While I've never been able to ask a dog myself, I'd imagine they can smell the changing space.
this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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dude they can feel the movement, same as you.
Sure, but do they KNOW they are moving up or down? Or do they just feel the room shake and suddenly they're in a different place?
the accelleration, dear. like when a car speeds up? you get the same thing in an elevator. it's probably still kinda weird.
Yes but we know it's moving up and down, for all they know they get heavier or lighter for a short while
No no, definitely the smell /s
Advancing from world 1-2 to world 1-3
My puppers love elevators. They wag their tail in approval whenever we head up to the roof and the ride is uplifting.
Uplifting. Nice.
Dogs don't have much in the way of spacial reasoning or logic, possibly due to over reliance on smells and sounds for navigation.
When the doors open and things look different they might be surprised but they quickly forget what the previous floor even looked like. It's as bewildering or thought provoking them as simply turning a corner would be. They don't understand it enough to even be bewildered.
That said, there are interpersonal difference to dogs, some of them might be more than smart enough to get quite confused.
There is a documentary about dogs in some city using public transit to get around. Pretty sure that they remember where they are or were to some extent.
Not to say that they understand elevators. It's probably just another room or hallway.
I'm sure they understand that the bus moves due to the many many windows and can take them to a specific place, but they could still just be navigating by scent and other factors. It's not a good comparison to an elevator.
My only point was that they are remembering where they are or were. They didn't forget everything because they turned a corner.
My dog loves getting on busses and the tube. I think he just finds it exciting to see where we'll appear, it's pretty great, until you're not paying attention and he jumps on a random bus.
The tweet that inspired Ben Stiller to start Severance
Season 3: Take your pet to work day.
My dog loves the elevator, definitely cant tell the difference since both floors are the same, keeps going to our downstairs neighbors door like its our own before smelling it and realising her mistake.
I mean... I also went into my neibours apartment a couple times by mistake.
Looking at my dog, I think he understands elevators. Maybe not that why it goes, but probably does that it goes. Sometimes I think animals have better spatial awaerness then humans.
Some do, many don't. Humans are actually really graceful compared to most animals and intuitively do very complex things in space. Tossing a paper ball into a garbage can from ten feet away is an almost uniquely human ability. You ever see a dog try to fit a long stick through a narrow door? Their ability to judge relative sizes and distance is terrible, comparatively.
I have seen too many videos of small monkeys and big apes throwing their dong to agree with your paper ball theory. Also frogs don't throw balls but are great at catching insects, a lot of other animals have great spatial awareness when it comes to hunting prey. But tbh, I doubt wether they could grasp the concept of a box going up and down like humans do.
Have seen too many videos of dogs trying to take long sticks through narrow doors to disagree with you there though. Personally I think dogs are just not that smart after all that (in)breeding we did. I'm not calling dogs stupid, don't want the world to dislike me.
Frogs and archerfish and chameleons and such have evolved to do that one thing, it's more like a preprogrammed algorithm than spacial awareness. And they miss a fair amount if you sit and watch them, that just doesn't make the Animal Planet highlight reel.
Speaking of highlight reels, that kind of confirmation bias also applies to poop-slinging monkeys. They literally don't have the musculature for fine control, they just throw a lot of shit.
...but apes, monkies, and humans still aren't most species.
Will Smith: “Can a dog compose a symphony or paint a great work of art?”
Incarcerated robot: “Can you?”
Yes, but will you like it? While a dog just can't.
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