JINGZHI TANDogs have a unique sense of humans. They seem to understand people in a way no other animal does, accurately interpreting gestures, expressions, and even words. What’s more, they then use that knowledge to their advantage—like sneaking forbidden food when people in the room have their backs turned or eyes closed. But do dogs really get humans?
“There are folks that think that dogs understand the whole set of mental states,” said comparative developmental psychologist David Buttelmann of Universität Erfurt in Germany. “I myself belong to the group of people who think that all that dogs do is follow commands. Wolves were not domesticated in order to understand us—to understand our intentions and goals and think about what we are saying. They were just domesticated for following our commands, [and] the ones who did the best were the ones who were allowed to reproduce.”
The evidence can be alluring, though. It’s long been recognized that dogs understand pointing better than wolves or even chimpanzees: when a human points to an object—a cup of food or a hidden toy—dogs go to it. “Dogs ...
