Smart Dog!

I usually give Ray his breakfast, which is a multi-course meal. The final course used to be a large biscuit however, we now buy the bag of the smaller size biscuits (cannot remember why!), and so I give him two of those. Typically, he goes into his den (crate) and awaits them. My pattern is to put one in my pocket and give him the other one. As soon as he has eaten the first one, then I give him the other one.

Our current bag seems to contain quite a few broken biscuits so, as per my usual routine, I will put all but one piece in my pocket. That piece I will give Ray and, as soon as he has eaten it, I will give him another piece. A very simple process and Ray accepts it readily.

The other morning, I gave him his breakfast exactly  as per normal. When I went to his biscuit bag, I pulled out four biscuit halves … put three in my pocket and gave Ray the other one. I went about doing some tidying up when I noticed Ray patiently waiting in his den, so I gave him his second biscuit half. Carol had just got up and came into the kitchen where we started talking about her imminent appointment; the recent plane crash in Iran, and various other topics. During the conversation, Ray came up to me and nudged me gently with his nose.

I ignored him and carried on with our conversation, and then he nudged me again. I just patted him and continued! I then received a quite decisive nudge, such that I looked down to see what he was doing. He was pushing his nose right onto the pocket that had the remaining biscuit halves in it. How could I have forgotten about them? Ray certainly remembered!

That reminds me of a quote I read in somebody’s blog a long time ago that said “If you have any doubts as to whether a dog can count, put three treats in your pocket and give him two of them!”

I would suspect that his nose also plays a significant part in his counting ability but, regardless, we can’t hide anything from Ray!

42 thoughts on “Smart Dog!”

    • Hi Patrick. I have heard about a few dogs that are not food motivated, and may not therefore show much interest, but I think most dogs would want that last treat from you. Will be interesting to hear how yours responds under similar circumstances! 🙂

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  3. Sassy June always gets two treats. Sometimes (not as often as her predecessor) she will place the first on the floor and wait for the next.
    When company gives her a treat and she stares at them afterward, I remind them:
    “She can count to two.”

    Wags,

    Paz

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    • Ray will bark (if he doesn’t know you) if you only give him one treat. He knows it doesn’t work with us but … a stranger might just cave in and produce another treat! Got to give dogs full marks for positive thinking! 🙂

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    • A Dog can’t count. A dog can listen to a Human Spirit. Hence it’s called a man’s best friend. Humans are 3 dimensions (spirit, body n mind),the spirit is perfect because it represents the creator. But the body n mind are corrupt because it’s flesh. So out of the abundance of the heart so is a man and whatever comes forth out of the mouth determine your thought process, and a dog listen from within out. So once you quietly think unaware or aware a dog will respond depending on the energy that you bring out. You can command a dog from within. It requires one to find their true authenticity. It’s like having a hand talk conversations @ home with yo family, colleagues and strangers. People are always communicating but many don’t have a trained eye or ear to crack codes to human excellence. When an owner is discipline, a dog will be discipline for it mirrors a man’s inner core. Change from within and the world without will respond depending on your energy. People love being vocal rather than just be. Imagine the things you can achieve in your life on a daily basis if you were to exercise the mind n spirit by paying close attention to inner man because the body has no choice but to be submissive. Same as losing weight and reaching maximum results. That too doesn’t mean results are found at the gym,sports field or exam rooms but from deep within. You have to make a personal choice. How you choose to live your life. Animal kingdom will respond first. Because animals were created before humans hence they’re excited to see us. Because from the beginning, The Creator was excited when he said on Genesis 1:26 , let us make Men in our likeness to take dominion over the earth. So every human being has divine power to do anything only when they Know the truth about self. For you are the star player, the source. Everything comes back to YOU. I love you Ray,you are a good dog because the Master is.

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      • If Ray could somehow manage this keyboard, I have no doubts that he would say “Thank you very much. Now do I get a treat?” Many thanks for taking the time to comment in such detail.

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        • Yes Ray Big Boss, you deserve a treat,but not a biscuit because what goes to the belly dries up but a hug n rub and placing your hand on his body until he is totally relaxed is the kind of treat he deserves today. The rest there after is an inspired action # no limits for Ray and no limits for you in all that you do or wish to accomplish. But you have to be clear to him that you are best buddies and business/life partner. Then sit back and observe Ray’s hidden skills.

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  9. Clever boy! Whenever we tell Maggie she’s been a good girl, she goes and sits on her bed and waits patiently for her biscuits. She is also known to nudge, or ‘show us’ where the doggy cupboard is in case we’ve forgotten!
    My parents last dog could count. After Dad had finished his dinner and settled down for the evening, the routine was for Rocky to have 5 doggy chocs out of the tub on the table by Dad’s chair. Dad gave him one at a time, and he was quite happy. Give him four and he’d glare at you for the last. Try and give him 6 though and he’d walk away. Don;t know how he got on with halves though. 🙂 Hugs to Ray

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  11. Sometimes I will give Morgan (my cat) a treat. Only two of my cats will eat treat. They are kept in a jar. The lid makes minimal noise opening but Sasha can be anywhere in the house including upstairs sleeping and she will appear within 10 seconds of that sound. They know. Sometimes it’s scent, sometimes it’s hearing and sometimes it’s routine but they keep us on track!

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  12. Great picture! Ray is definitely a smart dog, one of those that can obviously count..:) I can imagine what was going through his head as he nudged your pocket. Probably reminding himself to have patience with these humans of his!
    And I often think of the following quote when counting is brought up. “There are three types of people in this world, those who can count and those who can’t.”

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    • Remember, you are thinking millions of things @ one go unaware. But a Dog only listen to your Spirit because it understand why you want what you want. So believe in your own ideas, stop second guessing yourself because your Dog will be a bad because it reflects your bad side. Here is an exercise for you, look at your Dog eye ball to eye ball,when your mind is pure,full of love, your Dog will be shy but if you are not positive after commanding it from within unaware, it will stare at you. Saying, play your part so that I can take this to the next level… My treat please I have work to do Your Grace thank you… Your Dog can heal you,protect you,love you,and become a true loyal friend forever only if you open a genuine line of communication. It all comes back to you. Do you wanna lose weight, increase fitness, firmatize and have an amazing experience of any kind,just whisper it to your Dog and pay attention when it communicates.

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  14. My neighbor has a standard size poodle. I was in the habit of walking the neighborhood and would always carry dog treats in my inside jacket pocket. If I happened to see Sam (the poodle) he would run over to me and sit down in front of me. If I didn’t immediately give him a cookie, he would put his paws on my chest and stick his nose inside my jacket.

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