Has domestication turned dogs into 4-legged people? On the one hand you have territorial marking, displays of dominance, and other clearly dog activities to support that dogs are in fact dogs. Perhaps the strongest evidence for dogness is that dogs generally know the difference between encountering a fellow dog versus some other kind of animal (except for a few small fluffy white cases of mistaken identity). On the other hand, there's Droopy.

Chapter 1: Turn around 3 times and make yourself at home

Droopy was house trained on a kennel 'crating' system. So he was quite used to curling up on the cushion in his kennel, and sometimes still does (particularly when he's sulking, for example). Once he discovered that he could push us around and make us let him on the furniture, he preferred to hang out on the couch or bed. Generally he'll curl up and get comfortable, sometimes turning around three times beforehand. That seems pretty typical dog. My only question is, is this normal...

It's not uncommon for dogs to use their paws like hands to manipulate objects. So perhaps it's not undoglike of Droopy to use his to hold containers that look like good treat candidates as he works off the lid. Where do we draw the line between paws as paws versus paws as hands? Would an undomesticated dog think to open film cannisters or perform other nondigging, nongrabbing, kinds of activities? One of Droopy's favorite indoor games is chase-the-tennis-ball-downstairs. He prefers to catch it on the rebound. It will bounce once on the floor and he'll catch as it bounces into the air. Of course, it's a little cramped at the bottom of the stairwell, so when the ball bounces high, Droopy has decided the best solution is to race downstairs full speed and stand up, using his front paws to brace himself as he catches the ball. On a scale of 1 to 10, how doglike is this...

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