Sight, scent, licking, and the social skills dogs built for living with us.
Not in black and white, and not as sharply as you do. A typical dog’s world is built from blues and yellows, is a little soft at the edges, and lights up for motion — while the version of you it knows best is made of scent.
Face-licking starts as a puppy signal in wolves. It still works as a greeting, it finds the salt on your skin, and it is not a reliable stand-in for ‘I love you’ — especially when the licking never stops.
There is no useful ‘dog IQ,’ and a sock thief can still be brilliant at the things dogs were shaped to do: following a point, learning words with practice, and looking back at you when a problem stalls.
Dogs can time short intervals and they learn the shape of a day. That is not the same as counting the hours you were out. Scent, routine, and a familiar shirt tell us more than a hidden inner clock.
Short letters on what the research actually says — and what it means at home. Free, occasional, and easy to leave.