Funny thing is dogs are one of the only animals we know of that can understand the finger pointing gesture.
angrydeuce on
I mean if I was the dog id be thinking that my snoot was about to receive a boop.
Gripdeath on
over where??
DRUNK_SALVY_PEREZ on
👈
xNocturnalshadow on
Just remember that dogs have the equivalent intelligence of a 3yo
BiBoFieTo on
Point at the ball? Nothin’.
Side eye glance at the leash? OHHH IT’S WALK TIME!
echochilde on
I literally scrolled past this as I was telling my dog to get her turtle.
She loves fetch in theory, but in practice, only once or twice.
JimmyM0240 on
Are you sure this isn’t about cats?
SealedRoute on
I am but a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t look at me; look at the moon.
jeffvillone on
100% my cat. Who likes to play fetch with those little foam nerf ammo balls.
WarLawck on
“Is like a finger pointing to the moon. DON’T LOOK AT THE FINGER! or you’ll miss all that heavenly glory.”
Penandsword2021 on
Oblio enters the chat…
_MohoBraccatus_ on
My black lab (RIP Layla) used to be able to follow pointing to a degree, but generally if you touched the thing in question. However, she could “point” to things she wanted with her eyes. I noticed this when she was looking up at the fridge and then back at me, and it turns out her treats were up there. Heh.
Singular_Energy on
the dog really said “that’s not a ball… that’s a finger.” 😭 the slow realization in the last panel is killing me
AbiyBattleSpell on
Man and I though my dog was dumb for not fetching sticks and eating rocks 🐱
evasandor on
Fun fact I heard: only dogs and some parrots understand pointing.
So, we had a wonderful and very smart horse. But of course, not being a dog, she didn’t understand pointing… at first. I decided to teach her.
I began each training by holding up my index finger and saying “look!”. When she looked at my finger, I gave her a grape. Pretty soon this was a little highlight of her day.
Then I began putting the grape on various surfaces about an inch from my finger. The “look” game soon became “ahhh, the grape will always be within an inch of the human’s weird microscopic 1/5 of a hoof”.
As it went on, I would hide the grape further and further away. She caught on that an imaginary line from my hand, down my finger and out into space would lead to the grape. Soon I was hiding it all the way across the stall, in places like behind the feed tub and stuck in the window frame.
So it can be taught. But for some reason, dogs understand it naturally (heck, they point stuff out to *us*)!
Not sure why parrots know it, though. Any ideas?
DC_Coach on
I just really wish I understood the whole “dogs watching TV” thing. We’ve had half a dozen dogs, ranging from “dumb as a rock” to “borderline genius” (for a dog), and not one of them has ever reacted to a television, no matter what’s on it. Yet you see all these videos… like that one where the dog is afraid of Darth Vader!
I’d just like to understand why some really appear to be watching and others don’t seem to care.
XcershotYT on
My dog never understands this
Axi0madick on
You have to pretend to throw something at whatever you’re trying to point at.
Designer-Garbage-903 on
dog’s like “i see ur point but respectfully disagree” 😂
go_faster1 on
Obviously asking to rub his tummy!
f0urk on
the dogs that are exceptions to this are fucking weird. I knew a guy who you could point at the TV and he would get up and look at what you were pointing at and respond to it (usually only if its an animal documentary). I did it all the time absentmindedly and then would realise he actually got it
manlybrian on
I taught my dogs to (generally) understand the concept of pointing but it took a lot of work and they never did become super good at it. They would go search in the general direction I extended my arm, but they never got very pinpoint accurate.
SupervillainMustache on
Or the dog will bring the ball back and want you to throw it, but _also_ doesn’t want to let it go.
_demello on
Sometimes I think how much cultural knowledge goesninto the simples communicatikn gestures. It wouldn’t be garanteed that an alien would unsderstand pointing. Even nodding yes or no are different on different cultures on earth.
HazelnutPeso on
this is the idea of Zen Buddhism: If I point at the moon, the enlightenment is not the finger, but the moon.
27 Comments
Get to the point! (That’s where the ball is.)
Funny thing is dogs are one of the only animals we know of that can understand the finger pointing gesture.
I mean if I was the dog id be thinking that my snoot was about to receive a boop.
over where??
👈
Just remember that dogs have the equivalent intelligence of a 3yo
Point at the ball? Nothin’.
Side eye glance at the leash? OHHH IT’S WALK TIME!
I literally scrolled past this as I was telling my dog to get her turtle.
She loves fetch in theory, but in practice, only once or twice.
Are you sure this isn’t about cats?
I am but a finger pointing to the moon. Don’t look at me; look at the moon.
100% my cat. Who likes to play fetch with those little foam nerf ammo balls.
“Is like a finger pointing to the moon. DON’T LOOK AT THE FINGER! or you’ll miss all that heavenly glory.”
Oblio enters the chat…
My black lab (RIP Layla) used to be able to follow pointing to a degree, but generally if you touched the thing in question. However, she could “point” to things she wanted with her eyes. I noticed this when she was looking up at the fridge and then back at me, and it turns out her treats were up there. Heh.
the dog really said “that’s not a ball… that’s a finger.” 😭 the slow realization in the last panel is killing me
Man and I though my dog was dumb for not fetching sticks and eating rocks 🐱
Fun fact I heard: only dogs and some parrots understand pointing.
So, we had a wonderful and very smart horse. But of course, not being a dog, she didn’t understand pointing… at first. I decided to teach her.
I began each training by holding up my index finger and saying “look!”. When she looked at my finger, I gave her a grape. Pretty soon this was a little highlight of her day.
Then I began putting the grape on various surfaces about an inch from my finger. The “look” game soon became “ahhh, the grape will always be within an inch of the human’s weird microscopic 1/5 of a hoof”.
As it went on, I would hide the grape further and further away. She caught on that an imaginary line from my hand, down my finger and out into space would lead to the grape. Soon I was hiding it all the way across the stall, in places like behind the feed tub and stuck in the window frame.
So it can be taught. But for some reason, dogs understand it naturally (heck, they point stuff out to *us*)!
Not sure why parrots know it, though. Any ideas?
I just really wish I understood the whole “dogs watching TV” thing. We’ve had half a dozen dogs, ranging from “dumb as a rock” to “borderline genius” (for a dog), and not one of them has ever reacted to a television, no matter what’s on it. Yet you see all these videos… like that one where the dog is afraid of Darth Vader!
I’d just like to understand why some really appear to be watching and others don’t seem to care.
My dog never understands this
You have to pretend to throw something at whatever you’re trying to point at.
dog’s like “i see ur point but respectfully disagree” 😂
Obviously asking to rub his tummy!
the dogs that are exceptions to this are fucking weird. I knew a guy who you could point at the TV and he would get up and look at what you were pointing at and respond to it (usually only if its an animal documentary). I did it all the time absentmindedly and then would realise he actually got it
I taught my dogs to (generally) understand the concept of pointing but it took a lot of work and they never did become super good at it. They would go search in the general direction I extended my arm, but they never got very pinpoint accurate.
Or the dog will bring the ball back and want you to throw it, but _also_ doesn’t want to let it go.
Sometimes I think how much cultural knowledge goesninto the simples communicatikn gestures. It wouldn’t be garanteed that an alien would unsderstand pointing. Even nodding yes or no are different on different cultures on earth.
this is the idea of Zen Buddhism: If I point at the moon, the enlightenment is not the finger, but the moon.