2/16: Are You Smarter Than Your Dog?
February 16, 2010 by Barbara Carvalho
Filed under Barbara Carvalho
Statistically speaking, according to Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and author of a number of books on dog intelligence, we begin to outpace our four legged friends, intellectually, at about the age of two. But, that’s not to say our comparative species strengths and weaknesses can make us humans, well, feel far less than the leader of the pack.
I have owned (and been owned by) many dogs and credit them with a great deal of intellectual savvy. After all, if they are not gifted hounds, what does that say about me? Perhaps, I have just been well trained. I provide treats, walks, outings, and even a favorite chair on command. I suspect I am more than a circus spectacle, when at the sound of a scratch or a squeal, I crawl under furniture or relocate appliances to retrieve balls, bones, or thoroughly unrecognizable pieces of delightfully smelling remains. I jump to see who is visiting at the sound of dancing feet and a welcoming howl and sprint to the backyard looking for treed prey when I hear a mournful bawl.
Dogs take their responsibilities quite seriously, too. They are alarm clocks, doorbells, security lights, and a dining room vacuum cleaner. There’s also nothing like a herding breed if you do not want your guests or children to leave the room. And, I have known a hound or two to corner a house guest in the bathroom. Some of my dogs have enjoyed TV, big screen, of course, and have looked front to back to front again for the barking retriever. Is it a sign of failed intelligence? Not so. After all, I’ve been known on occasion while watching football games to scream out holding penalties to the refs.
Carvalho's dogs, Noodles and Soji, take a nap.
Regardless of whether you are a disciple or skeptic of canine intelligence, there’s no denying their abilities. Most dogs have an impressive vocabulary. Not just stay and come, sit and down, but important associations with people’s names, toys, outside, car rides, time to eat, play, smile, hug, snuggle, clean up, sleep, go upstairs or down them, and Pup-Peroni. Once learned, even spelling will only get you by once or twice. O-U-T is no disguise and creates just as much anticipatory havoc as the utterance of the word “out.”
Most Americans, according to the latest Marist Poll, believe dogs are smarter than we give them credit. Recent psychological and behavioral research points to an expanding potential in the relationship between people and dogs. Our canine counterparts can search and rescue, detect bombs and drugs, alert us to seizures or cancer, be guides and eyes, provide psychiatric service for anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress, be best friends, and loyal companions.
Noodles and Soji stand to get a better view of what's happening outside.
But, intelligence doesn’t always mean easy to train. In fact, the most intelligent breeds often present the greatest challenges to mere mortals, like myself. It’s not that they don’t understand what’s expected, it’s just that they can figure out a better way to do it. If it matters to your canine relationship which one of you is more intelligent, don’t be fooled by a pretty face. Some personal soul searching into your habits and daily routines combined with a little research into the instincts and inclinations of a breed can go a long way to helping you find a perfect, life-long match.
Related Links:
Dr. Stanley Coren – Disciple – http://www.stanleycoren.com/
Coren’s Top Ten Breeds http://www.stanleycoren.com/e_intelligence.htm
Dr. Clyde Wynne – Skeptic – http://www.psych.ufl.edu/~wynne/psychology/Welcome.html
Julianne Kaminski – Researcher – http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41972/title/Dogs_show_a_fetching_communication_savvy
http://en.scientificcommons.org/juliane_kaminski
Lee Charles Kelley – Dog trainer – http://www2.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-puppy-my-self/200904/tuning-in-your-dogs-emotions
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Your dog looks so cute. I wish I had a dog like that.
Your dogs are cute!!
If you ask me I can name at least 10 people that I know aren’t smarter than my dog…and they’re all “celebrities.” How they became rich is beyond me…even if they inherited it!
I like your article. Your statement “Regardless of whether you are a disciple or skeptic of canine intelligence, there’s no denying their abilities” is right on the money. I live on a farm and have sheep, whenever I have to move them my Border Collie and I disagree sometimes about what she should be doing. Over half the time she is right. There is no denying her abilities.
Your post was quite amusing and your stories very familiar as I considered what I do with my kid Haley, a beautiful chocolate lab. (yours are gorgeous by the way).
Canine intelligence is not nearly as questionable as the long told joke that questions the intelligence of the “CIA.” (That was an attempt at humor.) Still, I can assure you the intelligence of a dog is undeniable. At Arizona Dog Sports, Dog Training Phoenix, we do train all sorts of breeds and instruct on a variety of topics. It is more than amazing to watch these dogs learn…and think.
In many cases I am confident that dogs are smarter than humans.
Ok I have a chocky lab, said to be the dumbest of the dumb, but when he wants to he can bring you any toy by name, he is the one that gets to sit in the armchair all day, someone (me) always makes his food for him.
Someone yes (me) takes him for swims and walks and cleans up his poop.
Maybe they are smarter than we think.
Interesting piece. I agree, more intelligent dogs are harder to take care of, but can be a real joy if you’ve got the time and energy.
i love dogs and puppies because they are very very cute..,
i love dogs specially very small puppies coz they are so so overly cute, i love to hug them’`”
If you haven’t lived with a dog I don’t think you can understand how intelligent they really are. The words my dogs recognize (and spellings too) continually amaze me.
I don’t believe intelligence in humans can be compared with dog intelligence. Both have intelligence – but with a different focus.
Okay this is funny. My friend has a Coton De Tulear (sp?) that had two babies two years ago. She gave the “smarter” one away and ended up keeping the “dumber” one. By dumber she just means it seems she is slower to learn everything. At a year and a half she was not potty trained yet though I think that is more because no one was around during the day. Anyway, I’ve been observing her and I don’t think she’s that slow to learn, I think she’s actually very smart and lazy and doesn’t want to learn and is smart enough to know how to get away with it
Thanks for the article!
I love dogs!!! They are so smart and loyal!! I have a golden retriever at home and he is as lazy as a pig.. but still I love him.. hahahaha…
Well said Barbara:
* Dogs take their responsibilities quite seriously. They are alarm clocks, doorbells, security lights, and a dining room vacuum cleaner.
* the most intelligent breeds often present the greatest challenges.
* dogs are smarter than we give them credit.
If properly trained, the dog would be smart, be a good friend and human guards. However, if compared with humans, humans are still smarter. Humans are different from animals, they are at creating better
This is awesome.. well said…
Nice article, dogs could sometimes be smarter that people if they have been train well.
I love dogs but the problem is I can’t take care of them because my jobs killing my time to bring my dogs go for walk
My dog is definititely cleverer than me. She is a cross patterdale and had to have her eyes removed due to glaucoma.
She honestly is the most amazing dog ever. She still runs around and plays football., chases balls, runs without hitting anything. I have never seen anything like it simply amazing.
Very interesting article. Dogs are indeed very smart…Think about it.. They are by far the most popular home based pet… At the end of the day if so many people have them as pets they must be smart….. able to get trained, help when needed (safety) provide comfort too many… they detect bombs as you stated and they help society in ways that we take for granted.. Great article was a very interesting read..
Tx.
I just love your quote “I have owned (and been owned by) many dogs “, great
Are boarder collies supposed to be intelligent because i have one and at times she can be very clumsy.