Animal abilities

[pmccarthy]

My dog can tell time. I have mentioned this previously and I had convinced myself that she was reading our clock on the wall. But no.
She is fed a small meal three times a day on vet's advice due to a tummy problem. The clock stopped for a few days and she still asked within five minutes of the appointed time for each meal. Today I was sandblasting panels in the yard all morning, and was startled to get a push in the leg from a wet nose. I wasn't wearing a watch so I went inside and, sure enough, it was two minutes past the time for her midday meal. 
I am genuinely baffled by this ability. I cannot tell the time that well. What other things must dogs and other animals be able to do that we cannot explain? Like navigation.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Our pupp is still learaning.. an hour early for each meal...

 

[nomadpete]

Some dogs do that all their lives, Jerry.

It doesn't necessarily mean they can't tell the time.

[onetrack]

I never fail to be surprised at what abilities animals have. Their memories and their navigational abilities are legend, so I wouldn't be surprised if dogs can keep accurate track of time. 

I notice how birds never fail to remember where their food sources are located. My old Italian neighbour Barney, feeds the magpies with little pieces of bread. The magpies remember for ages, where Barney puts out the bread.

They fly down and land on his Hills Hoist right outside his back door on a pretty regular basis. If there's no pieces of bread there, they wait about 5 mins, then warble to let him know they'd like some bread.

If Barney isn't home, or he ignores them (or doesn't hear them, as he's pretty deaf), they wait about another 5 mins and then fly off to find another food source.

What is more remarkable is that it's not always the same bird that flies down looking for the bread. So the knowledge of the bread supply must be kept and spread amongst the magpie group.

 

A couple of the local crows found where Barneys rubbish bin had blown over on the verge whilst waiting for pickup, and had spilled a few food scraps. They flew down and had a feed. It only happened the once.

But I see those crows coming back and checking that spot regularly, even landing on the verge, and walking around looking for scraps again.

 

My SIL used to have a female Blue Heeler. We lived for a period of a few years on our gold mining lease at Higginsville, while we worked it. Higginsville is about 130kms S of Kalgoorlie.

She loved riding in the Landcruiser and would sit in the back, relatively calm until we got within 5 or 10 kms of the mine. Then she would jump in the front, and start getting excited. She was obviously recognising the country close to home.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2021 by onetrack

[Old Koreelah]

Animals obviously tap into something we modern humans have lost contact with; this famous biologist has spent his life researching this field.

 

https://www.sheldrake.org/research/animal-powers

 

https://www.amazon.com.au/Dogs-That-Their-Owners-Coming/dp/0307885968

Some people have amazing affinity with animals; my older brother can get his working dogs and horses to do impressive tricks. I’d like to have that sort of affinity with my aeroplane, to ensure it keeps me safe.

 

 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-unexplained-powers-of-animals-a-live-seminar-with-rupert-sheldrake-tickets-149930079905

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

Not just time, dogs know what day it is too.  I give our dogs a Greenie denta-bone thing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  At the time they usually get it,  they let me know they're ready for it.

[facthunter]

Bread will kill magpies and probably a lot of other birds. I've seen it  several times and warned the feeders. Nev

[red750]

Our dog that died just recently was good with the time. We gave her a raw chicken drumstick for lunch at 12.15. Every day at 12.10, there she'd be, grin on her face and wagging her tail. She liked travelling in the car but some things frightened her. so she travelled in thefront passenger footwell with her head under the seat. When we turned into our driveway she would pop her head up.

 

Check out this video....

 

 

[willedoo]

My dad once had a cow that could open a gate. It was one of those wooden farm gates made from 4' x 1" timber. A short sliding plank with a handle attached served as the latch and locked into a mortice in the gate post. She figured out she could hook her horn on the handle and slide the latch out of the mortice. Then she would push the gate open with her head.

 

My current lawnmower (18yo Braford) knows the sound of my car. As soon as I round the corner of the road, she can identify me from at least 200 metres away. She will have her back turned and turn around and moo as soon as she hears my vehicle come around the bend. All hay related of course. I always knew cattle had good sense of smell, being able to smell water a mile away. It wasn't until I had only one cow left that I learnt how good their eyesight and hearing is. My cow sometimes waits for some hay at the designated spot, about 100 metres away down a steep slope with trees in between. If I go out on the verandah and cough, she will hear it and turn around, look up the hill and start nagging (mooing) for some hay.

 

Another smart animal was a Red Kelpie sheepdog my dad had when I was a teenager. That dog could almost talk. Around November, we would be harvesting wheat about two miles away. The track to get there was a series of right angled turns around various paddock fence lines. We would take off in the morning in the farm FJ ute with the dog in hot pursuit. By the time we got to the first bend, the Kelpie would figure out we were going to the header and take a short cut straight through the other paddocks. You could see her leap out of a crop and look around to double check to see if we were still heading towards the harvester.

 

In the 60's it was a state of the art header. A petrol engined, manual transmission Oliver with no cab, just open cockpit. The dog would beat us there and be standing on the floor in front of the driver seat and wagging it's tail with a big grin. Attached is a photo of the header. We never got there in time to see how the dog got up on the operating platform, but assumed she scaled the ladder. Kelpies are very athletic; the same dog used to jump up on the sheep's backs when forcing them into a pen. She would run along the top of a tightly packed mob to get to the front sheep causing the traffic jam.

[Old Koreelah]

Like their bosses, too many working dogs are now cooped up in town with nothing to do; this wonderful initiative is improving their quality of life:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/programs/landline/2021-05-29/sheep-herding-for-city-dogs/100131872

[Jerry_Atrick]

When getting our new pup, my partner didn't want another Beagle.. Too hard to train - apparently, which to be honest, is a myth...

 

So as this was more her pet (she leads the training), she opted for a cocker spaniel - there are two types apparently - show and working. Show ones can be highly strung, so she opted for the working one. Well, in all honesty, my parnter isn't the most active person to grace the planet, but she is finding out she has to be now, as the pup is very active (thought he still sleeps a lot during the day). There are so many people that buy working breeds and lap-dogs, and have never handled dogs before and wonder why they are so hard to train.

 

(I did want to get a Kelpie pup that was going up the road, if I couldn't have a Beagle.. but my partner said one Aussie in the house is enough).

[pmccarthy]

I loved our Beagle and would have another. They don't come back when on a scent or chase, but otherwise a lovely dog. Floppy ears can be an infection problem. But we’ll worth it.