The dog can’t decide (as much as it does decide anything) to drool when it hears the bell,
I do think that it is a mistake to assume that the dog is not conscious, or not conscious enough, to know what the bell means.
Like, we could say that the dog is operating purely on instinct, but that would require that we think of them as philosophical zombies completely incapable of self-awareness.
It is also possible that the dog has learned the bell sound as a “word” that means “food” and simply agrees that it would like some food soon. Not all that different from me asking a coworker if they want to get sandwiches.
I do think that it is a mistake to assume that the dog is not conscious, or not conscious enough, to know what the bell means.
Like, we could say that the dog is operating purely on instinct, but that would require that we think of them as philosophical zombies completely incapable of self-awareness.
It is also possible that the dog has learned the bell sound as a “word” that means “food” and simply agrees that it would like some food soon. Not all that different from me asking a coworker if they want to get sandwiches.