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Anyone who's lived with (good) dogs as long as we have, Ray, would never for a second question their intelligence, would we? One reason (of many) our late Sparky is sorely missed is the fact that he seemed to know whenever Laureen needed help getting up out a chair. We did not teach him this, but he would immediately run over to her chair, sit close with his back to her, so she could grab hold of his collar and pull herself up. Bandit (his brother and littermate) will do the same, but only when called. Smart dogs. Strong dogs. Willy is still a puppy, so the verdict is still out on him. He might turn out to be the brightest of them all. Every PWP, in my opinion, would benefit from a good dog for a companion. (When I say, "good" dogs, I mean well-behaved dogs.) Note: Our dogs are large dogs, and need walking twice a day. (They'd prefer even more.) Laureen cannot do that. I do it, and when I'm laid up, we call one of the neighbor kids. I'm not suggesting everyone on this list get a large dog! We just happen to like the bigger guys--for now. I can see our canine buddies getting smaller and smaller, over time. If our two big guys wanted to get away from me (Bandit is 80 lbs, Willy is 50 lbs and still growing), I'd have to let them go or get dragged off and wind up the wishing I'd let them go. Yes, I do speak from experience. Scott Scott E. Antes Northern Arizona University Department of Anthropology PO Box 15200 Flagstaff, AZ 86011 ________________________________________ From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of rayilynlee [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:39 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: For Dog Lovers Only Dogs' Intelligence On Par With Two-year-old Human, Canine Researcher Says 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." Adapted from materials provided by American Psychological Association, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkins ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn