Dog Intelligence
Are dogs intelligent? Well dog lovers have for a long time talked and raved about man’s best friend’s intelligence. Science is finally accepting what these dog lovers have been aware of all long. The questions “are dogs intelligent” or “are dogs smart” no longer baffle people any more. Yes they are intelligent. Here are a few things that prove that dogs are intelligent.
- Research has established that dogs can understand approximately 250 words and gestures. This depends on the breed of the dog. Dogs are classified on a scale that starts from the least intelligent and goes up to the most intelligent. It was generally found that retrievers and border collies were the most intelligent, while hounds and terriers were found to be the least intelligent.
- It has also been found that a dog has mathematical capabilities as well. They are able to count up to five. In addition they have the ability to notice errors in computations that are simple.
- In addition dogs have exhibited skills for spatial problem-solving. They are, for example, able to find valued items such as hidden treats as well as find a favorite chair as fast as possible. They are able to find some routes in the environment that are better and also able to operate things such as latches and simple machines.
- Emotions such as happiness, disgust, and anger are also shown by dogs. They are able to figure out if they are treated fairly but are not necessarily able to grapple with the idea of equality.
- Dogs are able to apply learning’s from earlier situations to new situations. This was demonstrated when they were able to categorize photographs on touch screen computers. Later on when they were shown a combination of dog and landscape pictures, they continued selecting pictures of dogs.
- In some other research conducted it was found that dogs could be taught to open food dispensers with their paw instead of their nose. They did this by observing another dog. They also felt that there may be some advantage in using their paw. However, when they saw the same dogs with a ball in its mouth use its paw to open the food dispenser they used their nose. By this they indicated that they realized that the dog used its paw because of the ball. Thus, they did not imitate actions but chose to do so selectively when it seemed suitable.
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