Key ways my dog is not a furry little human

First published on January 11th 2023. Last updated in May 2024.

I’ve spent a lot of my time in the pet space thinking about anthropomorphism (ascribing “human” traits to animals, often frowned upon in the dog training community) and anthropodenial (insisting fellow animals can’t share our characteristics, emotions, or experiences at all).

When I first read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are by Frans de Waal (my all-time favorite book!) I was most struck by his thoughts on when anthropomorphism can be a problem and when it can be helpful.

In the name of striking a productive balance — one rooted in available data rather than “folk nonsense” — I wanted to sum up a few key ways my dog is definitely not just a human wearing a fur coat. Acknowledging these differences helps me be more thoughtful about our life together.

Table of contents and TLDR Instagram post summary

At a glance, this article touches on:

• Dogs and people don’t have the same sensory experiences

• We have different ph…