Japanese scientists have taught a rodent species, the Degu, to use a rake tool to obtain a food reward. After training, it was determined that the Degu could recognise a functional tool from a non-functional tool when given options. You can read the paper here. A You Tube video can be viewed here.
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Japanese Scientists
It's amazing what animals are able to learn given the right movtivation to learn
re: Japanese Scientists
I thought this would be a pretty cool trick to teach a dog, too. You just need a bigger, slightly modified version of the apparatus used to train the Degus, and modify the tool to be held in the mouth.
Dangerous thoughts... my wife will be upset when she finds out I'm building a tool training apparatus for the dogs and not the pelmets for the living room!
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.PositivePetzine.com