Anthropomorphism

Another thread got me thinking about this.

Do dogs really miss human companions who go away or die? Do they miss other canine members of the family who have passed away?

Can dogs "think" that way at all?

I am as guilty as the next dog lover for imagining my dogs having all kinds of thoughts, ideas and emotions.

A prime example was leaving Flame at my boyfriend's place while I went on a walking holiday. I have had Flame from an 8 week old pup, we hadn't been apart for even a single night since that time - she is now 5 years old. She is unfortunately already suffering some stiffness in her joints and cannot enjoy really long and strenuous walks anymore, so I decided it would be kinder to her to leave her behind when I went walking in the Highlands. She went to stay with my boyfriend who she adores. He lives in a rural cottage on a large estate in Scotland - so I knew she would have a nice time and be well looked after However, I couldn't help but think she would worry where I had gone, she would miss me and perhaps even pine for me.

She watched us disappear as we set off on our holiday and the look (I thought I saw) in her eyes broke my heart.

Well - the little madam - apparently settled straight in, went everywhere with my boyfriend, played with his dogs (whereas she is usually quite aloof with them), slept at the end of b/f's bed, ate heartily and, on our reunion, charged up to say hi to my other dogs and then went tearing around the green with them ... forgetting to say hello to me!!

What do you all think?

I don't think it is anthropomorphic, dogs are a social animals so I think it is within the canine nature to get attached. Even without a emotion that we would recognise as affection they are also creatures of habit and change of any kind can appear to unsettle them.

But most dogs attach themselves very readily to whoever is feeding, walking and looking after them. So, I would say that they will attach to anyone who looks after them ... rather than to one or two individuals specifically.

I agree a change of habit and circumstance can upset some dogs for a short while, but I think tales such as Greyfriars Bobby are very, very few and far between.

I personally think they do miss, when my dear old Polly was pts-the others DID miss her, and any similar looking dog we saw got readily harrassed at every chance.
This also said, I can remember in 05 when i was kinda at the peak of being ill and was spending time in and out of hospital, the dogs apparently used to pine..and go off food..and lie on my bed..and lie by the front door waiting etc, so yes I do believe they do miss companion-whether animal or human

I totally believe dogs miss people when they die.
History also shows us this, the famous station Akita and the case of Greyfriars bobby for instance.
I think if you go away, dogs certainly adjust sometimes but you do get cases where they pine and will not eat.
I have only left my dogs for four days whilst I visited my parents in France. I left them with a good friend who both my dogs adored. They were happy enough, ate, played etc.
I got a fantastic welcome when I got back though and my bitch would not leave me a lone. I think I probably missed them more than they missed me though
I do think they will pine for another dog you lose in a family too, one of my friends just went downhill when the other dog died. Eventually she got another dog and the other dog picked up after a while.

I agree, it is these things that reinforce a dogs attachment. I would like to think that my dog's attachment for me would endure a few days, weeks or even months of someone else feeding them etc and they do also show attachment to other dogs who don't feed them and sometimes do not even play with them but I don't think it can endure a lifetime of no reinforcement. I think the Greyfriar Bobby type tales are more likely to be a story of a dog pursuing a habit and wasn't he fed by passers by in the graveyard? His attachment to the location probably had even more reinforcement when people went out of their way to look at him and pat him on the head for being such a devoted griever

Good discussion Moobli!!!!
I agree with Hewey totally about Greyfriars Bobby, I believe that he stayed where he did because he was fed and given attenton and perhaps when he did stray from the grave he found it difficult/was involved in a fight...anything negative could have happened to make him fearful in the future of leaving his safe place.

This is a topic that is close to my heart.
We truly believed our second pup would pine for us and even my superviser alerted kennels to the problem when he went in.
That dog, the one who was totally devoted to us, particualrly my son...did not look back..not once.
I think dogs will bond with whoever is kind to them and whoever feeds them and cares for them.
YES they form bonds and they DO remember those that have cared for them and treated them well, I've experienced this so many times now...but they move on.

Perhaps, like with humans, it is worse for those that are left behind...so, if someone in their ususal environment dies and they stay in the same environment without them, they find it harder to adjust as their routines will have altered? Just like humans, if a friend or family member moves away, it is those left behind that struggle to adjust and miss the person, the person that has left finds it easier to move on as they are in a new and exciting environment????

I hand on heart believe that dogs are nowhere near as loyal as people like to think that they are, yes they bond with us without a doubt, yes they will protect us, but they would also readily adjust to doing those things with someone else....

I think they do miss us. If they're left in familiar surrounding, they tend to adjust better than being left in kennels etc.

I know when my lot are left in kennels, Shaan will bark to the point he gives himself a sore throat, and Luca will howl and bark If they're left with someone they know, Shaan will eventually settle down, but Luca will whine and pace until I get back.

But could dogs also learn that behaviour???
Example...dogs bark in kennels....member of staff comes to check on it, or even just to feed it, the behaviour is reinforced...
So is the barking because they are 'missing' home or is it an instinctive reaction to being in an alien environment , which is then reinforced..the same could be said of the pacing, if the behaviour has been rewarded, however inadvertently..then it will continue.

Don't get me wrong, dogs will react to being in a new environment, but once there, if left to settle, they generally will. Kennels of course are a difficult one as it is so alien to most dogs and barking will be copied by others etc etc etc...

When my grandfather died his 17 year old malinois went missing. 2 weeks later we found him death 10 km from his home behind the tombestone of my grandfather.

did he mis my grandfather, i think so

Greetings

Johan