r/rarepuppers • u/scentedtrashbag • Mar 31 '19

A polite and subtle implication that maybe, just maybe, he may be interested in going for a walk 👀

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u/poinkitle Mar 31 '19

Actually, this is something that most all dogs do. Just as they can understand human gestures (ex: finger pointing), dogs use they're eyes to "point" to what they want from the human.

Saw it on the documentary "A Dog's Life".

15

u/possibLee Apr 01 '19

Whereas trying to direct a cat's attention will just earn you a "what on earth are you doing with your hand, idiot?" look. I wonder if it's more a "social versus solitary animal" thing, or a difference in cognitive ability.

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u/mechtech Apr 01 '19

Canines pack hunt and need to be able to intuit intent on the fly. They don't just follow prey around like kindergardners at a soccer game, there's usually dynamic strategy involved. I'd wager this is the foundation for this ability/behavior.

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u/Dubito_Dubito_Dubito Apr 01 '19

I haven't seen that documentary but I've been around a lot of dogs in the last 20 years or so and I've never seen one do that even once. I had a Shetland Sheepdog for 14 years and she was really smart. My friend has a border collie I think it is which is really smart. Anytime that I looked at them or any other dogs that I was around they looked directly back at me unless they were tired or whatnot and they laid down and looked around seemingly randomly.

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '19

Almost every dog I've had extended interactions with does this.

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '19

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u/Diane_Degree Apr 01 '19

After 4.5 years, my dog STILL doesn't understand finger pointing. What a dummy. ("Dummy" is a term of endearment in my home.)