Communicating with BC's

[Catu]

I always ask questions to my dog, and I always receive a response, but I, as the (I expect) most intelligent of us am the one that go to her level, and I don't expect her to go to mine. I talk my dog all the time so she knows lots of words which can come in handy.

 

Twice a day, before to feed Auca I ask "Are you hungry?", every time I give her water I say "Water". If in the middle of a trekking I ask her "Do you want water?" she looks at me intently and licks, then I give her water, if she barely pays me attention, then I don't bother taking the bottle of the backpack. Same with the food and with several others daily and cotidian silly things. She actually answers me, but I don't need YES or NO pads, as I'm perfectly capable to read body language... if dogs can, I can too.

 

I used to amuse my friend at home. When Chemukh started to become too much pesting I asked to her "Why don't you go to see if it's raining outside?" And she quickly went out. Of course the only and one word Chemukh understood was "outside", but to common people it was like magic.

 

Of course there is a huge, huge difference between to ask a dog if it is thirsty than to ask it if he believes in god. but I would like to know the answer.

[Alaska]

came across this site on a BC breeder's page. Apparently, the breeder - and the US Military - is exposing 3-16 day old pups to stress to make them super-dogs (e.g. holding the 3-day old pup upside down or exposing it to a towel that has been in a refrigerator. Read this article http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/achiever.html

 

Patricia McConnell claims to have tried very hard to track down the original research that resulted in this program. She said Dr. Battaglia (the link you gave, and the person who is usually cited as the souce for this particular program) couldn't or wouldn't provide any further background than what's on his website. He said only, "Check with the military."

 

Dr. McConnell has also failed to find any scientifically conducted study of the effectiveness of this program. Breeders tend to follow it, or not, but either way no one seems to have tried raising two litters identically except for using this program with one and not the other, which is what you'd need to do (multiple times) to show it made a difference. Lack of a scientific evidence doesn't mean this program doesn't work, just that we don't have any way to evaluate whether it does.

 

On the other hand, McConnell did provide references to studies that have shown that, in general, pups that are exposed to unusual stimuli at a young age are typically better able to cope with unfamiliar stimuli when they are older. Battaglia's five exercises are specifically designed to expose pups to stimuli that they would not otherwise experience, even pups that are handled and socialized extensively at a young age, so whether or not these exact exercises are optimal, there is at least reason to expect that they could make for a more resilient adult dog.

 

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Regarding your comments about "intelligence of a three year old," surely you know that there are many forms of intelligence? "Intelligence" per se is not easily quantified, unless you break it down into specific kinds (e.g. problem solving skiills, learning skills, etc.). Scientists continue to disagree on how to measure human intelligence, let alone compare intelligence levels between species. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia entry on dog intelligence that illustrates part of the problem:

 

The ability [of some dogs] to learn quickly could be a sign of intelligence. Conversely it could be interpreted as a sign of blind subservience and a desire to please. In contrast, some dogs who do not learn very quickly may have other talents. An example is breeds that are not particularly interested in pleasing their owners, such as Siberian Huskies. Huskies are often fascinated with the myriad of possibilities for escaping from yards, catching small animals, and often figuring out on their own numerous inventive ways of doing both.