What can science tell us about dogs? - with Jules Howard

Does your dog really love you? Can dogs understand human emotions? And what's the history of dogs and scientific research? Watch the Q&A here: • Q&A: What can science ...
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Join zoologist Jules Howard as he explores how we gained our current understanding of what dogs are capable of and what the new breed of scientists are discovering.
This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 12 May 2022.
0:00 Intro - how dogs help to answer questions of animal cognition
4:18 How well can dogs understand language?
7:46 Can animals feel emotions like humans?
9:53 Can animals emotionally attach?
12:52 Can animals understand human gestures?
16:05 Do animals have theory of mind?
18:25 The history of dogs in science
27:12 Pavlov and his dogs
32:36 Colonel Konrad Most and negatively training dogs
34:52 The history and myth of ‘alpha dogs’
39:02 BF Skinner and radical behaviourism
42:40 The most influential dog behaviour study you’ve never heard of
47:27 1999 and the family dog project
50:16 The future of research: are dogs conscious?
Jules Howard is a UK-based wildlife expert, zoologist, science-writer and broadcaster. He is the author of four non-fiction books, including 'Sex on Earth' and 'Death on Earth' (Bloomsbury), the latter being shortlisted for the Royal Society of Biology Book Prize.
Jules writes for the Guardian, BBC Wildlife and BBC Focus. He appears regularly on TV and radio shows, including Good Morning Britain, BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4, Springwatch Unsprung and Channel 4's Sunday Brunch.
Jules also hosts and performs each year at a number of festivals and live events including Wilderness, Green Man, Blue Dot, Edinburgh International Science Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival. His warm and light-hearted delivery has seen him compared to Bill Bryson, Stephen Jay Gould and Jon Ronson. National Geographic have referred to his work as 'refreshingly self-aware' and Science have called his writing 'Eye-opening, engaging and enjoyably humorous'.
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[@TheRoyalInstitution]

Watch the Q&A here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5e6dJyZmM6ll5Y and find out whether dog breed makes a difference to ability, and what influence culture has had on scientific research into dogs. How smart do you think your dog is? Let us know in the comments!

[@DC-wt2vi]

I tried the pointing experiment on the dogs. One looked at what I pointed at, but the other rolled her eyes and muttered something like, "Surely you know that's your finger".

[@jimwebster5320]

I'd love to be able to tell a joke to my dog. I found a paper on how dogs "laugh" once, I'm just wondering if there has been any progress in the area. I have spent too much time looking into this, so I just thought i'd ask someone who might actually know the question. Thanks for reading.

[@davidrains3918]

I have a Border Collie mix on 7 fenced acres with a few small gaps. After a couple months he started showing up outside the gate. I told him in these words “Don’t go under the fence. Stay home.” He immediately stopped going under the fence. I didn’t train him,I just told him. How the hell he knew what I was telling him I’ll never really know. It still baffles me today and it’s happened many times since. Some dogs, like some people, just seem to “get it “.

[@jonathanbyrdmusic]

Underappreciated: the way RI avoids the long-winded academic introductions so common in lecture videos. Thank you!

[@ekaterinaprytkova6423]

Sarcasm? :)

[@smjarvis1234]

Funny I actually thought this intro was particularly long - even though I loved the talk.

[@martinmckee5333]

@@smjarvis1234 I think they are referring to the fact that it's not unusual for someone to talk for five to ten minutes about the presenter before they even get a chance to start.

[@mariog7213]

@@martinmckee5333i only ever see that in debate videos

[@martinmckee5333]

@@mariog7213 Interesting. While it certainly happens in debates, I've seen it in lots of lectures as well. But it may happen more in my fields of interest (computer science, physics, and mathematics) than in others.

[@woodygilson3465]

Always gonna be haters, but I thought it was a terrific presentation - succinct, relatable, enjoyable, without intellectual pretension or academic stuffiness, and chocked full of information. I thought it would take a boring turn at the historical stuff, but I was wrong. There were stories and details I'd never heard before, told with noticeable affection and respect for animal life that especially resonated with me as an animal lover and pet owner. I can't wait to get a copy of the book. I hope it sells millions of copies. And thanks, Royal Institute, for making these lectures accessible.

[@sylviarogier1]

Growing up I had a dog named Sandy (because of his golden color). Later in life he had a heart condition. The day he died, he came to each family member as we headed out in the morning to work/school to say goodbye. When we came home, he had passed away. I think he was somehow aware that his life would end that day.

[@mikedoherty3563]

They are unexplainable Magical

[@bobroberts6155]

Dogs will come to you when they feel unwell, I hope Sandy had no awareness of his death, the curse humans have to carry, but felt comforted by interacting with all his loved ones.

[@kinglyzard]

My dog waited until I got home from work before she took one last look at me and passed at that moment. We had the talk earlier that morning that I'd have to take her in to the vet to be put down that afternoon if she was still alive. She had been sick for a couple of weeks. 😢 She actually waited to say goodbye😢😢😢

[@Mike-iv3hy]

My dog understands the over there gesture Very well ! If she is standing in the way , I will wave my hand and say move . And she moves out of the way, 100% of the time, and by the look in her eyes You can just tell she understands . She is a Yorkie, not really known for thier intelligence, but she understands a lot . One time when she was young I was going to the grocery store and she wanted to go with me . I had a bag with me I used to put things in at the store that was on the sofa. I said to her no Princess You cannot go , they won't let You into the grocery store . She climbed into the bag and closed the flap as if to say , I will hide from them, they will never know I am there, absolutely true ! Not only did she understand , but she figured out a solution to the problem ! Nobody can tell me this species is stupid ! DML

[@k9mutttraining]

I love this. I will be asking all my students to watch it. You are explaining things in a manor the average person can understand. I hope this will help positive reinforcement will get a boost by this. Thanks so much.

[@Deipnosophist_the_Gastronomer]

It's somewhat amusing that Schenkel, in the same year that he was observing the wolves in Basel Zoo, conjectured that wild wolf packs might consist of a parental pair and puppies together with some older siblings. And that Mech, who's work probably popularised the alpha pair theory, quickly revised his opinion.

[@AbirTarafdar]

Imagine if you were a strapping British lad who just spent time with dogs and understanding dogs. What a dude.

[@pa4tim]

I had a crossbreed Border collie. Trained it very well (most via positive reward), always used handsignals and voice commands. When he was around 14 years old he became deaf but he still responded to all the handsignals. (he died 18 years old) I now have a dog (13 years old jackmo) that watches TV, not only that but when she does not watch TV she recognises all catfood commercials by the first sounds/music and then runs barking towards the TV. (hard to learn her not to this because she always succeeds, at the end of the commercial the cat always goes away. The best I could do was to learn her to bark soft when I say "zachtjes" (Dutch for "do not talk loud") She also responses to commercials with water or birds. I can ask her things and get a response . Things like " do you want to go outside" if she wants, she barks a few times, if not she does not bark. ) I can talk to her, she knows many words without training. If I tell her "do you want a cooky from the drawer, the next time I only have to say "do you", or just "drawer" and she runs to the drawer. While I talk she really studies my face and also answers making all kinds of sounds . Never had a dog that knows so many words and is so vocal. She can not be left alone. She is always close to me, sleeps next to me. She also does sneaky things. She gets a treat at 20:30 hours. Before that she often tries to get me to play with her by attacking me (playfull) and then retract hoping I follow. If I do we always end in front of the cabinet with treats.

[@macanoodough]

This guy is giving away all my tricks. People, my family included, have no clue why my dogs are so smart. But I don't train them with commands. I simply speak English as I would a child, and my dogs learn very quickly. Lot's of owners do this, sadly not most or all. They're never on a leash, and my hound I can position anywhere I want without hearing distance. Lots of books claimed my breeds would understand commands after repeating them 30-45 times. My dogs learned what to do hearing me say the same thing less than 10 times. One is even a velcro dog, and while some say that's not a behavior that can be changed he is learning to go off on his own more and more, even at home. No dominance training whatsoever, I simply treat them, and talk to them like children. I should qualify that by saying I talk to kids as I would anyone else not as smart, and only basic vocabulary.

[@wilurbean]

Regarding the sound boards - I have 3 buttons (eat, treat, drink) and two dogs. One very smart and one... well he's a beagle. The beagle is thirsty all the time and he's healthy, so he begs for water all the time. I was trying to train the beagle to use the buttons with very little success. He kept begging for water, and wouldn't hit the button. Smart dog was getting fed up with the noise, got off his bed came over, hit the water button, gave a dirty look at both of us and back to bed. He wanted peace and quiet, not food or water, which is abstract Definitely proves, to me, that he is completely and utterly self aware.

[@mariayolandasarriariano834]

He comprado el libro. Es un regalo de cumpleaños. Estoy encarretada leyendo. Ahora descubro este vídeo. Feliz. Gracias

[@freeheeler09]

Our seven year old wolfhound/border collie mix is smart as a whip, with a huge understood vocabulary. Even more, he reads body language and situations. Other dogs I’ve had in this life, my Rottweiler and my golden retriever didn’t know as many words, but were more emotionally intelligent. The commonality fir my wife and I, and for many other people, is that our lives are better, are more, for sharing them with our dogs.

[@wayneyadams]

26:00 We had a Jack Russell Terrier who could get out of his crate in a few seconds. One night my wife put him in his crate for the night alongside the other dogs, turned off the light and walked down the hall to the bedroom, and standing there waiting for her was the dog she had just locked in his cage.

[@TheBruuz]

I would argue that negative reinforcement (punishment), is what spread the fastest because it's the easiest and fastest method to train a dog. I've tried positive reinforcement on my dog when he was a pup to stop him chewing on my couch, and that worked until the positive reinforcement stopped, and he went back to chewing the couch. Logically, I would say, because nothing I had shown him said that what he was doing at first was wrong. He just learned he had to prefer chewing something else, not that he was forbidden to chew the couch. Eventually, I had to flick him on the nose a couple of times when he was chewing the couch, and that behavior stopped. I suppose humans are the same, we learn from mistakes, and we certainly learn from those that hurt us. It's just how mammals are wired I guess.

[@HebaruSan]

We adopted a 9 year old dog that hadn't been housetrained, who would slink off to a lesser used room to do his business. The turning point for him was when I caught him and yelled loudly. He was so shocked, it was clear that the bond we developed made him aghast at the idea of upsetting me. Soon after that he "got it".

[@greenflagracing7067]

I am a drummer with a couple of labradoodles. They don't mind drumming and often remain near the kit while I'm playing, but I've never seen either respond to a particular beat or tempo. Perhaps they don't understand syncopation or swung triplets.

[@ianwebb2235]

Fascinating! Thank you.

[@robertkezer3665]

TY I found this and it is wonderful. TY again sir.

[@HebaruSan]

Dreams! Every dog owner has watched their pet's legs twich while sleeping and wondered what's going on in there. Maybe impossible to research rigorously, but probably worth citing as evidence of some form of internal experience.

[@RaglansElectricBaboon]

Mine is doing this right now :)

[@catherinelynnfraser2001]

I can tell whether it is a good or a bad dream by the sounds. I offer a pet of reassurance and gentle words or a few happy murmurs.

[@kinglyzard]

Dogs obviously understand our languages; it's very unfortunate they can not speak them.

[@peterwiles1299]

Same process as ours - REM sleep. Not just twitching, but barking and wagging. If only we knew what they were dreaming about?

[@christophelombardi7810]

~24mins: Can highly recommned Christina Hunger's book if you haven't had chance to get to it yet. Her approach isn't actually a 'literacy' thing. It stems out of her being a speech and language pathologist and therapist for small children. It's actually a really interesting study that she's making. Unfortunately there are some out there who are seemingly 'doing it for the gram' etc, who water it down a little, but the science element on hers is actually very fascinating.

[@TheStickofWar]

I have just got the book today, will give it a good read over the next 2 weeks. And if anyone is interested, will let them know if it was worth the buy (it's £17.99 on the label for the hardcover book but I got it from Amazon and delivered to Norway for the same cost, was £8.99 right now for UK residents)

[@seasonedbeefs]

Great presentation. Despite the low audience the actual head count will be huge, and deserved

[@j.t.1215]

❤What an intelligent speaker!!!!

[@rajalwa]

Thank you

[@DGF042]

Great talk, but .... can anyone tell me by whom the drawings are, that were used on the slides? They're awesome Thanks

[@ZimCrusher]

13:40 Dogs can also understand pointing with our eyes. If we look at something, they will look at the same thing. I've seen tests where the owner points with their eyes in one direction, and with their finger in another, and the dog gets as confused as a person would, but then defaults to the eyes as the final choice. If the eyes are looking at the dog, the dog will follow the finger.

[@kinglyzard]

I never knew how important eye contact between dogs and humans was until I enrolled my dog Oscar in obedience school. Eye contact is stressed and reinforced heavily, making the rest of training a breeze.

[@nancybingham7298]

Would love to be able to chat with this presenter. I am in my late 70s & have bred & trained dogs for most of my life. My uncle bred & trained dogs & taught me so much (so experience time covers over a centuary. BTW all my dog runs locked with padlocks so dogs didn't open the doors & let everyone out together in exercise area.

[@suryaprakashsahoo2590]

Well a new topic indeed

[@NautiBuoy1]

Hi Jules, great talk mate ! I have a question about dogs dreaming. Do you think that dogs know that they have had a dream when they wake up ? And if they do (I like to think they do, because they must have nightmares sometime) what would that show about their intelligence? Id also love everyone esles thoughts .I'm

[@Anonymous-qw]

Why is the auditorium so empty? It is always full for the Christmas lectures. Actually I'm a dog human companion and quite enjoyed this lecture. I was expecting to see the dog he said he had in the audience and some practical demonstrations though.

[@paulapridy6804]

I hope it's the near future when that lecture hall has standing room only. It seems it should be obvious how deeply dogs feel when they comfort us on illness for instance

[@freddyjosereginomontalvo4667]

Awesome channel with excellent content and great quality as always say 💖🌍

[@raphaellavictoria01]

I think both dogs and cats have a lot of potential to learn by imitation, in the right conditions. Dogs have the innate desire to follow the leader and please the leader, and cats, well... are more complicated. Cats will learn whatever they are interested to learn. That's why all the cat trainers say, your cat has to be food motivated. But I know for a fact that by the end of his long life, my 18-year-old tabby cat knew his own reflection in the mirror, AND his video image on my phone, if I was filming myself holding him and showing him at the same time.

[@kinglyzard]

Laugh for the day... All cats are atheists. You'll never see one worship a backward dog!!😅😅😅 Also, if the Earth were flat, cats would push everything off the edge!!😅😅

[@jeffzeiler346]

I wonder how the concept of sentience can be studied in relation to dogs, other mammals, and other animals in general. And I wonder if researchers could be trusted to do the actual research: is there a less clunky term for Anti-Anthropomorphizing? Is there a way to offset prejudice, both for and against? I mean, how do you offset the natural prejudices all of us unknowingly carry as baggage - or do we just all "believe the science"? Cause that's been working SO WELL.

[@TheWyrdSmythe]

Speaking as a life-long dog lover and owner, I have to agree with the sentiment that this is pretty empty for an RI lecture. A journalist from The Guardian does not a scientist make.

[@dinogodor7210]

Hm... Did you read Anil Seth's "Being you" ? He studies mind in a more bottom up approach and I do think it could give you some ideas on how to tackle some of the questions raised at the end of the talk.

[@hopereyes1219]

Am so thankful that there was a part of human history we manage to have dogs domesticated. Because I believe its not only a pet we were able to have we also found a soulmate.

[@toby9999]

Hardly a soul mate. Wish they hadn't been part of human history. Dogs have become a nuisance.

[@DC-wt2vi]

@@toby9999 Maybe unregulated dog breeding combined with a lack of licensed ownership/keepership is the biggest problem. Dogs are blameless. Humans aren't.

[@bartel-shop]

Nice!!

[@darwinlaluna3677]

God blessed you

[@killiancolombo331]

Pretty cool!!!!

[@calyxah]

Hopefully he just misspoke, but the doctor who researched dogs playing by painstakingly watching videos back frame by frame, is Dr. ALEXANDRA Horowitz and not ANDREA Horowitz. Her book 'Inside of a Dog' is absolutely amazing. I also highly recommend anything written ethologist Dr. Marc Bekoff.

[@andylaweda]

I'm assuming you're aware of Greyfriars Bobby from the 19th Century and Winston the dog from BBC Newsround in the late 70s?

[@0Luxis0]

"You Bet"? Is that the name of the TV Show referenced? Does anyone have more information about this?

[@ruthf104]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Bet!

[@nevis4567]

We should extend this kind of thinking to the animals we eat who are suffering in factory farms. If we believe it's wrong to make dogs suffer, we ought to believe it's wrong to make similarly intelligent animals like pigs and cows suffer unnecessarily. Especially when we have the ability to eat a plant-based diet.

[@Megaman8880]

In the not too distant future it will be possible to 3D print perfect copies of a variety of popular meats for commercial consumption which will alleviate the factory farm issue and still provide the desired foods people really enjoy eating.

[@nevis4567]

@@Megaman8880 Yes but just because we can have cheap lab-grown meat in 3-5 years, that doesn't mean it's ok to ignore the living nightmare we cause today. If you have a supermarket, you can go plant-based today and personally end the suffering of ~100 animals per year. Like Jules said - Our culture around animals doesn't match the science. Nor does our ethics.

[@Megaman8880]

@@nevis4567 if I'm honest with you, I don't care. I understand that some people do and there will eventually be solutions in the future for a compromise and that's a good thing. When that day comes I and many others will gladly eat the alternative but for now vegetarianism or veganism is just not in the cards for me.

[@nevis4567]

@@Megaman8880 May I ask why you don't care about farm animal suffering? Does this extend to dogs as well?

[@wayneyadams]

It's sad that there are so few people in the audience. I would expect the auditorium to be packed.

[@Mike-iv3hy]

Dogs learn by repetition, However if You beat a dog he will not obey You I have a dog that barks a lot. If I were to beat this dog because he is barking , this dog will not stop barking . He will get very nervous and angry, But he will NOT stop barking. So punishment does NOT work ! I know this for a fact, because I tried it ! Positive reinforcement works much better. But it needs to be done with compassion and discipline also The dog needs to know You Love him also . I have also found that dogs do not have good memories that is why You need to tell a dog many , many times if You want him to obey . He must learn through repetition and even then he can forget sometimes .repetition is the KEY for dogs . DML

[@bob___]

Maybe someday someone will be able to provide insight into the question of whether dogs were domesticated by humans or vice versa. Apparently, coyotes have been observed cooperating with badgers in hunting, and it's not inconceivable that similar cooperation could have led dog ancestors to attach themselves to humans.

[@JohnDlugosz]

Yes, it's generally acknowledged now that wolfs domesticated themselves, and surprisingly rapidly too.

[@wilurbean]

It's almost unfathomable that people would think dogs are not self aware. Even the dumbest of dogs, like a beagle, is able to predict, deceive, lie, and manipulate both humans and other dogs and other animals (cars)

[@ianprince1698]

years ago I was in a safari park that had small monkeys one would show an act the other monkey held its hand out for food they would then swap around

[@jakegarvin7634]

16:02 Well actually, it's a little debasing to Ockham's Razor

[@jimwebster5320]

I'd love to be able to tell a joke to my dog. I found a paper on how dogs "laugh" once, I'm just wondering if there has been any progress in the area. I have spent too much time looking into this, so I just thought i'd ask someone who might actually know the question. Thanks for reading.

[@deselby9240]

Dogs LOVE peekaboo.

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

MRI scanners are scary clostrophobic places, anything that isn't that experience would get a positive response :)

[@fburton8]

Hmm, I found my MRI scan the most relaxing experience. I don’t do meditation but that’s what it was.

[@peterwiles1299]

And extremely noisy

[@IngridValencia1]

🖤

[@marcalimarian]

Some animals use their pelts to store scents, as social memory, or extended cognition device. This might be a little hyperbolic, but by washing indoor pets, we could be in effect erasing part of their memories.

[@user-ff4ix9jr5s]

I read this associations with nlp😊

[@user-hi9xh2cr6x]

Welcome to Lewandowski's lecture on dog science.

[@burtcocain1986]

As for pointing, my jack russell will point at the balls on the shelf, the treats on top of the fridge etc.

[@carlnapp4412]

What a nice thing the RP has been...

[@jameswhyard2858]

What, no mention of Dr Rudolphena Menzel?

[@kifamo651]

our family dog name Yasi she is 1 year old Cooker spaniel. she so smart & emotional. also very good on sports. fast running. high jumping. good swimmer .in 5 months old she jumped to deep river 4 hunter ducks.she loves me more than my xwife & my daughter. any times I try 2 go my flat she start crying. because I'm not living with them. I don't know what should I do. believe me I crying some timesort. Mo

[@charlieb.8518]

If crows can remember people and teach their off spring about them, which science says they do. Why cannot dogs do the same.

[@will891410]

My dog just cant speak, sometimes she tries to say something by movements or moaning to me.

[@tangatoto362]

Ummm…surely it was dogs that domesticated us , not us them, they taught humans that they were an animal that was more value if it was not eaten !

[@toby9999]

Dogs taught us nothing useful if dog owner behaviour is anything to go by.

[@Neptoid]

When did Ri turn into TED talks? I'm not sure if I like this

[@jlljjl]

I'm glad you posted this... Though much was interesting from pure science findings... It didn't sit quite right with me either and I think your POV is valid... the facts also included TED-esque feelings and moralizings...

[@julianbektashi5050]

You're clearly a cat person (:

[@jukeseyable]

It's a new low for RI, was going to and still will post a negative comment

[@jukeseyable]

@@julianbektashi5050 I'm a dog person and hate it

[@jssamp4442]

@Misty Girl Why is that? It used to be concerned with science. Science doesn't work without questioning. Has the RI changed so much that it can no longer withstand any inquiry or criticism? Is it now the Royal Institution of Sycophants?

[@samwelndonga8795]

Dogs olfactory can be multiplied inside clone Technic to build a devices for sensing humans illness in hospitals. The cell can have another pin receiving data from our computer as the cells will always have brain cells in them as well. The input will influence output signal and correlated in line to nature database variables changes.

[@willboudreau1187]

I do not understand the glowing comments below. There is a very low information density in his talk. I can't say as I came away with any insights into dog behavior that the other commenters purport to have learned. Thumbs down.

[@peterpauwels4610]

80% of dogs are street dogs! Only 20% of dogs are pampered pets with which we have such intimate ties. The study of these street dogs would be facsinating. They live in proximity to people but have a degree of separation that would develop completely different behavioral traits.

[@djp1234]

Dogs are just like human children. It's really obvious that they do have memories of people and places, and OF COURSE they can suffer like us. Anyone who hurts them needs to be in jail.

[@peterwiles1299]

Yes, they have feelings every bit as intense as ours. Their needs are essentially the same as well - food, water, shelter and a positive social environment. If they do not have a positive social environment (mental stimulation etc.) they’ll go mad just like we do.

[@carollollol]

im missing a question round at the end, specially after his request to do so.

[@savage22bolt32]

Scroll down in the comments, you'll find it. It should be pinned, but its not.

[@fiskrond9212]

waaay too much waffling... below par for a TRI lecture

[@bntagkas]

im always confused how scientists dont know what common dog owners have known for hundreds+ of years are they any good at their job?

[@JohnDlugosz]

Thumbs up if, like me, you are watching this with your dog.

[@jackrice2770]

Someone has to say it: "The more people I meet, the better I like my dog." Fact is, most humans are afraid to acknowledge the minds of other animals because...good grief! that means we're animals! Pure species narcissism.

[@markbartlett3274]

Given dogs great abilities and I have had dogs all my life, do they see God when they look in a mirror?

[@stephena1196]

I wish he was calmer and didn't keep saying "you know". He acts like he drank lots of caffeinated drinks before going on.

[@melikaibun]

These mfs need to study my Shiba Inu dude has so much personality I be getting caught off guard at how smart he can be. Still a stubborn little brat though 😹

[@TheOttomann64]

Scientist understand dogs...just as well as men understand women. Meetoo me to hel for telling the truth ;)

[@wdujsub7902]

Interesting theme, but the presentation was unprofessional and ill prepared. Still got the point through, but I consider this being just another book ad.

[@SuzanneZacharia]

Pavolv, humanitarian?!

[@woodygilson3465]

In that his work was intended for the benefit of humanity, not necessarily that of the animal kingdom or even dogs. They were just lab animals, convenient test subjects. Back then, animal cruelty in laboratories wasn't a consideration. "Ethical treatment standards"? Well, that was just "hippie talk" back then.

[@technoshaman001]

Very scattered and not finessed. Another book tour lol. Not entertaining and hard to follow

[@hughoxford8735]

Try to be the person your dog thinks you are.

[@gavinkitchen1472]

Jules Howard is a really good researcher but as a presenter, he tends to waffle. The introduction to this is really long & boring. This presents a problem, because I would imagine in the lecture People would be falling asleep, & if your watching the Video there's a good chance you'll end it, ie Exit in the first couple of minutes. This is a problem, because it will ultimately give this Video a disadvantage with the KZbin algorithm, which = A lot leas Views. If your a Dog Person you will want to watch this Video. So I urge you not to End or Exit. Best solution, is to fast forward 7:12 Do that, & you won't miss much. The rest of the Video is a lot better. To Jules Howard or the Poster of this Video. It would be a great idea to put time stamps on this Video, to help People fast forward.

[@MrTweetyhack]

Chimps point all the time

[@boydhooper4080]

An interesting and enjoyable presentation however the presenter lacks knowledge on a reasonable amount of the topics discussed. Get elements of classical and instrumental/operant conditioning confused. All-time eyes are Konrad Most only used aversive incentives when in fact he strongly advocated for both of appetitive and aversive incentives. Unfortunate how he misrepresented Most because he was the 1st to apply any sort of scientific method or applied psychology to Dog Training in behaviour modification. It’s good storytelling but at the Royal Institute it should also be good/accurate scientific information. Also his ignorance on dominance has been completely debunked by one of the worlds most respected ecologist Marc Bekoff. Review his several blogs on psychology today about dominance.

[@hughoxford8735]

My Border Collie has a profound and sophisticated understanding of complex tasks and displays a significant subset of human emotions and personality traits. It would be dishonest not to consider him a person, and indeed human.

[@savage22bolt32]

You have to draw a line somewhere. A dog may display human-like behavior, but a dog is not human or visa versa

[@hughoxford8735]

@@savage22bolt32 Dogs are human. They have been humanised. They are the products of humanity.

[@Heidi123]

Or you could conclude that you don't have to be human to have complex understanding.

[@savage22bolt32]

@@Heidi123 that is true. Also true that all humans are animals and all animals are not human.

[@Heidi123]

@@savage22bolt32 yes agree

[@a.randomjack6661]

That dogs have 8 legs? Lets count them: 2 in the front, 2 in the rear, 2 on the left and 2 on the right. That's a kids joke from when I was one 🙄

[@MrElvis1971]

Dogs are terrible at dancing because they have two left feet.

[@a.randomjack6661]

@@MrElvis1971 😂

[@nHans]

My math teacher back in school used this example to explain some set theory concepts. Cardinality, subset, union, intersection ... 🥴

[@boydhooper4080]

Started out good but regressed into folk psychology and ideology. Lots of inaccurate an opinion based information, some of it reasonably accurate, other parts just dead wrong. To naive people and pet dog owners I’m sure it will all sound very nice, but nice is not the same thing as true, and in science we have to care a lot more about what is true than what is nice, or what makes us feel warm and fuzzy. To be honest not worthy of a royal institution presentation. The guy doesn’t train dogs, doesn’t research dogs, doesn’t breed dogs, doesn’t work with dogs, and yet is telling us all how it is and how it should be. The epitome of pseudo expertise. If he got a proper education on the subject matter he would no doubt change his opinion on 50% of everything he said.

[@makylemur7019]

Cats invented humans to feed them, rub them and provide a comfortable place to sleep.

[@chabis]

Woofology

[@raymurphy9749]

Why is it so empty, the rules preventing audience numbers relating to the virus that you tube does not want named are gone.... please tell me its not due to that

[@savage22bolt32]

This was recorded on May 12, 2022. I suspect not every event is a sell out, and hope it has nothing to do with that bug that was going around.

[@toby9999]

It still makes sense to be cautious. It's not like the problem has gone away.

[@savage22bolt32]

@@toby9999 if you've been jabbed a few times & had all your boosters, why would you have a worry?

[@DC-wt2vi]

@@savage22bolt32 You could still bring the lurgy to someone who is immunocompromised/vulnerable. The virus uses every opportunity to spread.

[@lawrencewilliams1477]

WHAT CAN DOGS TELL US ABOUT SCIENCE FREAKS

[@timrulestheearth]

"There really isnt anything called an alpha male" ... sounds like the words of a beta lol

[@thanksfernuthin]

Jeez. Spit it out. Don't stand there and tell me you're going to tell me interesting facts about dogs for so long. Just tell me the facts.

[@ismnotwasm1420]

We don’t deserve dogs

[@seasonedbeefs]

Speak for yourself

[@wayneyadams]

20:50 There's that ignorant "him and his..." phrase. It's disheartening to listen to an educated speaker use that kind of ignorant language. It is so widespread that it has become acceptable.

[@redshift5050]

And so, um, uh, like, you know. It's distracting and unprofessional. This important talk deserved better than to be tainted with valley girl affectations and polluted with verbal flotsam.

[@TheGahta]

Have you ever entertained the idea that youre just unusually easy to distract?

[@Ekkiert8]

Testing on dogs, cats, birds and monkeys should be illegal

[@furtwangler5283]

What does science say about the irrational human reaction to dogs? Why do so many people adore these annoying and repulsive animals?

[@nanyanghuayi]

Bees and butterflies are attracted to things bright and fragrant while flies are attracted to rot. To call Man's best friend annoying and repulsive can't be Man after all.

[@davidwatson2399]

"Annoying and repulsive " 🤔 ? Its ok, we get it, you don't like dogs, I'll bet dogs recognise this in you and dont like you either. "Irrational human reaction" 🤔 ? There is nothing irrational about our long association with dogs. You didnt actually watch or listen did you.

[@DeBanked]

@@davidwatson2399 yes doggies have good taste

[@Just.A.T-Rex]

Tens of thousands of years of human cohabitation can’t be wrong

[@Just.A.T-Rex]

I hope a member of Your family Never goes missing. Because surely Someone such as yourself Is much to Sophisticated to allow a dog to follow any trails, scents or Leads to help.

[@doctorsloth213]

dogs are a nuisance