Yes, she does.
Abby, 7 months old, has a fundamental understanding of physics - pretty good for a dog, huh?
Unsure of what I mean by “physics?” Here’s a formal definition for you:
Physics is the study of energy and matter in space and time and how they are related to each other. ... For example, velocity and acceleration are used by physics to show how things move. Also, physicists study the forces of gravity, electricity, magnetism and the forces that hold things together.
When we learned about gravity, the laws of motion, acceleration, forces, magnetism, electricity, the electromagnetic force, and more….we were learning about physics.
Now, to be fair, Abby would have a hard time competing with any of you in learning and doing science. I mean, she doesn’t even have thumbs for holding things.
But, here’s what she can do. When we're outside and I reach back to throw a toy, she turns and sprints in the direction I am throwing in. If she does not see the toy arching over her head at the right time, she will stop and turn back, looking for it. She understands the law of motion enough to be able to estimate when the toy will fly over her head. When I realized that, I was pretty impressed.
One of her favorite games is to chase a toy we throw around in the house. Sometimes, we toss it behind the couch and sometimes we fake tossing it to fool her. She has learned to wait until she hears the toy hit the floor before she goes to chase it down. (This girl is not gettin’ fooled again!) That is an understanding that gravity will make the toy fall to the ground, and that it will make a sound.
Sooooo, my dog understands physics…what can your pet do?
