This is an excellent question, and I think we just don’t know. But we do know that the five senses we do know about are very well attuned, and in my observations there is a combination of extremely developed abilities that help dogs perceive things we don’t, but we see the ‘uncanny’ results - like knowing we’re coming home long before we think they could hear the car, or knowing if a visitor is a friend before they’ve walked up the garden path. I’m sure this is a combination of highly attuned senses, plus other things we just don’t notice like routines, weather, and chemical smells associated with eg fear or illness. It’s fascinating!
Joy's eyesight.
- Thread starter Candy
- Start date
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Dogs power of scent is much much more than ours, so maybe she can scent? I have no idea though. I do know dogs can detect dead bodies in deep water. My only thought is that she might recognise body language/shape with the minimal sight she has.
Atemas
UK Tour Guide
- Location
- North Cambridgeshire
I don’t have answers to your question @Candy but there is just some weird intuition our Labradors have. Joy just knows!
Sky bless her used to go and sit on the stair step by the little window facing the front when she knew F was coming home from work. How she knew I could never understand. He didn‘t come back at the same time so it wasn’t learned behaviour. Also it was a good amount of time before he drove into the village so it wasn’t her tuning into the sound of the car. I was fascinated by her doing this because she was always spot on
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
That reminds me @Atemas, that my first dog, many, many years ago would always know when we got about half a mile from Mike's Mother's house and it was dark and about 120 miles from our house, we live in the West Midlands and Mike's Mother lived near London. She would be asleep in the back of the car and suddenly wake up! Dogs are surprising!
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Yes, Joy also knows when our neighbour is coming home from work. He often works from home, so there is no regular time or day for this, but she knows that when Dan gets back the first thing he'll do is let Loki, their Spaniel out into the shared part of the yard, which means they can have a play together. She starts squeaking several minutes before he arrives and she stands by the door waiting.
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
I'd say yes they can scent through glass - but really I think we'll never entirely know how they know what they know.
To me, it's all part of the fascination of sharing our lives with them
To me, it's all part of the fascination of sharing our lives with them
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
I actually also think it is hearing based. Hunter knows when the pizza delivery is nearly at the door before the app. He knows when my OH has just stopped in front of the house to get off his bike. I think they are just so fascinating. I would love to know their thoughts!
Maybe they tune into our feelings too, even though we may not be conscious of behaving any differently. When we used to travel to North Ayrshire three times a year, the dogs used to sleep most of the way, usually with only a couple of short breaks on the 8+ hour journey. It was only when we reached the coast road and were about a couple of miles from our chalet that they suddenly sat up and started fidgeting, sniffing the air and looking out of the windows. It can’t have been the change in speed because we had left the motorway a while before that. Perhaps even as they slept they sensed our relief and excitement that we were nearly there!
Wispa, as a puppy, must have copied the habit from Callum and Amber, then Tuppence from Wispa.
Young Tuppence and Wispa enjoying a game of fetch, running down the track to the chalet.
Wispa, as a puppy, must have copied the habit from Callum and Amber, then Tuppence from Wispa.
Young Tuppence and Wispa enjoying a game of fetch, running down the track to the chalet.
Atemas
UK Tour Guide
- Location
- North Cambridgeshire
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Beautiful happy photo Granca xx
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Could have been the smell of the sea though? Who knows!
Cass is not a whiner at all but your post reminds me that when we go to the coast I can hear little squeaks and grumbles as we approach the end of the journey. The two other times she has done that were SW pack walks back in the day, and particularly when we used to go to Clicker Gundog training - she would start whining ever so quietly in the village 2-3 miles from our destination. Both those two journeys are over an hour from home.
I wondered about that, but the sea is quite close to the road for a few miles before they actually woke up. It’s a mystery!
- Location
- Herefordshire, UK
Yep !