[chris v]

Yeeeees, Why do people always say things to their pets twice?

You know what I'm talking about don't you? Observe nearly anyone petting their dog or cat.

"Who loves his little poopy-woopy-kins? Yeeesss, who loves his little poopy-woopy-kins?"

What the hell is going on there?

[BlueSky]

Noticed myself doing that the other day with my cat. I made myself stop immediately.

[Kvasir]

Hmm, no explanation, but I know with my bird, anything negative has to be said many times:

"Amina, no, no, NO, NO. Amina, I said NO!"

And it's not 'cause she's stupid, but stubborn doesn't begin to describe her attitude sometimes.

[Chuckit]

They don't know what you're saying anyway, so why bother getting creative?

[RAILhead]

I never have done that with any of my animals, and I've always wondered why everyone else did so to theirs.

[TETENAL]

You do this with babies to make learning speaking easier for them. I guess some people do this with their pets as well because every cute looking mentally incapable creature falls into the "baby" category for them.

[chris v]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

Noticed myself doing that the other day with my cat. I made myself stop immediately.

I've done it a couple of times and cringed when I caught myself. I thought of it today because we've got a new shop cat-- a stray decided to adopt us, and after a couple of weeks of being very skittish and stand-off-y, he decided that affection was cool, here the last couple of days. so naturally, everyone started doing the stupid saying things twice bit while petting him, and I'm disgruntled.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

Positive reinforcement is good for pets, and they're stupid enough that you don't have to worry about coming up with fresh ways to say nice things, like, "no, you look great in that shirt", like you do with spouses.

Go on, repeat all you want to your pets. They don't mind it, obviously.

[Demonhood]

because if you yell "KILL!" only once, your target may end up only mostly dead.

[chris v]

Originally Posted by Demonhood

because if you yell "KILL!" only once, your target may end up only mostly dead.

Good point.Only mostly dead people may become zombies, which may eat our brains. I say we repeat ourselves, forcefully and often!

[andreas_g4]

I do that myself, but never realized that. Maybe it's because I want a reaction from my cat, and she sometimes doesn't "respond" immediately.

I don't think I will stop it, though.

[turtle777]

Why does the HA! HA! Man say HA! twice ?
The world is full of mysteries...

-t

[analogika]

HA! he laugheth, HA!

[andreas_g4]

Who is the HA! HA! man? Never heard of him.

[ReggieX]

Originally Posted by Demonhood

because if you yell "KILL!" only once, your target may end up only mostly dead.

His name is a killing word.

[The Windozer]

So what are poopy-woopy-kins?

[chris v]

Originally Posted by The Windozer

So what are poopy-woopy-kins?

The last sound a pet-owner makes before I strangle them.

[Kvasir]

Yeah, my dogs growing up were Major, Rex and Prince (all German Shepherds) - we never did the "snooky-wookem" crap with them - would have just seemed wrong, given their breed and their character.

I do call my parrot "little one" sometimes, mainly when I'm trying to get her to pay attention and focus when she's drifted off onto something more interesting. Otherwise, it's her name, Amina - why name a pet if you aren't going to use it, or you've picked a pet/animal too thick to get their own name?

[Niakoro]

I have to hump my dogs repeatedly... does that count?

[Cody Dawg]

This is a funny thread - it's true!

It's along the lines of when we know we are speaking to someone who is just learning our own language (or has a partial grasp of it) and we SPEAK LOUDER AND MUCH MORE SLOWLY...the louder bit always makes me laugh! As if speaking louder makes it easier for them to understand!

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

It's along the lines of when we know we are speaking to someone who is just learning our own language (or has a partial grasp of it) and we SPEAK LOUDER AND MUCH MORE SLOWLY...

I speak more slowly — because seriously, it's hard to understand foreigners who cram a paragraph into two syllables — but not louder. I do repeat things to animals, though. For the same reason that I repeat things to people who don't seem to be listening to me.

[meelk]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

They don't know what you're saying anyway, so why bother getting creative?

You must not have a pet, because every dog and cat I have had DOES understand a limited range of words like "want food?" "want to go outside?" "No" etc. I've seen people ask their dog if he/she wants to go out, and the dog go get its leash.

[Y3a]

or when parents yell at their kids "DON'T YELL!!!!"

You say: "Hey Fido, come here boy!...C'mon boy"
Dog heres: "bla FIDO bla bla bla bla....bla bla"

You say: Here kitty kitty..C'mon Puff...Here Kitty kitty kitty.
Cat hears: " "

[Cody Dawg]

My dog hears, "Blah, blah, blah, TREAT! Blah, blah, blah, POTTY! Blah, blah, blah, WALK! Blah, blah, blah, BYE BYE!"

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by meelk

You must not have a pet, because every dog and cat I have had DOES understand a limited range of words like "want food?" "want to go outside?" "No" etc. I've seen people ask their dog if he/she wants to go out, and the dog go get its leash.

You must mistake responding to trained signals with understanding language.

[meelk]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

You must mistake responding to trained signals with understanding language.

I'd say most of what even people do is responding to trained signals
where do you draw that distinction between Pavlov and thought? Do you think animals have no coherent thought?

[nredman]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

My dog hears, "Blah, blah, blah, TREAT! Blah, blah, blah, POTTY! Blah, blah, blah, WALK! Blah, blah, blah, BYE BYE!"

i think that is very true, i think my cat only hears what he wants to hear...i can yell at him all i want about chewing on the plants, he doesn't listen. but if my wife yells at him, he will go running off.

[olePigeon]

Because dogs are stupid and you have to tell them numerous times.

Because cats ignore you.

[Kvasir]

As Eddie Izzard said - "Two languages in one head! No-one can live at that speed! My God Man!"

So, you speak slowly, loudly, and repeat yourself - isn't that what American tourists do in Europe

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by meelk

where do you draw that distinction between Pavlov and thought? Do you think animals have no coherent thought?

It's fairly certain some animals have thoughts. Simpler animals like slugs, no. But, for example, cats are clearly capable of problem-solving based on more than Pavlovian stimuli, and clearly display moods regarding what is going on around them that can't easily be explained as trained responses.

[moonmonkey]

dogs always say "woof woof".

[Cody Dawg]

dogs always say "woof woof".

[chris v]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

It's fairly certain some animals have thoughts. Simpler animals like slugs, no. But, for example, cats are clearly capable of problem-solving based on more than Pavlovian stimuli, and clearly display moods regarding what is going on around them that can't easily be explained as trained responses.

I came home from work one day to find my front door wide open. The first thing through my head was "SH*T! I've been robbed." But nopthing in the house was amiss. The next few days, I was careful to make sure the door was latched when I went out.

(it was one of these kind of latches on the inside)



Came home three days later, front door wide open, again. Cats (4 of them) all milling about by the door, like something was up. I was SURE I'd latched it that time. Still nothing missing.

The next day, I was sitting in the living room watching TV, when one of my cats went to the door and started meowing to go out. I ignored him momentarily, because I was engrossed in a baseball game or something, and after a bit, he gave up on me and opened the door himself, and went out. I was dumbfounded, of course.

What he was doing, was hooking one paw through the lower part of the handle, then using the other paw to push down on the the thumb lever, then before letting go, pushing off from the wall by the door with one of his hind feet. It was a gymnastic manuver, which he executed with precision. His problem-solving abilities were at least on the level of a 3-year-old, I'd estimate.
I had to make sure that cat was outside before going anywhere the rest of the time we lived there.

[DeathMan]

Originally Posted by Demonhood

because if you yell "KILL!" only once, your target may end up only mostly dead.

Mostly dead, is slightly alive.

[rickey939]

I saw things twice to the pet, three to four times to the wife.

[Y3a]

Even octopus can problem solve and learn by observation. You've seen the crab in a jar experiment where the Octopus figures out how to unscrew the jar and get the crab. Later they put the octopus in a bigger pool with several wild octopus' who've never seen the trick. They repeat the experiment and later most all the octopus' are doing it.


Our Basset Hound can understand about 30 words. we have to use initials or spell words to keep her from getting excited about a car ride. We use G.F.A.W for go for a walk. She knows the "wanna go" part of the sentence and understands walk and ride. She's not too bright about "no" however.

[Face Ache]

My dog is fairly smart so I only say things to him once.

I said my dog is fairly smart so I only say things to him once.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Kvasir

As Eddie Izzard said - "Two languages in one head! No-one can live at that speed! My God Man!"

So, you speak slowly, loudly, and repeat yourself - isn't that what American tourists do in Europe

The other line was, “the cat is on the chair” – le chat est sur la chaise – slightly more easy to fit in; and “the monkey is on the branch” – “le singe est sur la branche.” Very difficult to get into a conversation! Not a lot of jungle in France… monkeys thin on the ground… thin in the air… just generally pretty trim!

[JustAnOl'Broad]

Originally Posted by olePigeon

The other line was, “the cat is on the chair” – le chat est sur la chaise – slightly more easy to fit in; and “the monkey is on the branch” – “le singe est sur la branche.” Very difficult to get into a conversation! Not a lot of jungle in France… monkeys thin on the ground… thin in the air… just generally pretty trim!

But, do you have a bananer?

Izzard is the dogs bollux!

[wdlove]

This is a great thread. I love my dogs, they are family.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by Face Ache

My dog is fairly smart so I only say things to him once.

I said my dog is fairly smart so I only say things to him once.

Talking to yourself?

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by chris v

I came home from work one day to find my front door wide open. The first thing through my head was "SH*T! I've been robbed." But nopthing in the house was amiss. The next few days, I was careful to make sure the door was latched when I went out.

Came home three days later, front door wide open, again. Cats (4 of them) all milling about by the door, like something was up. I was SURE I'd latched it that time. Still nothing missing.

The next day, I was sitting in the living room watching TV, when one of my cats went to the door and started meowing to go out. I ignored him momentarily, because I was engrossed in a baseball game or something, and after a bit, he gave up on me and opened the door himself, and went out. I was dumbfounded, of course.

What he was doing, was hooking one paw through the lower part of the handle, then using the other paw to push down on the the thumb lever, then before letting go, pushing off from the wall by the door with one of his hind feet. It was a gymnastic manuver, which he executed with precision. His problem-solving abilities were at least on the level of a 3-year-old, I'd estimate.
I had to make sure that cat was outside before going anywhere the rest of the time we lived there.

That's pretty impressive.

Our cat has figured out how to open the sliding pocket door in our bathroom by using his paws underneath. It's really funny to watch when I'm on the other side, and all I can see are two little paws madly shuffling as the door slowly slides open.

[RAILhead]

Cat's are incredibly ingenious, that's for sure. Uno has opening cabinet doors down pat, and when he decides he wants to hide away, he just grabs the side of the door and flings it open enough to get his shoulders in -- the rest slides in just fine after that.

An old cat of ours (who died of Feline Leukemia the year before they came out with the vaccine) was adept at opening full size doors by twisting on the handle over and over until it finally spun enough to open. Of course, this was back in the 80s and door knobs all had that textured feel, so his claws could get a good grip.

[selowitch]

With "all dead" there's only one thing you can do. Go through his pockets and look for loose change!