Re: 7 Words That Dogs Can Understand (And 4 That No Dog Can)

Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:

Le 11/03/2025 à 00:03, Paul Wolff a écrit :

On Thu, 6 Mar 2025, at 06:46:28, Hibou posted:

>
What's really astonishing is that we do have the apparatus. Humans are
extraordinary beings, the product of long and tortuous evolution that
may have few parallels in in the Universe. I find this a sobering
thought.

>
When we talk of the numbers of /anything/ in the universe, I start by
counting the number of galaxies we have seen, and start multiplying from
there.
 
But as for dogs, and being a chemist by education, I was very impressed
by Six-Thirty. Over a thousand English words, we were told. And he was
said to have been based on a real one. (Lessons in Chemistry, q.v.)

 
Chaser, presumably:
 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaser_(dog)>
 
<https://www.chaserthebc.com/>
 
Is there a reliable source for a dog knowing more than a thousand words?
Google seems to find only gushing, uncritical enthusiasm - 'I met the
world's smartest dog' etc. (a sobriquet redolent of promotional puff).

Konrad Lorenz gives some well-tested examples with a smaller number of
words. A realistic estimate seems to be that good dogs can reach
the language abilities of an average two year old human.
(in understanding)

Jan

--
T"h"e" "w"e"l"l"-"k"n"o"w"n" "a"n"i"m"a"l" "p"s"y"c"h"o"l"o"g"i"s"t","
"S"a"r"r"i"s"," "p"r"o"v"e"d" "t"h"i"s" "i"n"d"i"s"p"u"t"a"b"l"y"
"w"i"t"h" "t"h"r"e"e" "A"l"s"a"t"i"a"n"s"," "c"a"l"l"e"d"
"H"a"r"r"i"s"," "A"r"i"s" "a"n"d" "P"a"r"i"s"." "O"n" "c"o"m"m"a"n"d"
"f"r"o"m" "t"h"e"i"r" "m"a"s"t"e"r"," " H"a"r"r"i"s" "("A"r"i"s","
"P"a"r"i"s")"" "G"o" "t"o" "y"o"u"r" "b"a"s"k"e"t," "t"h"e" "d"o"g"
"a"d"d"r"e"s"s"e"d", "a"n"d" "t"h"a"t" "o"n"e" "o"n"l"y", "w"o"u"l"d"
"g"e"t" "u"p" "u"n"f"a"i"l"i"n"g"l"y" "a"n"d" "w"a"l"k" "s"a"d"l"y"
"b"u"t" "o"b"e"d"i"e"n"t"l"y" "t"o" "h"i"s" "b"e"d"." "The" "o"r"d"e"r"
"w"a"s" "c"a"r"r"i"e"d" "o"u"t" "j"u"s"t" "a"s" "f"a"i"t"h"f"u"l"l"y"
"w"h"e"n" "i"t" "w"a"s" "i"s"s"u"e"d" "f"r"o"m" "t"h"e" "n"e"x"t"
"r"o"o"m" "w"h"e"n"c"e" "a"n" "a"c"c"o"m"p"a"n"y"i"n"g"
"i"n"v"o"l"u"n"t"a"r"y" "s"i"g"n"a"l" "w"a"s" "o"u"t" "o"f" "t"h"e"
"q"u"e"s"t"i"o"n"."                     (Konrad Lorenz, Man Meets Dog)