(156) Copy Dog

I’ve written before how young dogs learn the rules of the dog world from other, older dogs. For example Beeker learned the rule of “if its on the floor its up for grabs” from playing with JesseJames, my sister’s Springer Spaniel. He also learned that he could not take another dog’s toy or food if it was in their mouth by trying to take an older Labrador’s rawhide out of his mouth. Beeks almost got his ear chewed off for trying that one. He didn’t try it again.

Dogs learn lots of rules and lesson’s from observation of other dogs. Sometimes they even learn things from watching people. An example of a dog copying a person is when my sister taught her dog to go through the dog door by climbing through it herself. Okay, I wish I could have seen that one! Beeker often observes Maxie to see if a behavior is going to be justifiable or acceptable. For instance, Max is fairly confident about most things he does and Beeker is a little hesitant. Beeks will watch how Maxie approaches something unfamiliar such as the first time Beeker came into contact with little kids. Max is not afraid of little children and Beeker was not so sure of all of the quick activity that surrounds little ones. He also wasn’t sure if they were animal, vegetable or mineral, so when we first walked him, he observed Maxie going into a down-stay when some little one wanted to pet him, Beeker took the queue and hunkered down. He still wasn’t so sure about them but he watched Maxie and was much more accepting than if Max hadn’t set the example. Max has shown Beeker the way in some not so good lessons as well. Take barking for example. When Max first goes outside, he barks. Now Beeker has learned to Bark when he first goes outside as well. Infact Beekr now is the first to bark, trying to “out bark” Maxie. Maxie has always barked at the front door, when he hears others arriving. Beeker has learned to bark whenever he hears someone arriving as well. Now Beeker has become the alert dog, and announces the arrival of incoming arrivals, and Maxie jumps right in. So maybe Beeker is really go at this copying stuff. We have a “rule” that dogs are not allowed in our dressing room/bathroom. Max has learned to creep into the room just a little and we often have to tell him “out” even to the point of physically moving him. Beeker now has learned to creep into the dressing room just a little, looking at us to see if we will let him stay or if we will make him move.

So I’m wondering, if Beeker’s ability to be a copy dog makes him a smarter dog because he learns by example of others or is it just the way dogs and other animals learn? I know that in the wild, a mother often teaches her young to hunt by example so maybe being a copy dog is not so unusual. I just know that Beeker is extremely good at being one.