how smart are animals?

[Slegr]

Making the one-way trip to the vet with a pet is a hard thing to get over. It's one of those times you really do wish your pet could understand you.

 

... Or in your case, Joe, you hope to hell that your pet doesn't understand a thing and has no clue you're putting it down because it's causing too much trouble and too expensive to fix!

Edited August 30, 2019 by Slegr

[Where's Wellwood]

2 hours ago, Green Goblin said:

Animals are like Pokemon; they can't speak English but they can feel what you're feeling.

More like Pokemon are like animals.

[Crabcakes]

I think that dogs and horses are as smart as young children.  Some breeds are obviously smarter than others.  Cat's are different.  I don't think they are truly tame.  They like us and live with us because it is a pretty good arrangement for them.  The cats that I have known only really misbehave when they are upset about something.  So if they crap on your carpet it's because of something you did.    Hairballs and older cats vomiting on the floor for you to step in in the dark are just their way of telling you that they love you.

[smithers joe]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Our dog likes me.  Oh, this thread is about animals being smart.  

 

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Our dog likes me.  Oh, this thread is about animals being smart.  

if cats were smart, they would hide when your around. 

[smithers joe]

4 hours ago, NucksPatsFan said:

Enough to be the next president of the USA

with distemper and fleas.

[smithers joe]

5 hours ago, NucksPatsFan said:

Enough to be the next president of the USA

 

Edited August 30, 2019 by smithers joe

[smithers joe]

13 hours ago, NucksPatsFan said:

Enough to be the next president of the USA

 

Edited August 30, 2019 by smithers joe

[brownky]

1 hour ago, Jaku said:

I once had a cow get her head stuck in a gate. While attempting to remove the gate she ripped it right off the hinges, took off running as fast as she could. This of course created a stampede, she ran through the barn and out into the pasture, as far as she could into the pasture too. 

 

I'll let you be the judge.

On the flip side of that, we had a cow learn how to unhinge the gate to get after the sweet sweet grain and horse hay.

 

It was no accident. She knew what she was doing. We had "pin" bolts that went through the gate into a post, and then a ring that would drop down to hold the pin in place - this stopped the pin from being able to come out of the post/gate without someone intending to do it.

 

^ Something like that.

 

Well, this silly heifer figured out how to raise the ring with her tongue, then open the bolt. And I'm 100% serious.

 

The first time we saw the cows in the good hay and grain side of the barn we figured someone forgot to lock the gate properly, no big deal. Shoo them out, lock it all up, all good.

 

Next morning they're back in there, same gate was open... what the hell? Checked the mechanism, everything was exactly as it should be. Kick the fatties back to their side, lock it up again. Afternoon comes around, I guess she was getting peckish. But what she didn't realize was we were in the other side moving bales around on the other side of a stack. We hear the 'clank clank' of the ring being moved, poke our heads around the stack and there's this silly girl licking it up, and then cracking the gate open.

 

No opposing thumbs, but one smart tongue.

 

We put bungee cables on the rings and attached those to the bottom of the gate. That ended that little problem.

[Jaku]

16 minutes ago, brownky said:

On the flip side of that, we had a cow learn how to unhinge the gate to get after the sweet sweet grain and horse hay.

 

It was no accident. She knew what she was doing. We had "pin" bolts that went through the gate into a post, and then a ring that would drop down to hold the pin in place - this stopped the pin from being able to come out of the post/gate without someone intending to do it.

 

^ Something like that.

 

Well, this silly heifer figured out how to raise the ring with her tongue, then open the bolt. And I'm 100% serious.

 

The first time we saw the cows in the good hay and grain side of the barn we figured someone forgot to lock the gate properly, no big deal. Shoo them out, lock it all up, all good.

 

Next morning they're back in there, same gate was open... what the hell? Checked the mechanism, everything was exactly as it should be. Kick the fatties back to their side, lock it up again. Afternoon comes around, I guess she was getting peckish. But what she didn't realize was we were in the other side moving bales around on the other side of a stack. We hear the 'clank clank' of the ring being moved, poke our heads around the stack and there's this silly girl licking it up, and then cracking the gate open.

 

No opposing thumbs, but one smart tongue.

 

We put bungee cables on the rings and attached those to the bottom of the gate. That ended that little problem.

That's amazing. It's honestly quite impressive how some animals pick up on stuff like that. One of the milking cows here does something similar, she rubs her head on the gate, just a spring pin and she almost always pops it open. 

[brilac]

My Sally who is 14, very smart and sassy too!  I got her in August 2005 when she was 6 weeks old.  

 

In 2006, when I started working 2 jobs, she brought me home a feather every day, and placed it on my bed.  When I got home, there was a new feather each day.  She would even wait for me at the end of the yard each night for me to get home from work.  

 

When Benji, the other cat disappeared, I told her - let's go look for Benji.  And  wewalked together down the alley while I was saying - Benji, here kitty kitty.  Also, the neighbor told me that when I would go to work, he would see her 5 minutes later walk to end of the sidewalk and watch me walk to work.  

 

When I moved back to Seattle with her, she fell in love with these mittens that were mine, and each day I would find them in a different spot side by side.  Once I had enough, they were my mittens, so I put them in closet on top.  Few minutes later, she jumped up in the closet to the top, grabbed one mitten with her teeth, and dropped it over the ledge, and then got the other mitten with her teeth and dropped it over the ledge, and then jumped down from the closet.  From then on, I knew for sure that those were not my mittens.  

 

We watched hockey together.  One particular year, the Canucks were not doing so well, and we would watch the Habs at 4pm, and as soon as the Canucks came on at 7pm, she would go into the bedroom, but she was there every Saturday when they Habs were playing to watch the game with me, and boy was she glued to the TV. 

 

I had a boyfriend, and we got into an argument, and after the argument I was not happy, and he went to pet her, and she hissed and tried to attack him.  She was not happy with him either. 

 

When at the vet, she listens to the vet too while the vet is talking.  My vet finds it cute. 

 

In the mornings when I don't want to get up, she lays on my pillow besides my head and purrs.  She also has a thing for kitty treats.  She jumps up on the counter and meows at me for kitty treats with her kitty treat meow.  She even tried to open the cabinet, that's why they are up high now.

 

We had a pet sitter, and the pet sitter gave her kitty treats in the morning and left the bag on the coffee table.  She came back in the evening, and there were bite marks all over the bag with no kitty treats in the bag.  The cat had got into the bag and ate all the kitty treats. 

 

Now days, besides meowing for her kitty treats, she guards the door, doesn't like when people walk by.  She stares at them.  She even starred at the neighbor while they were outside sitting.  I didn't know what she was starring at, and at the same time, I saw she was starring at the neighbor while the neighbor caught us both starring. 

[Baer.]

There are many intelligent animals. Chimps, Dolphins, Elephants, big and small Cats, Dogs/Wolves...are all self-aware. Highly intelligent animals. Just off the top of my head. But there are certain animals that are incredibly unintelligent.

[-DLC-]

People don't understand that, often, what you put in is what you get out of interactions with animals.  I'm sort of known as a bit of a rabbit whisperer in the rescue community because I understand that before you can catch a rabbit, you have to gain his/her trust.  It takes time.

 

Got a callout to rescue a rabbit at a very busy construction site...quickly realized she was Mom and there were 7 babies.  It took me a week of sitting curbside, gaining their trust (with food of course) and letting them get to know my voice so I could get close enough to trap them.  The last one was a bugger...think he was toying with me.  I named him Houdini.

 

They're very smart and sense danger.  My bun at home comes running when called (for a treat).  I talk to him a lot and he tooth chatters back at me...it's so cute.  Yes I am in fact a crazy bunny lady.

 

Dogs are super smart...so intuitive.  Well, mostly (I've known a couple of kind of dumbass dogs too).

 

Cats well...they rule the world.

[Silky mitts]

My German Shepherd was insanely intelligent. Very intelligent breed, makes sense why they are police dogs. Miss you bud.

[kingofsurrey]

Smarter than carrots and beets.....

[Gurn]

Years back, at my folks place watching a game in the living room and their cat comes in the back door. She stops in mom's room for a minute, comes out and touches noses with the family dog, gets a scratch from dad and I then walks towards the bedroom, falls over and dies.

 I know that cat was saying goodbye.

[*Buzzsaw*]

Ok, since people are telling anecdotes:

 

Here's the detail on the Dog/Bear story I started earlier.

 

My brother lives on the North Shore... back of the property abuts on a creek which comes down from the mountains.  He used to not have any fencing on the back.  (which has since been added)

 

He had one of those minature Schnauzer's... intelligent dog, but too yappy for my tastes... I like bigger dogs like a Labrador.  Schnauzer is soaking wet about 20-25 lbs.

 

I went over there for dinner one occasion... after dinner my niece who was 10 at the time took out the garbage to the bins which had been put out at the front of the property for pick up the next day.  On her way back, she runs into a large Black Bear which is out browsing on garbage night... between her and the front door. 

 

The little Schnauzer was looking out the door because my niece was his favourite human being and he followed her everywhere.  According to my niece, he sees the bear and instantly tears across the yard and nips it in the back side.  Bear swings around and takes a swipe and misses, dog is dancing around the bear... dodging behind trees and bushes, yapping like crazy... really fast, bear trying to swipe it with no success.  My niece runs into the house yelling.  My brother and I come out on the front porch shouting and banging things trying to scare the bear and yelling for the dog to come in.   Dog is having the time of its life, it thinks its invincible... running circles round the bear...  bear getting more and more frustrated.  Bear is 20 times the size of Schnauzer.

 

Finally bear says 'F*ck it' and heads for the creek, dog yapping behind... we could hear it chase the bear right down to the creek.  Finally after we follow it, dog comes back, very excited... tearing around, finally comes back in the house, it is still excited, bouncing off the walls, won't let my niece pick it up.

 

Then suddenly it stops... runs over to its food bowl, picks it up and drops it in front of my sister in law... looks up at her and barks. 

 

I.e.  "Ok, I did my job, how about some treats?"

 

 

[skolozsy2]

I think the average human is just getting dumber, therefore making the animals now appear smarter than they really are. 

[Ghostsof1915]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bear-intrusion-anmore-vancouver-opened-doors-1.5249186

[VegasCanuck]

They didn't elect President Trump, so....there's that...

[-DLC-]

10 hours ago, *Buzzsaw* said:

Ok, since people are telling anecdotes:

 

Here's the detail on the Dog/Bear story I started earlier.

 

My brother lives on the North Shore... back of the property abuts on a creek which comes down from the mountains.  He used to not have any fencing on the back.  (which has since been added)

 

He had one of those minature Schnauzer's... intelligent dog, but too yappy for my tastes... I like bigger dogs like a Labrador.  Schnauzer is soaking wet about 20-25 lbs.

 

I went over there for dinner one occasion... after dinner my niece who was 10 at the time took out the garbage to the bins which had been put out at the front of the property for pick up the next day.  On her way back, she runs into a large Black Bear which is out browsing on garbage night... between her and the front door. 

 

The little Schnauzer was looking out the door because my niece was his favourite human being and he followed her everywhere.  According to my niece, he sees the bear and instantly tears across the yard and nips it in the back side.  Bear swings around and takes a swipe and misses, dog is dancing around the bear... dodging behind trees and bushes, yapping like crazy... really fast, bear trying to swipe it with no success.  My niece runs into the house yelling.  My brother and I come out on the front porch shouting and banging things trying to scare the bear and yelling for the dog to come in.   Dog is having the time of its life, it thinks its invincible... running circles round the bear...  bear getting more and more frustrated.  Bear is 20 times the size of Schnauzer.

 

Finally bear says 'F*ck it' and heads for the creek, dog yapping behind... we could hear it chase the bear right down to the creek.  Finally after we follow it, dog comes back, very excited... tearing around, finally comes back in the house, it is still excited, bouncing off the walls, won't let my niece pick it up.

 

Then suddenly it stops... runs over to its food bowl, picks it up and drops it in front of my sister in law... looks up at her and barks. 

 

I.e.  "Ok, I did my job, how about some treats?"

 

 

Not sure if this is a dumb or smart dog story.