The Daily Yap....News for Dogs....

ScienceDaily (Aug. 10, 2009) — Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count.

They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. He spoke Saturday on the topic "How Dogs Think" at the American Psychological Association's 117th Annual Convention.
Coren, author of more than a half-dozen popular books on dogs and dog behavior, has reviewed numerous studies to conclude that dogs have the ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other higher primates than previously thought.
"We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that] Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren said in an interview. "Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."
According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years.
The intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog's breed determines some of these differences, Coren says. "There are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')."
Data from 208 dog obedience judges from the United States and Canada showed the differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds, according to Coren. "Border collies are number one; poodles are second, followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers; fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador retrievers," said Coren.
As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the "super dogs" (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words, Coren says. "The upper limit of dogs' ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a border collie named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words and demonstrated 'fast-track learning,' which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language learning apes," Coren said.
Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.
Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by modeling human or other dogs' behavior using a barrier type problem. Through observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favorite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).
During play, dogs are capable of deliberately trying to deceive other dogs and people in order to get rewards, said Coren. "And they are nearly as successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs."

Hmmm..how smart are the humans who need a scientist to work this out for them....come on guys....we are even smarter than your realise....

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The routine.........

I thought I might relay my usual daily routine.....I like routine best, because it is safe and reliable....A good wonder dog uses routine to thier advantage! But I am always ready to go for a bit of a recky and check out the peripheries for any evil stuff...oh yes I definitely am...

Most days I get up at about 6.00am....I have a little scratch and stretch and then go for a run and jump on the various beds around the house...someone has to get the humans up and of course it ends up being me...I have my act together! I use tactics like playing with their hair, jumping on their face, licking ( I especially like Licking), scratching at the blankets and if all else fails getting the blankets in my teeth and pulling them off! Works a treat,( except with the grumpy old guy who growls at me and pulls them back!)

The old girl usually gets brekky for me and fills my water bowl. Thirsty business waking folk up! Then I have a roll around with my toys...aghh slash that, my gym equipment, and the rough and tumble kid joins in. We growl at each other and fight over stuff and get in everyone else's way, but lets face it fitness comes first!

I like a little lie in the sun after that, its good for Vitamin D and sleep. My spot is on the verandah couch ( actually the middle of the couch so no-one else can sit on it..I need my space)....sometimes I have saved a little treat behind the cushions and its a comfort to know I can have this when my nap is over, to re-enrgise you know...I have to keep on the ball, the ongoing fight against evil is relentless.

Of course I wake up and do a little yap on off when I think its getting a wee bit quiet for comfort. Too much silence and you just kow something must be up! Its good to keep the neighbours on their toes too.

After my nap I do a little neighbourhood dog watch into the early afternoon.....you can see me in my photo, up on the verandah rail keeping an eye on things.

Then I get to go for a beach patrol with running boy and whoever else is around, or sometimes we do playground watch or even Marina patrol...you can't tell what might come in on all those boats! Its tireless really...picking up scents, meeting other dogs, both good and bad,letting them know who's boss, practising swimming, collecting bits of timber for exercise, chasing the air patrol birds, sniffing up the fishermen ( I don't trust them, there's always something fishy about them!) and keeping an eye on the humans.

When we finally get home I am pretty tired....but more often than not I need????a bath or something ( or so the old girl reckons because of all the sand and salt in my ears and fur......jeez she's a wag).....then I collapse in the bean bag and let it all go.....The youngest girl and the soft girl are home by then and the boys are going to work ( as chefs) so its a placid time for me.....

Later the old girl cooks up some delight for dinner and after eating I resume my street watch....this time of evening there is a lot of activity in the street and other Dogs with humans encroach a little too much on my territory for my liking so its neccessary to give them a good barking to.

Later I go in and watch a bit of TV...I'm partial to RSPCA Rescue.....or if there's nothing to my fancy on the box I do keep fit workouts...jumping on just about everything, lunging at just about everything and chasing the humans...they pretend to get tetchy but its just a game, really they love it! The boys come in later and usually have a bone for me....I bury this for emergencies.

Then its bed for the night..if its cold I bunk down with the old girl and much to his chagrin ( or so he pretends) the grumpy old guy....if its warm I cruise on the verandah for the night ,watching and growling a bit to maintain my authority and I catch a bit of shut eye in my little house....its a groovy pad......
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1 comment:

DESERT PUPS said...

Woof Sami

Good thinking, bury the bone for later. We'll have to use that strategy. Anyway, it sounds like you've got your paws full running that house. You're one busy superdog.

Desert Pups

September 25, 2008 at 4:44 PM

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