What does the dog know that the man does not?

The dog is guided by instinct and the man is guided by a sense of arrogance. The man treats the dog as he treats nature: he lacks respect for both. The dog and the elements are in sync with nature’s rhythms: the man is not. London's familiar theme of respect for this setting is hammered home when the man freezes to death alone in the snow.The dog will survive, he knows the cold and what his limits are born through ages of instinct and conditioning.