Pointing

[Lunar]

I heard something on TV the other day that made me go "Wha??" It was a show about babies and how they learn. And they said that humans are the only species that understand what pointing signifies... that when you point at an object a baby/human will look at what you're pointing at. Any other species will stare at your hand.

 

Now for my current two dogs that may be true. Zeeke chews on my hand when I point at things because he gets mad he doesn't understand. However, Oreo knew exactly what me pointing meant. If I pointed out the window she'd race to the window to look and see what I was pointing at. Plus I taught her a trick: "Touch." Which meant "go touch with your paw the object that I am pointing at." I'd say "touch" and point at something... a toy, a chair, my foot. And she'd run over and smack it with her paw, then come running back for a cookie. You simply can't tell me that she didn't know exactly what pointing meant!

 

So what about your dogs, do they understand? Are border collies special in understanding this? Was the show totally off base? Discuss.

[Anda]

Ha! Ever since Ouzo was 3 months old he understood what pointing means. I was very surprised when I discovered it. I can point at whatever I want him to bring and he would do that. Or point where he should look. It was helpful when he was still trying to figure out the mistery of birds flying, he would hear the geese above, but didn't understand that the noise was comming from above, so I would point at the sky and he would follow my finger and look up and watch the geese.

 

He even knows "behind you", when he's looking for something and the object is, well, behind him. Very useful at the dog park when he's looking for his ball or even in water, when he's swimming.

 

He also follows my eyes and if I look in one direction (point with my eyes), he knows to follow it. Like if before I throw his ball/frisbee, I look in one direction, and then back to him, he knows to get in position to run in that exact direction.

[sandra s.]

They both know what pointing means. With Kessie, it's a game we play. If I have thrown the ball and Kessie has taken off in the wrong direction, being in too much of a hurry, she looks at me and I point to the ball. Then she starts doing her search circles in that area. Now the pointing is usually enough, but I think I used more "general" body language at first, to teach her what it means.

 

Kyla, on the other hand, seems to have figured it out by herself! I can't secretly give Kessie tips when we're playing cookie search, because if I point to a hiding place, Kyla is often there first. I did NOT teach her anything like that! She may be a little lunatic but she's got a very good brain in her head.

[sluj]

My Mom's BC/heeler mix will go get the toy you point at, but more often he'll point out what he wants thrown. He'll stare at it, turn and look at you, stare at the ball, glare at you, touch the ball with his nose, turn and grumble loudly at you for laughing.... as long as it takes for the ball to get thrown!

[sweet_ceana]

That show is a crock! Ceana has known pointing since she was a little pup. She will look at toys or animals outside if you point to them. She knows "behind you" as well which is nice when she takes her eyes off a ball for just a moment. I had always thought it would be useful so pointing at things and sit were one of the first things she learned.

[rossie]

That show is so wrong. Yes, my border collie understands pointing. You know who else understands pointing? The cat. You know who else understands pointing? My brother's German Shorthaired Pointer

 

[Rosanne]

That show is wrong. I read or saw on TV a study that I was just mentioning to someone the other day - it said that despite the fact that chimps are widely accepted as being more intelligent than dogs (in a general IQ measuring fashion), that dogs, through their looooong years of breeding for human interaction, had developed the ability to interpret more of our distinctly human behaviors (such as pointing). In fact, pointing at objects was the main behavior it mentioned. It said that they tried but were not able to get chimps to understand what it meant, while dogs were pretty easily able to pick it up.

 

My dogs definitely understand it, and our retrievers did too, so it's not just BC's. Now if I can just remember where I saw/read that. I'll post it if I can find it!

[Rosanne]

OK, well apparently dolphins get it too! http://www.dolphin-institute.org/our_resea...inggestures.htm

That one mentions how chimps couldn't understand.

 

Here we go: http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/15156/

Also mentions Rico, who is, you guessed it, a border collie! He's probably been mentioned before.

[Lunar]

OK, well apparently dolphins get it too! http://www.dolphin-institute.org/our_resea...inggestures.htm

That one mentions how chimps couldn't understand.

 

Here we go: http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/15156/

Also mentions Rico, who is, you guessed it, a border collie! He's probably been mentioned before.

 

That's great! I knew that show was wrong. Our dogs are all far too smart.

[KrisK]

I'll have to double check this but I do believe it was in Stanley Coren's book "How to speak dog" that he discussed how he used 'pointing' as a way of teaching a dog where you were looking. I'll look tonight when I go home.

BTW, Jazz is very good with the 'pointing', Cricket, doesn't do as well.

 

ETA: Yes, there is an entire chapter called The Point of the Matter

[GoldenCollie]

My Labrador knows exactly what i mean when i point. If i point to the window saying "whos out there" he rushes to the window to look, if i point to his bed and say "go there" he goes and lies down. Even without talking along with pointing he understands, as he will generally look at whatever i'm pointing at. Megan, my BC is still only 15 weeks old, so whenever i point, she just thinks its a big game of 'chase the finger' or 'nip the finger'... But i'm pritty sure she will catch on as she gets older.

I can see where the t.v program is coming from, but i do think a lot of people under-estimate dogs and their abilities. Especially non-doggy type people, who just see dogs as dogs, and not actually creatures we bond with, train and communicate with.

[smileyzookie]

Riven cant exact understand pointing unless its with your toe. She does get the generalized area you're pointing in though. Heck even Rohan does.

[pammyd]

All dogs I have met have responded to the pointing

 

errm - teesh is a bit too good

I go "fetch your ball" and point at the ball and he goes and gets it

"fetch your stick" and point and he goes and gets it (even if there is a tonne of sticks he sniffs out HIS stick

I emmmm tried "fetch the cat" when the cat had snuck out down the stairs, dog with mouth over cats head looking up like "you sure??" cat not phased at all - it thinks it is a dog, I think teesh thinks he is oscar wylde or something

[WyoBC]

You bet Black Jack knows what I'm pointing at. All I have to do is point and he looks for what I'm pointing at. He doesn't always run to get what ever I'm pointing at but he looks. It's really useful when he misses me throw the ball and I tell him "look". It's so funny to point, say "look" and see him whip he head around so fast to look and see what I'm pointing at

 

He did that with geese too Now he knows what they are and the noise they make so he doesn't care.

[Mona Howard]

If we are eating lunch and a potato chip hits the floor it is way too much effort to actually

lean over and pick it up. So we just point with our foot and the Wilbur comes over to

"see what we are pointing at". A pointed foot means a treat. Don't point your foot to see

if your shoes are untied or someone will be very dissappointed.

[Kitch]

Yep, Dublin understands pointing - both with my hand or my foot. My coonhound mix growing up was great at this too. I would point out a treat and you could actually see him following the imaginary line from my finger to the ground to find it. Same thing worked if I was pointing out a squirrel he hadn't seen yet.

 

Heck, even my cats understand pointing. I will toss a handful of kibble on the floor for them sometimes and then point out (again either with my foot or hand) any they missed. They will race to see who gets to it first.

[painted_ponies]

I had a demonstration of this just last night, with mixed results. DH dropped some kibble on the floor while refilling the feed bin. I pointed to the kibble. Violet looked where I pointed and ate up the dropped kibble. Faith looked at my finger. Maybe it's an age thing - Faith's not quite six months old, but Vi's three years old.