Thread: How dogs know

A dog I got 'free to good home' in the Lithgow area many years ago turned out to be a dingo with some kelpie in him
I could write a book. Best dog I ever had died in 2004 age 17.
But this one is probably his best 'how did he know'?

When he was about 3 ( around 1990) I took off overseas for an extended time away.
My sister in Fairfield Melbourne looked after him for me.
She had a German Shepard bitch.
She was not keen on the progeny that would transpire so when she came into season, Mungo got rehomed to my other sister in Niddrie, about 15km away.
Mungo got dropped off one morning, never been to my sisters place before..never been driven that way before.
about 3 hours later my sister in Fairfield was looking out the kitchen window..and there was Mungo..doing the deed with Heidi.

To get there he somehow
*escaped from my sisters yard in Niddrie
*new which direction to go
*navigated miles of city suburbia
*got across the Tullamarine freeway
*made it through Brunswick and Thornbury ( how many traffic lit interections?)
*arrived back at Fairfield address
*jumped the 7 foot paling fence from road into yard
*got to work

He had proven prior to that that he 'always' new where he was, he was never lost - just hadn't decided to come home yet.
But this trip continues to baffle me - just how could he have done that?
We will never know...he had no ID on him.

Originally Posted by rovers4

Both could hear the dog lead rattle on the hook from the other end of the house, no matter how quiet you were.

Apart from emptying her tanks in the morning, I didn't see the rent-a-dog for the morning, until I touched the car keys, then she was under my feet.

Originally Posted by rovers4

They both were aware of any ill health in the family, often before we were.

Dogs are incredible at detecting cancer, apparently.

This is a true story.

When I was a kid we lived on a farm in the west of Victoria but dad was doing some work over near Bendigo, so about 200kms away in a straight line. Over the school holidays we went to stay with my dad and our neighbours were looking after our farm dogs while we were away. Mum and dad decided to go back for the weekend - they didn't tell anyone that we were coming back. When we got home the back door of the house was unlocked and there was a full lamb roast in the oven. Mum and Dad went to the neighbours' place to see what was going on. Our neighbour told my parents that our dogs had been unusually excited all day - whining, running around, tail wagging - which they hadn't done since we left, so she'd concluded that we must be coming back. So she put a roast on for us.

The dogs were clearly excited, and we were in fact coming back ..... but we were over 200kms away, so how could they have known?

I had a Jack Russell X that loved going fishing and most times he was happy to be up and looking around or rarely, curled up on an old towel or tackle bag on the floor of my 12' tinny. He came out with me late one arvo for a quick fish, be home on dark or thereabouts. I'd checked the weather and a slight wind change was predicted but I thought nothing of it as at worst we'd be coming home with it behind us. The little mongrel gave me no peace all arvo, pushing his nose into my ribs, climbing onto my lap, standing on the seat with his front paws shoving my shoulder and whatever else he could think of to be obnoxious. We were nearly home, about 100yards from the ramp when the change came through and Holy Hell had the weatherman got that wrong. I know why the little bloke was worried.

We also had a Jack Russell. Little bloke came in one day and he wasn't right. Vet said he'd been bitten. Snakes up that way were Tigers or Copperheads, with red bellied blacks around a bit. Dunno which got him. But, vet did his job, and Bowser came home. Coupla days later, on the doormat, we found a Tiger, bitten from end to end by a little Jackie. Game little buggers.
Dunno if it was the same snake, but I like to think so.

Current dog ..... we live in the inner city and park on the street but whenever we come back by car, by the time I get to the front door the dog is waiting, and the cat is there as well. The dog must be able to recognise the noises of both of our cars as we drive past as distinct from all the other residents' cars. It probably helps that we have to drive past to use a turning circle. The cat whips into the front bedroom and opens the plantation shutters to see who's outside.

Our dog also has the different family members' "walking the dog" routes memorised and makes all the right turns - in my case there's a couple of variants and she stops at those and looks back at me for an indication of which way we're going.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

Current dog ..... we live in the inner city and park on the street but whenever we come back by car, by the time I get to the front door the dog is waiting, and the cat is there as well. The dog must be able to recognise the noises of both of our cars as we drive past as distinct from all the other residents' cars. It probably helps that we have to drive past to use a turning circle. The cat whips into the front bedroom and opens the plantation shutters to see who's outside.

Our dog also has the different family members' "walking the dog" routes memorised and makes all the right turns - in my case there's a couple of variants and she stops at those and looks back at me for an indication of which way we're going.

When my wife had a Citroen C4 diesel Our dog would get up & go to the gate & wait for her to arrive home about 3 min's before she drove in the driveway , I would say he recognized the sound of the car when it was at the other end of the street ours runs off. Now he is blind & almost deaf we can get in side without him knowing.

Grandpa's dog was most confused when my parents inherited his car, changed the colour, and drove up the farm road. Dog knew the car from 2 gates down and was waiting for us at the home paddock gate.
Poor pooch, most disappointed look on a dog's face I have ever seen.
Cheers