Your family dog may be smarter than your toddler

[Dagobert II]

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/07/smart.dogs/index.html

Using adapted tests designed for human children, psychologists have learned that average dogs can count, reason and recognize words and gestures on par with a human 2 -year-old.

For his book "The Intelligence of Dogs," Coren asked more than 200 dog-obedience judges to rank 110 breeds based on their intelligence. Border collies, poodles, retrievers, German shepherds and Doberman pinschers were among the dogs at the head of the class.


The intellectual runts of the litter? The borzoi, chow chow, bulldog, basenji and -- finishing dead last -- the Afghan hound.


The dividing line, Coren (http://www.stanleycoren.com/?cnn=yes) said, tends to be the age of the breed. More recent breeds, like the collies and retrievers, have been bred for years to do what humans want them to do.


"We've been wiring into dogs the ability to communicate with us," said Coren, author of several books on dogs' thinking, most recently "The Modern Dog." "If you will, we've been manipulating their intelligence."


The ethics of euthanizing dogs with the intelligence of human toddlers and classifying them legally as property aside, what does this tell us about the application of genetic manipulation to intelligence?

Are government policies that assume all humans to be of equal potential with potentially equal outcomes valid given genetic diversity?

[engteach64]

Most dogs we've had over the years have been pretty smart. We had a chow/cocker mix, and she was really smart. It would make us laugh when my husband and I would have an arguement and my husband would start to pet Ginger, and she would snort at him and turn her head and walk over to me. When I had surgery, my husband lifted her on the bed with me and she came over so slow and tender and laid her head on my lap and laid there for hours.

We had a dog who was injured and had to carry her to our bedroom at night. Ginger would limp a few steps so we would carry her too. We knew she was faking, but it made her so happy to be carried to bed.

Our dogs now are beagles, and they know how to use their cuteness. Haley will use those great big eyes to get her way. If that doesn't work she will just come up and snuggle until you can't help but give her what she wants.

Oh my gosh! We are THOSE freaks who treat their dogs like people!

[poundpup]

Engteach, don't feel alone! I have a hard time not humanizing my dogs.

Mine are all smart to a greater or lesser degree. But I only have to make my Lucy (lab/rat terrier mix), the smartest of them understand, and the rest of the pack follows her lead. Since she understands just about everything I ask of her, my whole pack seems very smart, but in reality they are just imitating her, since she is the dominant dog. :)

I would definitely say that Lucy is easily on the human toddler level.

[engteach64]

poundpup~Thanks for the list. My dog got into onions (we believe) a year ago, and almost died. She has to take medicine now because she can't make her own blood any more. Something about her immune system keeps killing her blood cells. It's pretty sad. She used to be about 20 pounds, but the medicine makes her about 30 now, but she's alive and that is all we care about.

[CenTexDave]

Very believable. I've had a few dogs that were more intelligent than some adults.

[Night Owl]

But Dave the real question is, "Were they smater than you????":):)

[poundpup]

poundpup~Thanks for the list. My dog got into onions (we believe) a year ago, and almost died. She has to take medicine now because she can't make her own blood any more. Something about her immune system keeps killing her blood cells. It's pretty sad. She used to be about 20 pounds, but the medicine makes her about 30 now, but she's alive and that is all we care about.

I had a coyote dog a long time ago who loved the wild onions that grew in my yard, and that I cultivated for him. He also loved, I mean LOVED the sugar in the bottom of the coffee cup.

I had to put him down at 4 years old, because he had seizures so bad! He had 24 grand mal seizures that Christmas Day, and I had him PTS the next day, because he had come crashing down the stairs and hurt his back. His back could have been healed, and I did not know back then, that if I had eradicated the onions, and stopped giving him coffee sugar, I could have saved him. He was that dog you only meet once in your life and I still have not forgiven myself for my ignorance. Since then I try to educate people as best as I can.

I have a holistic group for dogs on Yahoo and a website that has more information on holistic health of dogs: HolisticDog.org (http://www.HolisticDog.org). There is a link to the group on the website.

[rubytuesday]

We have seven dogs and most of them are smarter than my 22 year old stepson. I think we should have left the dogs alone and neutered the boy!

[Night Owl]

Now that is funny right there!!!!:bluerofl:bluerofl:bluerofl:bluerofl:blue rofl

[engteach64]

We have seven dogs and most of them are smarter than my 22 year old stepson. I think we should have left the dogs alone and neutered the boy!

That is so wrong, but so stinking funny!

[poundpup]

:bluerofl

Oh DANG!! I should have thought about that before I sent my children out in the world (bless their hearts).

[rubytuesday]

I should have added "bless his heart" to the post about my stepson, because we southerners know that's a license to say whatever you want about someone! Bless his heart, the good Lord gave him a brain and genitals and only enough blood to operate one at a time!

Our smartest dog is a schipperke mix. We started spelling things to keep her in the dark, but she's figured that out too. She's just an awesome dog and I'm glad we were at the pound at the right time to get her!

[Deb]

I also had a dog I had to spell to. Then we started using sign language to him. He figured that out, too. I took my 8 month old puppy to be "snake trained" to watch for rattlesnakes when he's out, and every time he goes out, he's watching for the rattlesnakes whenever he steps outside.

[CenTexDave]

But Dave the real question is, "Were they smater than you????":):)

"smater"???
I don't know if they were smarter than me, but they could spell! :)

[Night Owl]

What's an "r" between friends!!!!!!:):)

Christine made me do it!!!!!

[CenTexDave]

:):thumbsup:))

[Scarlett]

:):thumbsup:))

This explains how Dave has over 3,500 posts! Haha.

[FieryPrincess]

My parents' dog has learned to spell. Dogs are great at figuring out patterns. Spelling becomes an extension of the actual word.

[jack]

My last two dogs trained me very well. The Dog whisperer would be truly disappointed in me. Lots of love there