A topic regarding how dogs learn surfaced on Psychology Today’s Canine Corner. Although they don’t mention cats, I nevertheless included cats in this story. Can our pets learn from us? is not the problem. The question is: Can they learn by simply watching and listening to us, like young children do?
Can cats and dogs learn anything from us?
Yes, is the response. At a presentation he gave, the article’s author, Stanley Coren, was confronted by a woman who wanted to correct him for suggesting that Chaser, our border collie companion who knows more than 1000 words, learnt those phrases the same way that babies do. She claimed that in order for Chaser to learn and retain the names of so many different objects, she was “fed snacks.” She was certain that he gained knowledge through rewards. Children, however, only learn by observation.
“The developmental psychologist objected to my making a comparison between the language acquisition of dogs and that of children,” Coren remarked. Not just the quantity of words the dogs acquired must be taken into consideration, but also the process of learning. Children pick up the majority of their language by listening to and seeing the people around them speak and engage in different activities. Canines don’t.
I shook my head when I read the previous sentence. As if! It is obvious that this woman does not get along well with either her dog or cat. if indeed she owns a cat or dog. I can say with with honesty that Molly, Olive, and Emily pay great attention to Tom and myself, and I KNOW they learn from both what we say and what we do. Emily probably knows more than she is letting on, in fact. She PREFERS to mislead us… with her large puppy dog eyes and her reserved (did I say reserved? yes, she can be reserved at times) demeanour. Emily studies us so intently that sometimes she anticipates our actions before we do, which is a given.
Olive frequently relies on Emily, demonstrating some learning as well. Similar to how young children in large families learn from their older siblings, so do dogs and cats in homes with several pets. Without a doubt, puppies benefit from one another. That has happened to me numerous times. And I am aware of people who intentionally pair up younger and older dogs in order to teach the younger dog the “home rules.”
Of course, cats are rather unique. Most of the time, they don’t want you to know that they are paying attention. Yes, there are stories about cats who perform or use leashes. They are a minority. Even rare cats like Molly are uncommon. Molly is a wonderful buddy. People, especially those named Tom, make her happy to be in their company. The Tom who lives in our home, at least. Early on, Molly mastered the art of manipulating Tom. She is already fitting in well in Tom’s basement office at our new house, and she frequently comes upstairs to get him if he is not there. She also knows how to manipulate me into meeting her desires. I believe that because the dogs were here initially, she picked up a lot of what she knows from them. The remaining items she acquired covertly. Her main objectives are to eat, receive rewards, or be seen. Yes, she enjoys being petted and will let us give her a short comb over.
I don’t understand why individuals still behave as if they can only “learn” from experience, from working with others, and from a desire to get things done. Sincerely, if people would only take the time to pay attention, they could learn a lot from dogs and cats. Can Dogs and Cats Learn from Us? can be answered in the affirmative. Yes. And once more, yes. They not only can, but also do.