Can You Do That?

Have you noticed that your dog(s) is more active in the morning and gets a second wind in the evening? That’s because they are crepuscular creatures. I am wondering if it has to do with their past and their hunting needs...

Last week early in the morning before 7am, I was out with both Deuce, Laika, and our foster intern, Louie. Not knowing if Louie was house-trained (He is. Phew!) I wanted to take no chances, so he eliminated as soon as he came out of the crate where he spent the entire night.

The dogs, happy for a brand new day (what a projection I’m thinking!), were running and playing with the big stuffed animals left outside from the previous day. Is there something more fun than seeing your dogs exuberant and carefree? Especially if the one in your care is a dog that was previously not doing so well at the shelter? In fact, Louie was going to be put down because he was so frighten that he would move away from people in an attempt to get a little room - a little safety.

This morning I had my phone with me and I caught them in full swing in a hot game of tug and play. Watch closely and you will see a very interesting thing: Deuce begins to scratch/dig the sand while Louie (the all black dog) is horsing around with Laika. When he sees Deuce digging, he begins to scratch on the soft sand with Deuce watching attentively. So, the question is: Was Louie digging just after seeing Deuce out of sheer imitation? Do dogs imitate one another? Or, could it be that it's just another form of pro-social behavior? A la “How fun! We are kinda’ digging together.” So let's consider the first question: Can dogs imitate?

This question has scientists investigating. First off, we need to define what we mean by “imitating." According to Dictonary.com, [to] imitate is defined as:

To follow or endeavor to follow as a model, or example.
To mimic; impersonate.
To make a copy of; reproduce closely.
To have or assume the appearance of; simulate; resemble.

However, in true imitation an animal watches and then performs a novel behavior. Well then, by this definition, Louie is NOT imitating Deuce when digging.

The scientific literature on animal behavior and learning is way complex surrounding the topic of imitation and other social related activities between animals. So involved that we could have an entire blog post just dedicated to the experimentation, studies, and conclusions of these behaviors and their circumstances.

Now, most likely what is taking place with Deuce beginning to dig and Louie following is a phenomenon known as stimulus enhancement. It is a form of: "Come check this out.... waaay cool!" So, one animal observes another engaging in a behavior in a specific location and it is motivated to come see for himself. In this instance, Louie engages in digging but then decides that running is more fun and takes off. Stimulus enhancement I believe is a fantastic way of solidifying social bonds. Dog friendships, just like ours, get “stronger” when they get to do enjoyable things together.