Recently I faced the wrath of the commenters when I stupidly claimed that a cat isn't intelligent enough to know that he's being taken to the vets to be put to sleep and that him putting his paw on his owners' hands was NOT him saying, 'I'm alright with this, you pair. I've had a good run'. I'm sorry for being so 'uneducated' on this one. Course that's what the cat was saying!
I've had cats all my life (which will surprise quite a few of the commenters) and know that the cats I have had do not like getting in the car because they remember bad things from whenever they get in it. They are that bright at least.
But this piece isn't a photograph and speculation, it's science, lads. Apparently dogs know what we're saying to them. They can listen to you reciting King Lear and understand every word.
Credit: vi.sualize.us
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Well perhaps not, but according to a journal recounted in I Fucking Love Science, dogs are able to pick up certain words, intonations and meanings.
Obvious, you say, as they are used to obeying commands, but the research suggests that our canine friends are able to digest more information than you'd think, processing words using the same brain mechanisms as humans, which benefits them when they decipher tone of voice, too.
This video also helps to explain how dogs process information.
Credit: Family Dog Project
As part of the research, scientists experimented with 'praise words' but in different intonations, and surprisingly the dogs used only the left side of the brain to decipher the words' meanings, while the right side of the brain understood whether the intonation was positive or not. A lot of science explains that they process the words similar to humans.
However, only when these praise words were said with a happy intonation did the dogs show a pleasurable response themselves, MRI results showed.
This, among other studies, showed that dogs can understand a lot more than previously thought and can understand far more than simple command words, their name and when dinner is.
Dogs are also damn good at sniffing out drugs, land mines and a hell lot more, as well as being awesome companions. And clever bastards too it seems!
Gonna put it out there and say they still wouldn't know if they were about to be put to sleep by a vet, though, but it's great to know man's best friends are also really intelligent.
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Featured image credit: Pinterest
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Dogs