What is your dog thinking about?
The canine mind works not so differently from the human mind.
WHAT DO DOGS THINK?
Approximate reading time: 6 minutes
Surely your dog has looked deeply into your eyes for several seconds and, for a moment, you have said to yourself: what is my dear furry friend thinking about? Our pets are an important part of our lives. They share many moments, experiences and anecdotes with us, and we establish a relationship with them so deep that, sometimes, we can come to think that they understand us and reason just like us. But what does science say about this? What is the mind of a dog like? Are these adorable animals capable of thinking?
The truth is that dogs are social animals. In their wild state, in nature, they are organised into packs in which a hierarchy is created that is governed by their own social rules. In their domestic lives, after thousands of years of coexistence and mutual collaboration with humans, dogs still act driven by their instincts, but they also possess advanced mental abilities such as understanding, memory and communication. This is why these animals can understand and differentiate numerous words (more than 100 in some cases) and, with proper training, distinguish and obey different commands. So, are dogs capable of thinking? And if so, what is your dog thinking?
Table of contents
1. Your dog thinks about his past
2. Is it true that your dog thinks about you?
Your dog thinks about his past
If the human mind is still a great mystery in many aspects, the dog’s brain is even more so. Although much research is lacking in this area, science has confirmed that dogs are capable of thinking about their past.
They achieve this through their senses, especially their very powerful sense of smell, capable of gathering information with incredible efficiency. Thanks to this remarkable olfactory ability and the precision of their other senses, dogs associate these smells and other data with all kinds of past experiences, such as places and people. In other words, smell acts as a roadmap to evoke associated memories.
Is it true that your dog thinks about you?
For the scientific community there is no doubt that the bond created between a dog and its guardian is very special and complex. These animals become emotionally connected to their owners, mimicking their feelings, and can even comfort their caregiver when they cry or are sick.
In addition, dogs can detect through their sense of smell if we have any health problems and also what our mood is. Knowing all this, it is logical to deduce that your pet thinks about you, since you are the most important thing in their world.
But did you know that there is scientific evidence for this? In a study conducted with several dogs, they were given different objects from their owners and other random objects to smell. The test showed that when pets sniffed the things of their favorite humans, their brains showed activity in the lower temporal lobe, which is responsible for memory. Fascinating, right?
Do dogs think like us?
It's a universal truth: no one understands and adores you like your dog does. This very close bond that people and dogs share leads us to think that, in reality, they are not so different from us. Through their intense looks, our dogs transmit all their kindness, love and loyalty to us.
Some furry friends, like the Australian Cobberdog, have eyes so deep and bright that they practically look human. But how similar are the ways of thinking of people and dogs? Do these adorable animals think the same as us?
Neuroscientist Gregory Berus, determined to find out, trained his terrier mix to stay still and relaxed during the different MRIs he subjected her to for years. One of his most interesting findings, which he shared in his book How Dogs Love Us, is that dogs use the same areas of their brain as humans to solve different problems.
Furthermore, this study discovered that dogs not only identify us through their sense of smell, but also by our facial features thanks to a sophisticated recognition system that identifies and remembers each part of their owner’s face.
Your dog loves you!
Dogs are able to remember and think about their owners. Science has supported their high level of emotional and social intelligence, equating their reasoning ability to that of a child between 3 and 5 years old.
Your dog can feel love and something very similar to empathy. In fact, in the previous study, it was observed that food and petting from their owners activated the reward system of the dogs' brains at the same level.
Taking into account what food means in terms of survival and sustenance in the body of any animal, the fact that our gestures of affection please our dogs as much as food itself is truly incredible and moving.
The intelligence of dogs
As we have already seen, the intelligence of dogs is above all on a social and emotional level. These animals are capable of thinking, evoking memories of their past, of known people and of places. This level of intelligence can vary not only from one breed to another, but also from one dog to another. The Australian Cobberdog is considered a very intelligent breed, although genetics, lifestyle and socialization are aspects that greatly influence the intellectual capacity of dogs. Of course, surely, for you, your furry friend is the kindest and smartest dog in the universe. And now you know, they think of you and love you as much as you love them!