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....

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

all the good genes.....

I thought I’d fill you guys in on my ancestry, just to demonstrate my absolute appropriateness for the job of Wonder dog!

For a start although Mini Foxies are still relatively unknown outside of Australia and New Zealand, we are sure renowned where I live in NSW. There are several quite famous of us….. for example ‘Pasqua’ and ‘Fergus’ owned by Anthony Field of The Wiggles, and Ian Thorpe’s pup Tiny. ( poor choice of name don't you think?)

Those of my ilk have always been very much working terriers, and are actually in demand on farms across Australia. That’s why we were originally bred. Some of us like me have jobs in the towns and cities too though and we keep things on the straight and narrow in our neighborhoods. We’re all smart and have very good minds so we welcome the stimulation of our fight against evil! We don't welcome that silly baby talk that some humans seem to direct at us ough though....honestly its enough to make you growl.....

Hunters have always liked us for our size and speed, ( we are pretty wily too). We are the best defense against rabbits, rats, and snakes on Australian farms. We are renowned for our demonstrated tenacity, endurance, and extreme loyalty to our humans. I’d say compassion towards the poor humans too; they are such a vulnerable lot!

We are fierce when protecting our humans’ property, and can nut out a mystery with our curious, inquisitive and bold nature. And as for our looks…well the pics speak for themselves don’t they…… erect ears, articulate, oval-shaped foot, black, white and tan colouring and sleek fine hair, beautiful teeth….. Hmmmmmm. I could lick myself with pride!
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1 comment:

Katie and Gizmo said...

Hi Sami, my mum loves your breed. If I hadn't of stumbled into her life she probably would of got one of your kin.

Hugz
Gizmo

October 28, 2008 at 10:48 PM

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