The fact that a dog understands what we say may be unusual, but have you ever wondered what goes on in your pet's head? Does the dog think? Of course, the process is not the same as that of humans, but dogs are fully capable of assimilating commands and images, as well as using their senses to better understand the world around them. This, in itself, is an indication that they do:The question that arouses the most curiosity is how pets' brains work in practice.

If you're keen to find out what exactly goes on in these animals' heads, the Paws of the House found some research that tries to explain how dogs think. Check it out below!

How does the dog think?

Dogs do not think in words and symbols like humans do. However, canine intelligence manifests itself in other ways. No wonder dogs are fully capable of learning training commands and sometimes seem to understand what we say. This is not exactly because the dog thinks, but because he makes an association of the word with an action, object or character. aAn example of this is when you teach a dog to give its paw: as soon as you trigger the command, it obeys.

Inside the dog's brain, things work differently. According to a study published in the journal Animal Cognition, dogs often "think" by taking into account sensory senses, such as smell and figure. When we ask a dog to bring a specific toy, for example, he will "trigger" the olfactory and visual senses to find what has beenThis, in a way, is also connected with the olfactory memory of these animals, as well as a general memory.

What do dogs think of their owners?

For those who are interested in the subject, neuroscientist Gregory Berns was another expert who set out to find out what dogs think. Based on several studies and a thorough analysis of a dog's brain using MRI, he revealed his findings in the book entitled "What It's Like to Be a Dog".

One question that was clarified in the book was the famous question: "how do I know if my dog loves me?" From what Berns describes, dogs create a very strong emotional bond with their family and really love their humans. This is not only related to the fact that the guardian is a provider of food, but to a feeling of affection that increases with coexistence.

To further support this conclusion, the researcher used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyze the impulses of the dogs' neurons at two different times: when coming into contact with the scent of the guardian, and then with other fragrances. The result showed that one of the smells that the dog likes the most is that of his guardian!

A dog's brain mainly uses smell and sight to activate thoughts

4 curiosities about a dog's brain

1) The size of a dog's brain is relatively larger than that of cats. While felines have brains that weigh around 25 grams, dogs' brains weigh around 64 grams.

2) In the dog brain, anatomy is made up of the cerebral cortex, diencephalon, midbrain, pons, bulb, cerebellum and corpus callosum. However, the exact shape of the brain can vary by breed - and the Pug x-ray compared to other breeds is a good example of this.

3) In revealing how dogs' memory works, research by Vanderbilt University (USA) has found that dogs have approximately 530 million cortical neurons. Humans, on the other hand, have 86 billion neurons.

4) Still about a dog's memory, it is possible to say that dogs are able to store certain memories. Animals have this side well developed, in a way, even if it is inferior to humans.