boat and then one of the dogs in the kayak tossed out a line, the Labrador could catch and draw the kayak to the shore.

Now I cannot not know if this story is just made for TV with trained dogs or if it is true as shown.

But if it were true I'd find it absolutely stunning.

What you yourself experienced with your own dogs I find also fantastic. I had experienced similar things with mine.I normally train them separately, but sometimes the Labmix is free, because she doesn't disturb.

But she kept watching the training and followed each command I gave to the Pit. She knew them already, but she was not rewarded because it was not her turn. Means they are interested a lot in what I'm doing with the others.

I'd like to have a possibility to be a dog for one day, just to understand their mindset better!

 Quote: Christina Stockinger

I always considered dogs as very intelligent animals. But yesterday one of my Pits did something which blowed me away. I gave her a raw bone together with other food in her bowl.

When I payed attention to her again, I saw, she had eaten all of the other food, but the bone she couldn't somehow not pick out of the bowl.

I wanted to help her but in this moment she picked the edge of the bowl, lifted it and turned it upside down, so that the bone fell out of it.

I have never seen this before, maybe because I didn't look in this very moment. For me this was a form of thinking.

Are dogs like that? Or how would you explain this?

Dogs Learn

Dogs Remember

Dogs Think

Dogs Experiment

Dogs Solve Problems

Dogs Amass & Retain a Body of Knowledge both by Observation and by Trial & Error...

YES, dogs are like that

That's so great, Candi. Yes I knew and had also experienced that they are very intelligent. But this I didn't expect. This is really not just some instinct, some learning by being trained, this is planning, autonomous thinking, even analytical thinking. What incredible creatures!

I kept two stainless steel dog bowls for both dogs.

One that I brought their meals to them and the other I would pick up to clean as I put down the next meal.

If I was a bit late at feeding time Thunder would pick up his bowl and start banging it on the sliding glass door.

Trooper would start tossing his around on the concrete patio.

Wife would say, "Why don't you jut put a bell and a speaker out there so they could just ring and say "HEY you old fart, it's dinner time!"

Oh wow! So funny and admirable. Really thinking dogs.

I have a friend in Switzerland, a dog breeder, who teaches her dogs to hit a hanging bell, if they want her to come. LOL.

I personally wouldn't do that, because they'd ring all the time. But she has a lot of experience, I guess she also knows how to limit this for special situations.

When I train with my brain damaged Charlie, I toss food down a stair with 3 steps, which at the beginning he could not ascend without help. My Lab Mix then is often lose, because she doesn't disturb.

When I toss the treat within her reach, she of course would like to take it. I say "leave it" and she leaves it, although she is much quicker than Charlie. But if I forget the "leave it", she grabs it.

She distinguishes very well. ("She has not said anything, therefore I can take it"). Thinking dog. Stupid woman, who did not classify this as thinking.

http://www.chaserthebordercollie.com/

 Quote: Bob Scott

I kept two stainless steel dog bowls for both dogs.

One that I brought their meals to them and the other I would pick up to clean as I put down the next meal.

If I was a bit late at feeding time Thunder would pick up his bowl and start banging it on the sliding glass door.

Trooper would start tossing his around on the concrete patio.

Wife would say, "Why don't you jut put a bell and a speaker out there so they could just ring and say "HEY you old fart, it's dinner time!"

YES, various dogs of mine over the years would bring me their water bowl, should it ever get knocked over & go dry -- Others would fetch me their collar & leash for a walk, if I happened to get delayed by some other pressing duty, and they got tired of just waiting around (LOL)...

Dogs size up situations, make independent decisions & take action according to their own judgment

Incredible! Yes, they know what they want, they make their own decisions those awful biests and they are better observers than we are (sorry, at least better than I am). They have also a very exact watch installed. Although I've always been a very punctual person, they remind me with a heartbreakinng whining, when I on am 1-3 minutes later than usual.

Here I think I have committed a mistake in the beginning. I always ran, when they were whining, this out of fear something was wrong. Nothing was wrong, I was on the best way to become their slave! Lol! Meanwhile I've learned to discriminate better the significance of the barking, whining ... and let them wait, cold-blooded! Shame on me.