Social Learning
Much of human culture is based on social learning. Language, the rules of society and the use of objects are all transmitted from the old to the young and from peer to peer. Dogs are very keen to learn by observation, too. The ability to learn socially is widespread among animals, but learning from representatives of a different species occurs much less frequently. Because dogs regard humans as their social companions, their eagerness to learn by observing our activities should not be surprising; shepherds have long known as much. Yet science began probing the depth of this facility only a few years ago.