A pleasant walk in a park by the lake Ontario took a surprising turn for Casper, an adorable Golden Retriever aged a little over 2 years old and whose popularity is slowly starting to take off on Instagram. The latter is certainly set to experience a jump after the publication of a video that is both funny and touching, relayed by People.
casperthatgolden / Instagram
Casper reside Torontoin Canada, with his mistress Nachiket Kulkarni. Recently, when the latter took him for a walk in the park, a strange scene unfolded before the eyes of the quadruped.
“AI will steal my job”
A couple appeared, walking their “pet” on a leash. It was a robot dog. Casper stopped short when he spotted his false friend and began to observe him carefully while remaining at a good distance. At first cautious and perplexed, he ended up letting his curiosity guide him and began to follow the mechanical canine, taking care not to get too close.
It is unknown if he finally joined it, as the video had stopped just before, but Casper seemed intrigued and fascinated by the machine which moved and behaved almost like him, but had no fur or canine smell.
“The AI is going to steal my job,” reads the humorous inset text in this video that went viral on Instagram, having generated 155,000 “likes” and here it is:
Woopets advice: how to distinguish curiosity and stress in a dog when faced with an unusual situation?
A dog's reactions to a situation that is new to him can vary. A curious animal generally takes a gradual and flexible approach. He moves forward, stops, observes, then starts again, without trying to escape or impose himself. Its posture remains generally relaxed, with a neutral or slightly moving tail, and an exploring gaze.
Conversely, a stressed dog often shows a form of blocking or withdrawal. He may freeze in place, move backwards suddenly, or try to move away from the source of the stimulus. Its body is more tense, its tail low, and its attention seems focused on a possible escape route rather than on the object itself.
We can also observe behaviors located between the 2. The dog approaches then retreats, comes back at a distance then tries again. This alternation is generally the sign of an analysis phase; he tries to understand what he perceives without being completely reassured or totally worried.
The role of the teacher is important. A calm and neutral attitude promotes better interpretation of the scene by the dog, while tension transmitted via the leash or the voice can accentuate its discomfort and anxiety. Leaving space and not forcing interaction is often the best option.
Finally, what makes the difference between curiosity and stress is also the dog's ability to quickly return to a normal state once the stimulus has disappeared. A simply intrigued dog moves on quickly, while a stressed dog may remain alert or tense for longer.