Can Dogs Pretend?

By Jason G. Goldman on September 6, 2011

Earlier today, friend-of-the-blog Sheril Kirshenbaum (blog, twitter) asked a question on her blog, Culture of Science: Do Dogs Play "Make Believe?":

...this afternoon Happy did something unusual. She carried a toy frog over to her water bowl, and gently put it down as pictured. Given its orientation, I’m skeptical that her placement was an accident.
The frog continues to sit like this (20 minutes later) as Happy arranges other toys nearby. Now I admit I may be anthropomorphizing, but her behavior sure reminds me of a child playing “make believe” with stuffed animals.

Happy is actually a pretty amazing dog, and has frequently been a topic of conversation between me and Sheril. For example, we've discussed how she appears to be able to "read."

So, here's a question for readers: what do you think is going on here? Can dogs engage in pretend play? Can they imagine, or make-believe? Or is this just an accidental arrangement of objects?

I'll hold off on providing my own opinion - as well as what I can glean from reading the literature - until tomorrow. If you don't have a Sci Am login to comment here, go ahead and comment over on Google+ or on twitter.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Jason G. Goldman

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.