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geekhack Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 15:59:52

Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 15:59:52: Just wondering what you all think about this subject, and what makes you think either way?

I'm not talking about do they have fun, because it's obvious that they do. What I'm wondering is if they actually see some things as funny, or humorous, like a human? I'm extremely close to my own dog, but I'm not absolutely sure either way.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:01:48: well, I think in order to "have fun" one needs to have something similar to a sense of humor, no?
they definitely have fun, and they definitely 'play', and even 'tease' each other and their owners while playing.
Probably it'll come down to your definition of humor I suppose. There's different kinds of humor after all. For instance, I dont know that dogs have, for example, an 'ironic' sense of humor. Or are they capable of that too? I know they're capable of 'pouting'!

maybe its more a question of 'degree' rather than having or not having.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:03:24: I did a pretty good joke to my dog once. I threw a feather pillow at him and it got him square in the body. I then, over the period of a week, "fake threw" the pillow just to watch him flinch. Then by the time he stopped flinching, I actually threw it at him. Got him! I'm sure he thought it was a pretty good joke
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:06:22: Quote from: o2dazone;90638
I did a pretty good joke to my dog once. I threw a feather pillow at him and it got him square in the body. I then, over the period of a week, "fake threw" the pillow just to watch him flinch. Then by the time he stopped flinching, I actually threw it at him. Got him! I'm sure he thought it was a pretty good joke

was that when he ate your face off while you were sleeping? ;)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4484728.stm

I bet he thought that was pretty hilarious :)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:09:13: He isn't reaching my face
(http://o2dazone.com/upload/puppies_park/DSC07291.jpg)

lol, lowrider
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:09:58: :D cute dog.

maybe we should have a 'pet pics' thread.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: lam47 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:11:40: My Dog knows our names. Mummy, Daddy, Mathew and Laura (Two friends we see a lot)
He will go to the right person so long as they don't say their own name, he finds that confusing. I have not seen him make a mistake.
However once when told to go to Mummy he went to Mathew. We all laughed and he thought that was great. Ever since he has been rubbish at name recognition. I think he thinks its funny to get it wrong and likes it when we all laugh.
I don't know if this would indicate a sense of humour but its very interesting.
Another thing he did which had me in stitches was this.
He loves to watch the TV. Anything with dogs or horses he loves.
He even recognizes dogs in cartoons and computer games.
Around christmas there was a supermarket add which had a screen filling joint of beef being carved. He craned his neck closer to the screen before jumping off the sofa to give the tasty telly meat a lick! This is both very intelligent and superbly moronic.
I love dogs :)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: zwmalone on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:27:08: I don't know if they have a sense of humor, but mine know a good keyboard when they see it...
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2137&d=1235875609)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:39:53: Thanks for the replies.

I've noted that my own dogs seem to sense a great deal about what the wife and I are thinking or doing by our facial expressions, vocal tones, and our physical actions, but I've not seen anything in them that I could identify for certain to be the equivalent of human laughter. Of course, it's possible that they can find something funny but not outwardly show any sense of humor that a person could easily identify.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 16:57:50: very cute ripster - is that a lhasa apso? (Thats one of my fav breeds, we had one in college, it was my roommates dog, it was highly intelligent)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 17:46:48: Quote

The more I think about it I think they don't really have a sense of humor. I think we find a lot of stuff they do funny.

they're amazingly playful though, so they must have a sense of 'fun' anyway. I remember watching a pbs special where they were arguing about whether dolphins had a sense of humor. They were kind of divided on that, with the scientists saying 'no' and the trainers saying 'definitely'.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 17:54:16: After thinking about it some, it's highly probable that not all dogs have a sense of humor, even if some do. I'm basing that on the fact that not all people have a sense of humor, or at least that is what some people have told me about themselves, and indeed I've not ever seen any sign of a sense of humor in some of them.

That said, I still don't know for sure that any dog has an actual sense of humor.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 13 May 2009, 18:14:51: A couple of dachshunds we got from a rescue group. The brown one is about 10 and the black one is about 2.
They are great dogs but not so sure if they have a sense of humor.

(http://ajm.no-ip.info/dogs/sophie-and-gigi-3-29-2009.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 18:18:00: nice, pook. they look like they have personality anyway ;)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 13 May 2009, 18:49:30: Thanks guys : ) The black one does like to chew on things. Mostly shoes. But she did chew up a pair of head phones.
Its ok though, my dogs can do no wrong : )
and yes, the model m's are in the closet where she can't get at them.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:00:40: Quote from: ripster;90689
Gooooood Idea!
Show Image
(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=2432&stc=1&d=1242258828)

BTW - I don't think dogs feel guilt either. They are just reacting to us jumping up and down like idiots. They just hear, " Blah, Blah, Blah, Hurley, Blah, Blah, Blah".

- Ripster

See... now that photo makes me think maybe dogs do have a sense of humor. Afterall, it is quite funny to look at it now. :lol:
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: majestouch on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:02:19: Dogs understand more than humor - Dean Koontz recently published a novel titled "One Door Away From Heaven", wherein (spoiler warning), a shape shifting alien boy comes to earth to bring peace to earth by enlightening humans to the existence of a Creator/God/Heaven through telepathy with dreaming canines. The story ends with a group of enlightened people traveling around in motor homes, each person with their own favorite breed of dog, sharing the secret to the universe with everyone they come across. I rolled my eyes so hard I bumped into walls for at least a week. dog...god...
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:20:42: Quote from: ripster;90693
Hah, Majestouch. You didn't even mention, "WARRANTY VOIDED WHEN DROOLED ON BY DOG" clause....

- Ripster

You don't have to sign your posts you know. That feature is already built in, to the left of your post.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:27:46: The dog with the blue hair-do for some reason looks like cotton candy to me.
I would never do that to my dog but my wife does dress up ours for halloween.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:43:01: Here's my girl! She has no tail, but just a fluff of hair on her posterior.

She's quite playful most of the time, but sometimes she doesn't exhibit any sense of humor
when I think she should, or maybe she shows it but it's my failure to recognize it:

(http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8494/poohbear.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 13 May 2009, 19:50:39: She looks like she's got game : )

My dogs don't fetch or even run after a ball. If its food related though they are on it pretty quick.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: bigpook on Wed, 13 May 2009, 20:19:56: doxies are prone to ear infections. I guess its the long flappy ears. We use q-tips to get the gunk out every few weeks.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: majestouch on Wed, 13 May 2009, 20:48:57: Quote from: ripster;90693
Hah, Majestouch. You didn't even mention, "WARRANTY VOIDED WHEN DROOLED ON BY DOG" clause....

- Ripster

P.S. What does this remind you of?
Show Image
(http://www.madeyoulaugh.com/animals/blue_dog/blue_dog.jpg)

Show Image
(http://www.nakasakalaw.com/NoWhining.jpg)

That's covered under the "Acts of God clause"; see my previous post.

bigpook got it right, that's cotton candy on 4 sticks. I guess it's a family pack.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 21:29:00: Quote from: ripster;90689

BTW - I don't think dogs feel guilt either. They are just reacting to us jumping up and down like idiots. They just hear, " Blah, Blah, Blah, Hurley, Blah, Blah, Blah".

- Ripster

:) Reminded me of that old Gary Larson classic:

(http://www.philosophyofdog.com/blog/images/ginger.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: Rajagra on Wed, 13 May 2009, 21:50:57: Oh, yes, dogs have a wicked sense of humour...
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Wed, 13 May 2009, 22:28:38: ok so I guess this has turned into a post dog pictures thread :P

(http://o2dazone.com/upload/apartment/puppies/ula01.jpg)
Smug *****

(http://o2dazone.com/upload/apartment/puppies/orsin1.jpg)
Tired little man

also poor Barney :(
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Wed, 13 May 2009, 22:46:59: Quote from: ripster;90746
YAs soon as Ozar (the OP) posted his dog I figure anyone can jump in the fun. Any cats though and I'm gonna call for a BAN!

If I get up the strength to do it (fingers are tired cuz I've been typing a lot tonight), I'll start a "Post your Pet Pics" thread. :lol:
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 23:41:51: Quote from: ozar;90749
If I get up the strength to do it (fingers are tired cuz I've been typing a lot tonight), I'll start a "Post your Pet Pics" thread. :lol:

I think this one is it bro :) Just have imav change the title :)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Wed, 13 May 2009, 23:42:55: Quote from: Rajagra;90732
Oh, yes, dogs have a wicked sense of humour...

lol, thats a classic :)
apparently dogs cant spell.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: lam47 on Thu, 14 May 2009, 03:55:42: Mr B finds it all very amusing.
And then one just to show his brain has not melted out.

(http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4112/dsc00067.jpg)
(http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/760/dsc00383cnm.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: lam47 on Thu, 14 May 2009, 04:04:31: Brown, Fin Fin, Sweety.
(http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7687/dsc00372c.jpg)
B Has a lot of expressions. He looks so happy some times.
(http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/6992/dsc00391drl.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Thu, 14 May 2009, 08:33:37: I like your bumpersticker there, also great looking dogs
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:28:23: Quote from: ripster;90799
Mr B is not as big as I expected. Do Great Danes come in different sizes or something?

Like his expression in the first pic. He looks like he tipped over one of your beer bottles.

- Ripster

I can't see the pics here at work, but Mr. B looks more like a Weimaraner than a Great Dane in lam's avatar.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: lam47 on Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:52:09: B is a Weimaraner yeah :) He is quite a thick set one but only an inch above average size.
They do look like little Great Danes for sure :)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: itlnstln on Thu, 14 May 2009, 09:54:43: Quote from: ripster;90817
Itlnstln - ya gotta bribe your IT dept. These are DOG pictures for gosh sake.

We are on Websense. Unfortunately, there's nothing I do. If people link to pics on photobucket, or one of the other hosting sites, it gets blocked. I miss a lot of the fun here.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Thu, 14 May 2009, 11:08:24: Hey, it's great to see that we have a large number of folks here that have very close relationships with their dogs. I've never been as in touch with any pet as I am with my current dog and would be totally devastated should anything happen to her. This closeness caused me to wonder if she has truly has a sense of humor, but I might never know for certain.

Either way, it's easy to see and understand why dogs have long been considered by many to be man's best friend.

Keep the photos coming! :cool:
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Thu, 14 May 2009, 12:08:01: here's my parents dog
(http://o2dazone.com/upload/newton/newton002.jpg)

(http://o2dazone.com/upload/newton/DSC06948.jpg)

me and my brother bought him for my parents when I was moving out (my mom's got a case of empty nest like you wouldn't believe). He looks nothing like traditional Boston Terriers, he's really gangly and tall - but I guess he's more terrier than bull.

Here's a recent photo of him with my nephew
http://paulmurry.com/images/photogallery/dogskidsbbq/DSC03779.jpg
(add a space to the address and hit enter)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Thu, 14 May 2009, 12:37:49: thats a v. cute puppy.

my landlady has a puppy, i'll take a pic next time i see it ;) He likes to greet me at the door when i come home (and he likes to poop outside the door of my room, for some reason ;) I figure its his way of saying he loves me. ;)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: lam47 on Thu, 14 May 2009, 12:53:25: @o2dazone.
He is a gangler! Looks like a mini Boxer.
How old is he?
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: o2dazone on Thu, 14 May 2009, 13:21:33: He's about 2 and a half. He's a great dog. Super active, and has a hilarious personality. Now that you mention it he does kind of look like a boxer, minus the muscle definition in his legs and body.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: ozar on Thu, 14 May 2009, 13:26:49: Quote from: ripster;90856
Better than cats.

Good Halloween Practical Joke

Regarding jokes and cats, I've always had fun putting a small piece of scotch tape on the bottom of each of our family cat's feet. They put on quite on quite a show when you set them down onto the floor, but like dogs they aren't all that good at showing their sense of humor after this has been done to them.
Title: Meet "Lucky"
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 15 May 2009, 18:05:20: "Lucky" is my landlady's puppy. I think he's maybe 2 years old now. He's very cute and affectionate, loves people, to the point of probably having an unhealthy psychological dependency on them for his sense of self-worth, lol.

He's a mix of two popular breeds in manhattan but I forget what the two are. Its a pretty common mix though, around here anyway.

(http://www.gesticulations.com/public/gallery/Images/fun/dog.jpg)

(http://www.gesticulations.com/public/gallery/Images/fun/dog2.jpg)

(http://www.gesticulations.com/public/gallery/Images/fun/dog1.jpg)
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 15 May 2009, 18:09:33: ok, if you add images as attachments, how do you show them inline?
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 15 May 2009, 20:38:29: Quote from: ripster;91133
I'll tell you as long as you promise no "pile o poop outside the door" pictures.

lol, while tempted, I'll resist ;)

Quote

Well, 'm no HTML whiz so I just open a tab with the attachment, copy the url, then create an embedded pic in the message.

well, if the image is on a server, then you can do that, right? I just use "img" tags around the url of the pic. But what if you've uploaded the pic, and it appears in your form post as an attchment number, along the bottom of the post? (I.e, its not on a server, instead you've uploaded it straight from your desktop computer). I've seen people in this forum who have uploaded pics, have the attachment at the bottom of the post, but ALSO have the pic appear "inline". Its this latter thing i'd like to do (i.e., having the pic ALSO show inline, not just appear at bottom of post as an attachment)
Quote

He looks like a Springer spaniel/Chihuahua? mix. Who knows, my vet offers genetic testing but I'm skeptical of the accuracy.

come to think of it, maybe he's not a mix after all? This dog looks an awful lot like him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel

quote from the wikipedia article:
"The breed is highly affectionate, and some have called the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel "the ultimate lap dog" or the "love sponge" of dogs."

lol, that really describes lucky.

I suppose he could be a chuhuahua/cocker spaniel mix. I think thats what I assumed he was.
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: wellington1869 on Fri, 15 May 2009, 21:54:24: Quote from: ripster;91155
I think you're almost there. After uploading just click on the attachment number to open it up (a manage attachments tab should be open somewhere or if editing just "go advanced") and paste the url into the body of the message. Just as if you were pulling it in from an outside hosting site.

.

oh, I see what you mean. Thanks! :D
Title: Do dogs have a sense of humor?
Post by: kdash4 on Mon, 16 April 2012, 17:43:23: (http://1funny.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/dog-smile-2.jpg)