Could your dog be cleverer than your two-year-old?

Started by dnalexander, August 09, 2009, 11:32:04 PM

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dnalexander

You may have thought that a dog has little on its mind other than eating and walkies.

However, it turns out they are also capable of pondering a spot of basic maths or the meaning of certain words.

In fact, some dogs are as bright as a child, say scientists. They can understand up to 250 words and gestures, count up to five and perform simple arithmetic, putting them on a par with a two-year-old.

But it seems not all dogs are equal. Border collies, whose cunning has long been appreciated by shepherds, are at the top of the class. The dunces include bassett hounds and the British bulldog.

Stanley Coren, a Canadian canine expert, reviewed studies into how dogs think, including several in which tests designed to gauge the development of toddlers were adapted to the dog world.

Professor Coren, of the University of British Columbia, said: 'The average dog is about as bright linguistically as a human two year-old. This means they can understand about 165 words, signs and signals.

'Those in the top 20 per cent were able to understand as many as 250 words and signals, about the same as a two and a half-year-old.'

The professor's review also revealed that dogs can count up to four or five and notice errors in simple arithmetic --suggesting they can do sums.

To test this, dogs were made to watch as first one treat, then another, was lowered behind a screen. The screen was then lifted, bringing the treats back into the dogs' line of sight.

When the researchers had sneakily removed or added a treat, the creatures looked for longer, suggesting they knew something was wrong.

Professor Coren said: 'Dogs can tell that one plus one should equal two and not one or three.'

Data gathered by more than 200 dog obedience judges revealed the brainiest breeds, with border collies top of the pack. Professor Coren said: 'The dogs that are the brightest in terms of school learning ability tend to be the dogs that are much more recently developed.

There's a high probability that we've been breeding dogs so they're more responsive to human beings.'


Top of the class

1.  Border collie

2.  Poodle

3.  German shepherd

4.  Golden retriever

5.  Doberman pinscher

6.  Shetland collie

7.  Labrador retriever

8.  Papillon

9.  Rottweiler

10.  Australian cattle dog

Bottom of the pack

1.  Afghan hound (least intelligent)

2.  Basenji

3.  Bulldog

4.  Chow chow

5.  Borzoi

6.  Bloodhound

7.  Pekingese

8.  Beagle

9.  Mastiff

10.  Basset hound

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1205348/Could-dog-cleverer-year-old.html


More info at:

http://news.aol.com/article/dogs-as-smart-as-2-year-old-kids/609181

Roma Jean Turner

  The other night I went out to my tent, (which is set up in my car port), laid down on the air mattress and fell asleep.  I felt the tent move, heard a little thud and immediately set up with a start, thinking someone was trying to get in.  I was surprised to see my little 9 pound, dachsund/chihuahua/? mix setting there looking up at me.  My first thought was that he had chewed a hole in the tent.  However, he has discovered that he can go to the corner of the tent door where the vertical and horizontal zippers meet, work the zippers with his muzzle each direction until he can get his head through.  If he can get his head through something, he can also get his body through.  I thought that was pretty darn smart of the little Bingo dog.  So much for thinking I would have a flea free space somewhere just for me.

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