How do they know ?

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grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,695 posts

172 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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My dear old dad passed away very recently at home surrounded by most of his children . My sister had to bring her puppy with her as it would have been left on its own all day .The pup is a very boisterous springer who is like all of the breed a bit of a handful.
When dad was at the very end the pup suddenly calmed and just laid in dads bedroom very quietly and remained calm with all the to-ing fro-ing and was very calm all night .
So even at a very young age (4 months ) they do 'know '.
He was back to normal the next morning and has been a great distraction at this sombre time .

Jasandjules

70,424 posts

235 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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Well, that is a question which requires a rather philosophical approach does it not?

I suppose it depends on if you believe in souls and so on.

Vee8man

600 posts

140 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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I'm very sorry for your loss.
I have a Springer who is hugely sensitive to the moods of the humans around him.
He especially knows when its he that is being discussed. Oh yes.

grumpy52

Original Poster:

5,695 posts

172 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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All my own dogs in the past have been very sensitive to illness .

madbadger

11,610 posts

250 months

Wednesday 21st January 2015
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That is one of the lovely things about dogs. They have an amazing empathy with humans and our emotions. They are very astute at picking up on non verbal communication.

Hooli

32,278 posts

206 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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madbadger said:
That is one of the lovely things about dogs. They have an amazing empathy with humans and our emotions. They are very astute at picking up on non verbal communication.
yes

They do know, no idea how but they do always know.

SpudLink

6,395 posts

198 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Sorry for the passing of you dad.

We communicate verbally, but we must be using lots of non verbal language that we don't usually notice.

At some point in our distant past we started to invite wolves, a dangerous predator, into our families. This would never have worked unless they had some ability to relate to us. Over the generations we've selected dogs that fit well with families, in other words, selective breeding for the ability to understand the non verbal human communication.

bakerstreet

4,812 posts

171 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Sorry to hear about your Dad.

Herbie was here about three before my wife fell pregnant. He has been Mrs Bakerstreet's dog since his arrival, despite the dog being my idea. He would always curl up next to her and lay his head in her lap. We discussed this at one of the scans and I said I couldn't get anywhere near the bump because the dog was always there. They said that the dog probably knew more about whats going on with my wife than they did! They told us that dogs were very sensitive to things like that.

It all turned out ok, as baby is now three weeks old and Herbie has been brilliant smile

mph1977

12,467 posts

174 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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dogs and cats tend to pick up on the non verbal communication far more than people do ...

HTP99

23,163 posts

146 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Coincidence perhaps, however Daisy; my Frenchie, wouldn't settle when myself and the wife went to bed on December the 23rd just gone, she circled the bed, wouldn't get up on the bed and was extremely restless; I commented as much to the wife too.

On the 23rd/24th December my dad went to bed at around midnight; in his own house, two roads away from me, he died in his sleep, Daisy absolutely adored my dad, she had see him that evening of the 23rd when I popped in to say hi on our dog walk.

I went to see his coffin on the morning of the funeral; 20th January, a few days ago, it was a last minute thing and as the funeral directors are only a 20 minute walk away I took Daisy.

She pulled like mad at the door to the room that him and his coffin were in, there were other doors, however she only pulled at that one, once in the room she was calm.

Edited by HTP99 on Saturday 24th January 09:15