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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/dogs-and-owners-a-family-resemblance/ fur the love of the wag Smiles tess > Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:39:36 -0700 > From: [log in to unmask] > Subject: For Dog Lovers Only > To: [log in to unmask] > > 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 parkinsn _________________________________________________________________ Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_BackToSchool_Cashback_BTSCashback_1x1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn