Re: cause and effect – conscious choice or not…

[GSPmad]

And how they know it’s saterday and we close at 16.00…. is beyond me

My two at 8.00 on a Friday night get a special treat, I can be busy doing something and forget so they come and bark at me as a reminder. Dogs do have a concept of time so therefore of future.

ok – they also have body clocks – like how if we are used to waking up at a certain time of day then we do even if we are tryig to sleep in – or stomach says it’s time for tea, etc. so i would say there they are working on body clock not thinking ahead.  😉

[b]ah – but body language can be very subtle – and dogs can smell and detect changes in body chemicals etc – so there may be sufficient difference when you are expecting OH home to give them signals that to them result in a particular consequence – ie OH arriving home; ditto for going to friend’s house.[/b]

Disagree, If for some reason we don’t go to my friend’s house e.g. she is going out, the dogs still think we are going because it’s the day we always go.

as above – body clock – routine.  🙂

Nothing to do with the subject but…..
They also can tell the difference in the ring tones on my phone, they recognize the tones set for my Husband, Mother and my friend each one is different.
If the phone goes off with my friends tone they bark, Mother or Husband they wag their tails.
I think they understand more than we give them credit for.

oh that i agree with. clever clever clever they are, and very very loveable. but i still don’t think they have a concept of the future.  🙂