A new study shows dogs not only respond to the words and ministrations of humans, dogs can understand and anticipate the intentions of their people.

With skills equivalent to that of a 6-month-old human, dogs who were spoken to or who had direct eye contact with a person were more likely to follow that human’s gaze as it moved across the room than if the person didn’t make direct eye contact with them.

Research is shedding light on human-like qualities of domestic dogs in fact, one study in the July 2011 issue of Learning & Behavior found that domesticated dogs were more likely to beg food from a person looking at them as opposed to someone who wasn’t paying attention.

One expert found that dogs have the developmental abilities of a human 2-year-old, with the average dog capable of learning the meanings of 165 words.

Given the intelligence of service dogs I’m inclined to believe the intelligence of dogs goes well beyond a toddler, but then again, my dogs are people too.

The image here is of my dog Jake. Jake passed away a year ago, but through his entire life, I often commented on just how very much he was like a toddler. I could tell him to retrieve his teddy bear, he’d go get it – whether it was somewhere outside or in, he would find it and bring it back. When he’d get a new chew bone, he’d take it outside to share with his doggie buddies from up the road. There were so many times I’d pause at Jakes action in amazement at his ability to really understand me. He really was a very special pooch.

My three girls, Maggie, Effie and Molly are all very humanlike in so many ways. Their toddler style antics have me smiling every single day.

Do you have a dog that is smart and almost humanlike? What’s something your dog has done that has stopped you in your tracks, amazed at just how smart they are?