Netflix's "Inside the Mind of a Dog" shows that dogs really do love us (2024)

INTERVIEW

A new documentary teaches viewers how to read a dog's mind

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published August 4, 2024 5:30AM (EDT)

Netflix's "Inside the Mind of a Dog" shows that dogs really do love us (1)

Jack Russell Terrier looking out over beach(Getty Images/Tim Platt)

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"Inside the Mind of a Dog" delivers on the promises in its title, both stated and implied. The movie is packed with adorable dogs of every conceivable breed; it puts readers inside the mind of humanity's best friend; and — to address a question it poses at the very end — it lets us know whether or not dogs truly love humans.

"There are things that people can do with their dogs to improve their relationships."

"There is a lot of what we call convergence between dogs and humans," Dr. Vanessa Woods, the director of the Puppy Kindergarten at Duke University, told Salon. Woods, who is featured in the documentary, mentioned that humans will often notice a dog staring at them quietly and not understand what it means. Woods explained that this relates to the fact that dogs and humans both rely on eye contact when they are young to connect with their parents. Even as adults, humans and dogs still experience a rush of oxytocin — the so-called "love hormone" — when they make sustained eye contact with other individuals they care about. In a very real sense, they are hugging humans with their eyes.

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"Basically they've hijacked this oxytocin loop," Woods said. "When your dog stares at you and you stare back at your dog, it increases your oxytocin and it increases their oxytocin. Basically they've taken over this neurological loop that we developed between our children and ourselves. And for another species to do that is quite extraordinary."

Woods' observation about translating dog stares appears in "Inside the Mind of a Dog," and the documentary (narrated by Rob Lowe, who takes the opportunity to show off his own pets) also includes many other tips so that dog owners can enter their friends' minds. We are informed that dogs bark to express emotions or recruit a human's attention — but that a bark is never "just a bark." In a high stress situation, dogs will bark at a higher pitch; if their high pitch bark repeats itself without pausing, they are in a state of outright distress; if they bark and pause, that means they still have some cognitive ability. Then again, some dogs are just more inclined to bark than others based on their breed, with Siberian huskies particularly notorious for being whiny.

Similarly, the movieteaches viewers that dogs communicate with their tails: loose equals curiosity, tight means anxiety, tucked or wagging low suggests stress and helicopter tail and/or butt wiggle indicates a very positive emotional experience (such as love for their owner). Scientists have even learned that if dogs' tails wag to the right, it means they have a positive association with a specific human being — suggesting, once again, affection.

Although dogs only have 16 different facial expressions (compared to humans' 27 expressions), they use their eyes, barks and tails to make up for their limited facial expressiveness. Also like humans, canine intelligence is built around problem-solving in the world around them, even though they rely on a different primary sense (smell) than humans (vision). If dogs did not share this basic intelligence with humans, they would not work with us so closely... or be so similar to us.

For instance, some researchers suggest that dogs can have ADHD just like humans. Additionally, puppies whose mothers let them figure out problems on their own wind up being better guide dogs than puppies whose mothers micromanage them, an observation that also has parallels to human experiences. The very fact that dogs are the most diverse animal on Earth is because they were subject to humanity's genetic meddling. (The movie does not mention the ugly connection between the history of dog breeding and many dogs' chronic health issues, as well as the dog breeding movement's ties to the racist eugenics movement.)

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"Understanding how the puppy mind develops helps us manage our expectations of what puppies can do or learn while they are growing up."

According to Dr. Brian Hare, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, all of the movie's pieces of trivia add up to a single important takeaway, which is that doggie brains are far more complex than the popular perception often admits.

"We now have overwhelming evidence that dogs have multiple intelligences — these different types of cognition already emerge in puppies but first appear at different times," Hare said. "Some cognitive skills appear early, like the ability to read human gestures, and other cognitive skills, like self-control, come online a bit later. Understanding how the puppy mind develops helps us manage our expectations of what puppies can do or learn while they are growing up."

Some can grow up to be guide dogs or perform other services, like rescuing trapped people or detecting diseases including cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. There are dogs that can learn hundreds of words (one learned up to 1,000), while others have very limited verbal comprehension. In some cases, there are dogs best suited to simply serve as a happy companion to a human family. As people learn more about dogs, though, scientists like Hare hope it will be easier for scientists to train large numbers of smart canines to help people.

"Dogs have more jobs than ever, but there is a shortage of professionally-trained dogs," Hare said. "A big factor behind the shortage is the difficulty of knowing what job any individual dog might be best at doing. The holy grail is to use a puppies' performance on our cognitive games to predict which job they will be best suited for as an adult. Will they be best at helping someone with a physical disability, a child with autism, search and rescue, or a veteran with PTSD?"

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Hare added, "If we can predict this early in a dogs life we will have much more success training them and we will greatly increase the supply of dogs available for all the amazing jobs they do."

Just as learning more about dog minds will help humans train dogs, it will also make it easier for dogs to train humans. "Inside the Mind of a Dog" reminds us that the famous "puppy dog eyes" exist because dogs intentionally make the whites of their eyes (or the sclera) more visible to humans.

"There are things that people can do with their dogs to improve their relationships," Woods said. "We have this game in the documentary where you put a treat in a container and then close it. When puppies played this game, just for five minutes every two weeks, they actually had twice as much eye contact with the experimenter, which is really important for dogs and their people. Just by playing little fun games, it can really improve the relationship that people have with their dogs."

Read more

about dogs

  • Dogs cry tears of joy when reunited with their owners, study says
  • To test if dogs feel envy, researchers made them watch their owners play with fake dogs
  • A new study unspools the dingo's mysterious origins

By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Netflix's "Inside the Mind of a Dog" shows that dogs really do love us (2024)

FAQs

How many episodes of dogs are on Netflix? ›

Dogs (TV series)
Dogs
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producersAmy J. Berg Glen Zipper
12 more rows

Do dogs think of us as dogs? ›

Some experts believe that dogs know we are a different species, so they wouldn't consider us eligible for their furry four-legged group. That said, dogs often treat us as like we're part of one big happy pack. They can be incredibly loyal and loving to their family members.

How did the dog show that he was happy? ›

Wagging tail and body

The most well-known sign of a happy dog is a high and wagging tail. Although every dog breed has a different relaxed tail position, happy dogs will generally raise their tails slightly. And when a dog is really happy, his whole body can wiggle along with his wagging tail.

What is the Netflix show about the dog with money? ›

A dog with a trust fund isn't the strangest part of this story. Gunther's eccentric handler also lived a luxe life — with a cult-like entourage. Watch all you want.

What Netflix show should I leave on for my dog? ›

Dogs: This docuseries produced by Netflix is an obvious pick if you're looking for a series to binge along with your dog. The series follows several dogs around the world and tells their stories along with demonstrating how much our dogs do for us. Make sure to grab some tissues before you hit the couch!

Are there any dog movies on Netflix? ›

You'll also find newer movies from popular franchises, such as Air Bud: Pup Star and The Secret Life of Pets 2. Keep reading to learn more about these doggone good dog movies on Netflix to keep you and your pooch entertained. Maybe you'll find a new "fur-ever" favorite. Vote up the movies that make you wag your tail!

What does a dog feel when you kiss them? ›

When you kiss your dog, you might notice signs suggesting they recognize a kiss as a sign of affection. However, as puppies, this is not something they would understand. But, as dogs age they may associate kisses and cuddles with their owners being happy with them — as petting and treats often follow.

Why do dogs lick you? ›

For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!

What do dogs hear when we talk? ›

Although many scientists agree that dogs understand specific words, some don't believe they comprehend full sentences. They argue that saying “trees, birds, grass, walk” invokes the same meaning as “let's go for a walk”: the dog may not understand every word in the sentence, he gets “walk”.

Do dogs love kisses? ›

Some dogs become used to being hugged or kissed and tolerate it, but it's a rare dog that truly enjoys this kind of interaction,” says Dr. Tynes. That's because hugging typically involves wrapping yourself around their body, which feels like you're restraining them.

Do dogs understand when you say "I love you"? ›

Dogs can't talk, but you may be surprised at how much they understand. The average dog can learn roughly 165 words – mostly terms related to their everyday life, like “dinner” and “walk.” If you say “I love you” often enough, you can absolutely make that phrase part of their vocabulary.

What is the happiest breed of dog? ›

Introduction
  • Labrador Retriever. It's no wonder why the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in multiple countries, thanks to their obedience, loyalty, and happy personalities. ...
  • Bichon Frise. ...
  • Beagle. ...
  • Brussels Griffon. ...
  • Maltese. ...
  • English Toy Spaniel. ...
  • Collie. ...
  • Bearded Collie.

What dog inherited $500 million? ›

Meet Gunther VI: The German Shepherd With A $400+ Million Net Worth. Countess Korlotta Liebenstein had no children or close relatives, so she left her fortune to her dog, Gunther III. When Gunther III passed away, the fortune was passed on to his descendants. Now, Gunther VI is now the richest dog in the world.

What billionaire inherited a dog? ›

The money has been passed through generations after the first dog was given an inheritance worth over £277million after his owner died in 1992. A German Countess called Karlotta Leibenstein left her entire massive estate to her beloved dog as she had no other family.

Who left all their money to their dog? ›

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley left $12 million in her will for her dog Trouble but cut out two of her four grandchildren entirely. Helmsley, the "Queen of Mean" who was famously quoted as saying "only the little people pay taxes" before going to jail for tax evasion, died August 20 at 87.

How many seasons will a dog have? ›

How often do dogs come into season? If she's unneutered, most female dogs come into heat twice a year, but this can depend on her breed and size. Some dogs have have longer or shorter cycles and they should be regular by the time they're an adult.

Does the Netflix movie Dog Gone have a happy ending? ›

The movie ends on an optimistic note with both Gonker and Fielding sleeping together in his hospital bed and recuperating. During the credits, it was revealed that Gonker never left the Marshalls again and Fielding now lives in Chile giving kayaking tours.

How many episodes of All dogs Go to Heaven are there? ›

All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series is an American animated television series, which aired from 1996 to 1998 in syndication and on Fox Family from 1998 to 1999 with 40 half-hour episodes produced in total.

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