Thought this was interesting although the dogs used in the study were 'civilians' ... but I think it illustrates that dogs use many more senses than humans are aware of.
Just Martin Grime's opinion of Eddie's behaviour might have been sufficient to communicate itself to the dog which was probably as adept at reading 'body language' as he was at everything else.
Why a dog's sense of smell is overrated: Canines use their MEMORY to find buried bones rather than following their nose - Scientists played a version of the cup and ball game with 500 pet dogs
- The animals were asked to find a treat they had seen hidden in a cup
- Most failed to find the snack as they used memories instead of their nose
- It suggests dogs do not rely on sense of smell as much as was thought
By FIONA MACRAE, SCIENCE EDITOR FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 19:09, 16 September 2015 | UPDATED: 21:23, 16 September 2015
You may think Fido would use his acute sense of smell to sniff out a long-buried bone.
In fact, a dog relies on its memory more than its nose to find hidden treats, according to new research.
The discovery was made by US scientists who analysed the results of a game played by 500 pet dogs from around the world.
Each dog watched as its owner placed two cup upside down in front of them, then placed a treat under one of the cups.
The dog's eyes were then covered and the food moved to the second cup.
When the dog was able to see again, it was called over by its owner.
If the pooch was using their sense of smell to find the food, it should have headed for the correct cup.
However, most got it wrong, simply running towards where they had last seen the food.
Researcher Evan MacLean, of Duke University in North Carolina, said: 'Most people think dogs use their sense of smell for everything.
'But actually dogs use a whole range of senses when solving problems.'
Dr MacLean, who studies almost all animals other than cats, said: 'It is hard for me to think of a situation where having a good memory would not be an advantage.
'Memory is important for any sort of planning and understanding patterns and for making predictions about the world.
'Memory is crucial for all of that for any animal.'
The study, which used the internet to recruit and test dogs in their own homes, also investigated the phenomenon of contagious yawning.
Some research has shown that just as one person often seems to yawn after someone else yawns, a dog can 'catch' its owner's yawns.
Dr MacLean said: 'The idea is that it is a very primitive form of empathy.
'The dog is not necessarily feeling bad because its owner is feeling bad but it is tuning into their emotional state in its own way.'
Dr MacLean's study, published in the journal Public Library of Science One, did not find any evidence of the phenomenon.
But it did find that different dogs have different strengths.
Some dogs had a better memory, others were better at taking their master's perspective or at communicating.
Co-researcher Brian Hare said: 'Most people think of intelligence as a glass that is more or less full.
'But intelligence is more like ice cream. Everybody has different flavours.
'Being good at one thing doesn't mean you'll be good at everything else.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3237289/Why-dog-s-sense-smell-overrated-Canines-use-MEMORY-buried-bones-following-nose.html#ixzz3lzlFDRiz