Do dogs think and feel in the same way humans do?

[Zenlitened]

From the Boston Globe:

For Hints On Humans, Scientists Study Dogs' Thinking

CAMBRIDGE - Studying a species known to chase its own tail may seem an unlikely way to better understand the human mind. But scientists at Harvard University's new Canine Cognition Lab hope to gain insight into more than the psychology of dogs from visiting pet pooches - including an alert German shepherd named Celia and a rottweiler called Taylor who loves to eat chicken.

(snip)

"Here's this species we live with. Everyone has their views about how smart they are. No doubt we are overinterpreting - and in some cases underinterpreting," said Marc Hauser, a Harvard professor who has long studied cognition in cottontop tamarin monkeys and who heads the new lab. "To what extent is an animal that's really been bred to be with humans capable of some of the same psychological mechanisms?"

Can dogs understand such abstract concepts as "same," for example? Or, can dogs be patient? To answer such canine conundrums, Hauser is recruiting both purebreds and mutts and running them through simple tests. In return, they earn tasty treats.

(snip)

Some of the most interesting results could come from studies that test the qualities people ascribe to their pets: loyalty, for example, or guilt. Alexandra Horowitz, who teaches psychology and animal behavior at Barnard College in New York, has probed the guilty look that dogs give, flattening their ears back and ducking their heads.

Much more, plus video:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/13/for_hints_on_humans_scientists_study_dogs_thinking/