A scientific experiment conducted by researchers at the University of California has shown that dogs understand their actions.
That is, we can say that the dog’s intelligence is much more developed than people previously imagined.
According to the publication Scientific Reports Springer Nature, the experiment lasted for 21 months.
Special panels with buttons were developed for the animals. 152 dogs were involved.
The animals were asked to press different keys or combinations of keys to communicate their needs.
During the experiment, dogs expressed their desires by pressing buttons, rather than scratching the door with their paws or communicating something by barking.
A total of 260 thousand presses were made, of which 195 thousand were made by the dogs themselves.
Most often, pets used commands that explained basic needs.
That is, the buttons “walk”, “food”, “water” or “game” were selected.
But there were also combinations of buttons such as "outside" and "toilet", from which it was concluded that the animals were acting consciously.
This means that animals are capable of expressing complex thoughts, including thinking about absent objects and past events.
Further research is needed to draw final conclusions.
But experts already agree that the data obtained could radically change our understanding of dog intelligence.