--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is…" description: "\"“The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is their interspecies social intelligence, an ability to intuit what humans and other animals are thinking. Wol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/gregory-berns-17026_animal_the-defining-trait-of-dogs-therefore-is_757628.png" --- # The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is their… ![“The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is their interspecies social intelligence, an ability to intuit what humans and other animals are thinking. Wolves do this to hunt prey. But dogs evolved their social intelligence into living with other species instead of eating them. Dogs’ great social…” quote by Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/gregory-berns-17026_animal_the-defining-trait-of-dogs-therefore-is_757628.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/gregory-berns-17026_animal_the-defining-trait-of-dogs-therefore-is_757628.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/gregory-berns-17026_animal_the-defining-trait-of-dogs-therefore-is_757628.png) > ““The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is their interspecies social intelligence, an ability to intuit what humans and other animals are thinking. Wolves do this to hunt prey. But dogs evolved their social intelligence into living with other species instead of eating them. Dogs’ great social intelligence means that they probably also have a high capacity for empathy.”” [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dogs possess advanced social intelligence, enabling empathy and cross‑species understanding, unlike wolves that hunt. **In simple terms:** Dogs are empathetic, socially intelligent animals. Key Takeaway Value and nurture empathy. Themes animals empathy social intelligence inter‑ Mood warm curious Type scientific educational When to use this quote - pet ownership - animal training - therapy work Key Concepts cognitive empathy evolutionary adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does dog empathy benefit humans? - Can we teach similar empathy to other species? A Different Perspective Empathy varies among individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Social intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-intelligence/) ## Related quotes > [“What you post online speaks VOLUME about who you really are. POST with intention. 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When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/self-absorption-in-all-its-forms-kills-empathy-let-alone-compassion-2/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Don't promote negativity online and expect people to treat you with positivity in person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/don-t-promote-negativity-online-and-expect-people-to-treat-you-with/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“How you bring people into your home is just as important as when they walk through the door. Frame well. #marketing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/how-you-bring-people-into-your-home-is-just-as-important-as-when-they/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) ## More by Gregory Berns > [“In answer to the question “What are dogs thinking?” the grand conclusion was this: they’re thinking about what we’re thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/in-answer-to-the-question-what-are-dogs-thinking-the-grand-conclusion/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“But can you really trust someone who doesn’t have a pet?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/but-can-you-really-trust-someone-who-doesn-t-have-a-pet/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Interpreting dog behavior through the lens of wolf behavior is even worse than anthropomorphizing: it’s a human anthropomorphizing wolf behavior and using that flawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/interpreting-dog-behavior-through-the-lens-of-wolf-behavior-is-even/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Did you guys hear there was a dog on the SEAL team?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/did-you-guys-hear-there-was-a-dog-on-the-seal-team/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Skinner box, a device that automatically trains rats or pigeons to learn behaviors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/skinner-box-a-device-that-automatically-trains-rats-or-pigeons-to/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Lorenz, however, believed that the ideal canine companion was a “resonance dog.” He noted the extraordinary parallelism in personality between many dogs and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/lorenz-however-believed-that-the-ideal-canine-companion-was-a/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animal,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/the-expression-of-the-emotions-in-man-and-animal/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“stress is lowest in the morning and rises steadily throughout the day. 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The pattern of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/we-love-dogs-but-what-do-they-think-of-us-even-with-just-two-dogs-a/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“organ (VNO), thought to be specialized for detecting scents from other dogs and therefore to function in some capacity for social signaling”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/organ-vno-thought-to-be-specialized-for-detecting-scents-from-other/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Proof of social cognition means that dogs aren’t just Pavlovian learning machines. It means that dogs are sentient beings, and this has startling consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/proof-of-social-cognition-means-that-dogs-aren-t-just-pavlovian/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“The brevity of text messages, for example, and the fact that we are able to communicate with less than 140 characters at a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/the-brevity-of-text-messages-for-example-and-the-fact-that-we-are/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [A person can have the greatest idea in the world - completely different and novel - but if that person can't convince enough other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-berns/a-person-can-have-the-greatest-idea-in-the-world-completely-different/) [Gregory Berns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-berns/) > [“Their entrance was marked in dramatic fashion by an ear-piercing “Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! 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The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The defining trait of dogs, therefore, is their interspecies social intelligence, an ability to intuit what humans and other animals are thinking. Wolves do this to hunt prey. But dogs evolved their social intelligence into living with other species instead of eating them. 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