Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Man's best friend (vatti a fidare)

Dal Times di oggi:
THURSDAY DECEMBER 14 2000
A watched dog will wait until you stop watching
BY MARK HENDERSON, SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT
A LESSON learnt the hard way by thousands of dog owners has finally been
proved by scientists: man's best friend is a cunning creature that will
watch its master intently, ready to be disobedient the moment he isn't
looking.
German researchers have shown that dogs behave very differently when they
know they are not being watched by their owners, according to a study
reported yesterday in New Scientist magazine.
In an experiment at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, snacks were placed
on the floor in front of six dogs, which were then told strictly by their
owners that they were not allowed to eat. The researchers then ran a series
of behaviour tests on the animals. The owners were asked in turn to look
directly at the dog; to leave the room; to shut their eyes; to turn their
back; or to play a computer game.
When the dogs saw they were being watched directly, they nearly always kept
away from the forbidden food. As soon as the owners left the room, however,
all the dogs wolfed it down within five seconds.
The dogs, though, did not limit their thieving to that. The scientists, led
by Josep Call, noticed that the dogs watched their owners' eyes intently,
waiting until they were sure they were not likely to be seen before tucking
into the treat.
In all the cases where the dogs were not watched directly, they were more
brazen about taking the snack. The dogs stole twice as much food when not
being looked at.
Even when the dogs thought they were being watched, they often adopted a
sneaky strategy to get the food. In 75 per cent of cases where the food was
taken while owners were watching, the dogs walked around the room to
distract the owner before sneaking up on the snack and eating it.
When the owner was out of the room, by contrast, they made a beeline for the
food and downed it at once.
Dr Call said the findings suggested that dogs have more flexible minds than
had previously been thought. They can piece together past experiences to
construct new solutions to problems, he said.
- - - - - - - - - -
Ciao
Anna

 A watched dog will wait until you stop watching
niente che un bel collare elettrico non possa risolvere!!!

 A watched dog will wait until you stop watching
For more on what happens behind those canine eyes, see "Baxter, beware the dog
who thinks," (English version of a French title) a rare confirmation that
intelligent French films do exist.
Ciao,
Ron
USA

 A watched dog will wait until you stop watching
Dear Anna,
It brought a smile to my face, remembering one of my dogs. She (Shay)
was very bright and I learnt that the day I caught her faking a limp.
She was out the back running freely with her brother (Trove) while I
watched through the laundry window. Suddenly she realised I was there
behind the curtains and she began this pathetic limp! Needless to say
that was the end to my tender concern about her 'injury'.
But as far as filching food goes. She was standing next to Trove, both
with dog biscuits at their feet. Having eaten hers she, while looking at
me, put out a paw and dragged Trove's biscuit to her side. He never
noticed. It was the guile that amazed me.
Alas both dogs are no more.
Loki
-- 
lo...@REMOVE-ASGARDclear.net.nz

 Alas both dogs are no more.
Nice story, Loki, thanks for sharing it!
Isn't it funny how we love them more for this cleverness, and we never feel
offended at being cheated? We surely wouldn't feel the same for a human
friend. Maybe we are so presumptuous as to believe dogs' intelligence
somehow depends on our own...
Ciao
Anna
-- 
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 intelligent French films do exist.
LOL


 wrote in message
91aiu3$3ecm3$1...@ID-65620.news.dfncis.de...


 wrote in message
K0706.7265$ag5.4...@twister1.tin.it...

Dear Andra,
Paolo is always joking. How else would we be able to recognise him? He is
also, if memory serves me right, the proud owner of a canine whom, even if
we disagree on certain ways of treating them, he nonetheless is really very
fond of.
Changing subjects for a moment, would it be too much to ask you to please
place your message _below_ the message you are responding to? It makes life
so much easier for everyone reading.
Thank you.
--
I remain, as always, ecc., ecc.,
Bambi
dtb

 It makes life so much easier for everyone reading.
Is that just for newsgroups? Because I find I have the quote below my
reply text in emails, unless it's a running commentary, a bit like this
one.
Buon natale,
Loki
-- 
lo...@REMOVE-ASGARDclear.net.nz

 one.
Dear Loki,
Your suggestion of changing the newsgroup's name shall be taken into
consideration, pondered and discussed at the next meeting of the Royal
Counsellors, currently scheduled to be held sometime prior to the Twelfth Of
Never.
We shall advise you of what decision was reached as soon as may be
immediately afterwards.
Regarding placing one's response below a previous message (after judiciously
editing the former so that only the pertinent pieces remain), Netiquette
calls for this with regards to writing on a public newsgroup, to enable
those reading any message to be able to first read what was written and then
see what the response might be.
For e-mail it is not quite the same and experience shows that most people
prefer to start at the top with their own message and then quote any
relevant pieces of a former message they are commenting on. It should also
be that pieces from the original message which are not relevant ought to be
deleted, but the "usa e getta" climate of these modern  times
notwithstanding, most people tend to leave the original message intact at
the bottom and post it back to the original sender.
Sending cool Christmas greeting (of the climactic kind, not emotional ones),
--
I remain, as always,
Bambi
dtb

 fond of.
Absolutely. Also because I really hate dentists so I look after all the 42
of them with care.
Why do you disagree? I'm getting on very well with my new Braun
Multisystem...

 the 42 of them with care.
I think you will find they are only four. (the sharp pointy ones)
Cheers,
Loki
-- 
lo...@REMOVE-ASGARDclear.net.nz

 Sending cool Christmas greeting (of the climactic kind, not emotional
ones),
Discretion being the better part of valour, I shall refrain from naming the
Royal subject who had the good grace to point out to the undersigned that,
perhaps, perchance and maybe I was meaning to say " greetings of the
_climatic_ kind" rather than ...well that 'other' kind.
My thanks to the party concerned for pointing out this...ahem Freudian slip?
and apologies to all.
--
I remain, as always, ecc., ecc.,
Bambi
dtb

 I think you will find they are only four. (the sharp pointy ones)
"pointy"? Where're your relatives coming from? Transylvania?

 "pointy"? Where're your relatives coming from? Transylvania?
Mine are quite blunt, you can rest easy on that point, but relatively
speaking they are more pointy compared to a molar; -))
cheers,
Loki
-- 
lo...@REMOVE-ASGARDclear.net.nz

 Mine are quite blunt, you can rest easy on that point
difficult to agree... a woman w/o sharp canine uhmmm should be down under...
auguri
glu

 Italian is just a matter of trailing vowels :)))
Vowels eh? Hmm, that'll be a problem for a kiwi, li mangiamo
cheers,
loki
-- 
lo...@REMOVE-ASGARDclear.net.nz

  li mangiamo
hehehehe
vocale = s.f. vowel... and sf stands for? ;)
anyhow my boss is from Sydney no needs to remember how you can... "speak"
(sorry in advance if to speak doesn't apply! :))))