Calling all dog experts

[goldvermilion87]

So, my loverly labradoodle, Arthur (And if you read my 5 times story on ff.net: yes, I did put my dog in one of my stories.  I couldn't help myself.)  enoys riding in the car, as every good dog should.  He sits in the front, usually.  When we're driving, I'll often pet him with my right hand, or pat him on the back or something (my car's automatic, so I can do that). 

What I want to know is this: Just how mimetic are dogs?  [also, am I using mimetic right?  It's the only word that comes to mind, and I'm too lazy to check.  It makes Arthur sound like an Aristotelian tragedy...haha]  When he sits next to me in the car, he sits in a loungy, relaxed way, and puts one paw across the console, the same way I would maybe put my hand on his head and scratch it if I were relaxed because I was on a really long car ride.  It's very funny, but is he copying me? or am I just anthopomorphizing him?