We all know animals can be trained and learn commands. But how do they think? Do they think at all? Can they think ahead? Contemplate? And in what language?

ParadigmShift... wrote:

We all know animals can be trained and learn commands. But how do they think? Do they think at all? Can they think ahead? Contemplate? And in what language?

I have no idea! That is an interesting question. I mean the learn commands in English but I guess everyone can learn what to do from words in a different language. I am pretty sure that the DO think but I don't know how.

That reminds me, how do babies think? They don't know any language yet but somehow they do think? Right?

Tater2tot wrote:

ParadigmShift... wrote:

We all know animals can be trained and learn commands. But how do they think? Do they think at all? Can they think ahead? Contemplate? And in what language?

I have no idea! That is an interesting question. I mean the learn commands in English but I guess everyone can learn what to do from words in a different language. I am pretty sure that the DO think but I don't know how.

That reminds me, how do babies think? They don't know any language yet but somehow they do think? Right?

They must! Also, I just remembered my wife's cousin has a dog with her boyfriend who is deaf. The dog is a female pit bull named "two" and she understands commands in sign language! So I wonder, when she thinks of sitting, does she think of the "sign" or the actual activity? hmmm....

I think that they probably do...our cats think in meows. Really, one of them 'talks' all the time and you can really understand what she is on about (she is often complaining about not getting gourmet cuisine!)

ParadigmShift... wrote:

We all know animals can be trained and learn commands. But how do they think? Do they think at all? Can they think ahead? Contemplate? And in what language?

Good question. I think they must think. Sometimes we don't need a language for thinking, just some feeling. Then, we shape up with words. So, I feel dogs do think

I had a dog I'm pretty sure understood about a hundred words. I would say animals think in images.

Think of how you think, and take a very small fraction of that.  I think dogs have very short memories, but they do remember cause-effect situations, which controls behavior.  However they do not have "symbolic capacity" like humans do--we can take a rock and realize that it can be used as a tool (chimps can do that too).  Dogs use their instincts and senses mostly.

Actually dogs never forget. If my dog saw a rabbit in a certain place, that dog would go to that spot for years looking for that rabbit.

Dogs do think
Just sit and watch one some time.
my question is how do they think , I know that they have a pecking order in the wild and domestic dogs still have that ingrained in them. so they think in the pack form.
Alpha Male
Alpha Female
A dog can be trained with the repetitive command and praise.
but that give no insight into how they think.
A site I found and never bookmarked said that dogs use there minds eye.???

Well, what if they think?

If animals can think then it is more difficult to treat them
as commodities. Can't have that.