Well, here it is!
I've been harping on this subject of animal, and canine in particular, intelligence for a long time. And it appears that mainstream Science is starting to come around to my way of thinking, and giving the dog his just due for reasoning.
Now, I not only prefer spending time with my dogs on an emotional level, I also appreciate the intellectual stimulation..
Read all about it here, at Science Daily...
Showing posts with label animal intelligence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal intelligence. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Hey! That's not fair.. doggie style
Ooops. maybe I should rephrase that.... let's make it "canine style"...
This was passed along to me by one of our readers, The Knotsmith , who's work on the finest lanyards on Planet Earth has been mentioned on these pages before..
The subject was also recently mentioned by our friends at "A Piece of the Purest Challenge".. This is a great article that points up how dog's can recognize fairness, and mostly lack of, in their dealings with others.. This does not come as a great surprise to me having had an interest in observing canine behavior, and what make thir minds work, for the better part of my life.
To read the article, click on the link from Science News...
And don't forget, in the box on the right, to click "view sequence" for a little laugh.. I wonder if these two pups are "union" or free agents??
Canine behavior at it's best... Is it any wonder I like dogs better'n most people??
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Science rethinking Science
I'm big on animal intelligence..
Maybe I'm from the Walt Disney generation, but I do believe that animals, and dogs in particular, possess far more cognition the they have been given credit for.. And the scientific world is apparently, beginning to agree...
Dog lovers have long touted the intelligence of man’s best friend and are sometimes accused of anthropomorphism. However, in recent years, science has made some exciting discoveries concerning canine cognitive abilities.
Dogs Apply Earlier Learning to Different Situations
In a study at the University of Vienna in Austria, dogs used touch screen computers to show that they could categorize photographs. They were trained with treats to select a dog picture over a landscape picture. When they were shown a different set of dog and landscape pictures, they continued to select the dog pictures, demonstrating that they could apply earlier learning to a different situation. Researchers tested further by presenting the dogs with contradictory information to see if they were capable of forming concepts. When shown pictures of an empty landscape and a landscape with a dog, they continued to select the picture with the dog.
Dogs Selectively Imitate
A Border Collie named Guinness has been able to identify different landscapes, different faces and even different dog breeds. She, like most of the dogs tested at the Clever Dog Lab, seemed to enjoy watching the monitor. Guinness was also taught to open a food dispenser by pushing a handle with her paw. Dogs will instinctively use their nose for most situations like this but when other dogs observed Guinness using her paw, they also used their paw, indicating that they figured there must be an advantage to this method. However, when they observed Guinness with a ball in her mouth and using her paw, they usually used their nose, indicating that they figured the ball in her mouth was the reason she used her paw. They did not simply imitate her actions but selectively chose to imitate when it seemed appropriate.
Dogs Use Logic in Learning New Words
Another Border Collie named Rico was able to identify more than 200 toys. Researchers then placed a new toy among seven familiar toys and, using a word Rico had never heard before, ask him to fetch the new toy. Seventy percent of the time, Rico fetched the correct toy, indicating that he understood that the new word must mean the new toy.
Dogs Understand Human Expressions
In other studies, dogs as young as six weeks showed amazing ability for understanding human expressions such as finger pointing or gazing at certain objects. Juliane Kaminski, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany says, “When it comes to understanding human behavior, no mammal comes even close to the dog.” Perhaps that’s why they came to be known as man’s best friend.
It seems that science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along. There really is more going on behind those big, soulful eyes than just sleep, eat, and play. Dogs truly are intelligent animals who use logic, feel emotions, and form strong bonds with humans and other animals.
Monday, September 1, 2008
While we're on the subject..
of all these esoteric questions on animal intellegence, let us ponder another.. Do companion animals, or animals in general, have a soul??
Hmmmmmmm. Deep stuff there! I believe that most of the folks who read here would know where I come down on this issue, but as always, it's open to debate. There are certainly folks far more learned than I that would have an opposite opinion. But, many of them would not believe in God either, or the existance of a Superior Being that created all that we know.. Well, I'll leave that to each reader's belief system... For now, we're talkin' dogs!
_________________________________________________________
Point of View - Does my dog have a soul?
Wednesday, 25 September 2002, 9:12 am
Column: Barbara Sumner Burstyn
Does my dog have a soul? – Point of View with Barbara Sumner Burstyn.
At an Animal Welfare conference in September, New Zealand author Richard Webster declared his dog Bruce had a soul.
Bruce, said Webster, experienced joy, sadness and jealousy and had a reasoning ability. Webster’s comments sounded quaint and a little dippy and you could just see him looking deep into Bruce’s eyes when he made the discovery. But however Webster came to his conclusion he is, perhaps unwittingly, echoing the ‘personhood’ debate currently firing philosophers round the world.
Quietly behind the scenes across the United Sates and Britain lawyers and philosophers are debating the upgrading of animals to human status. Forefront of this new ‘personhood’ trend is Peter Singer the Australian philosopher who is committed to breaking the automatic nexus between species membership and moral status.
According to Singer it’s not enough to accord animals the full rights of humans - some humans might not even qualify as ‘persons’ at all. Especially if they are brain damaged or just not wanted. Singer, who makes it clear he does not particularly like animals, has taken the naive discussion of animal lovers like Webster and developed it exponentially.
We are, he says, simply being speciesist when we drip detergent on to a rabbit’s eye rather than carrying out the same experiment on a human patient in a persistent-vegetative state. He likens it to racism – giving preference to one group over another because of race membership.
According to Singer the only moral boundary is the capacity to suffer; while being rational or cognitive is irrelevant.
Frightening and improbable?
Well take a look at how we’re all sliding gradually towards Singers views.
Recently the SPCA in Vancouver, Canada urged that a dog owner be charged with psychological abuse and His Holiness the Pope said not only are animals as ensouled as we are but they are far superior to human beings in their loyalty and trust and lack of artifice. Toronto psychiatrist Dr. Irvin Wolkoff recently described the relationship between a human and their pet as far less complicated and far more satisfying than the relationship between two humans. While New York animal physic Joanna Seere helps animals find balance, wholeness and themselves through meditation and the payment of US$90. She’s so busy it takes weeks to get an appointment. In the UK Morgan Stanley Dean Witter& Co recently ranked pet health insurance above pensions in importance while a US hotel chain has introduced a Privileged Paws frequent-stay programme featuring fluoride enriched water bowls and free in-room meals. Then of course there are pet products galore – everything from jewellery to organic food to pyjamas and perfume.
So whether Richard Webster intended it or not his declaration of Bruce’s human-like attributes of cognition, autonomy and self-awareness puts us all in a difficult situation.
Does an animal sharing these human-like traits reveal a soul and if so does that confer personhood? If you do think your dog has a soul then you have to consider your moral obligations to all equally ensoled creatures. While the need to protect animals from cruelty and exploitation is a no-brainer it won’t be enough - you’ll be morally required to extend to them all the legal protections of personhood that being ‘ensoled’ guarantees. Not only would that mean freedom from their use as subjects of medical research or even meat but also their role as own-able property. You’ll certainly have to reconsider your belief paradigm that all human beings are persons and given that you’ll have to take on Peter Singers argument that the lives of healthy animals ought to be weighed equally with human beings begins to make sense.
Or, of course you could stop the rot and tell Richard Webster and his animal welfare buddies that ensuring the proper, ethical treatment of animals is not the same thing as conferring souls on them. Animals are not little persons. Some of them have intellectual abilities that are shadows of our own but that does not give them equal rights with humans. They’re incapable of conveying abstractions like "third-person" messages, they can’t store knowledge or species history and so lack a culture.
Stressing the similarity between humans and non-human animals is dangerous. Next time Webster and his friends are ruminating on the souls of their dogs they would do well to realize they’re part of a much bigger debate that if people like Singer have their way, will change for ever the divide between being and non-human. Personally I think the idea of a dog with a soul is plain silly. For one thing dogs don’t have a sense of humour. But then show me a dog that can tell a good blonde joke and I might change my mind.
________________________________________________________
Some of this piece is obviously correct. Animals are not humans, and conferring the rights of humans might be going too far. But, some of this piece is also obviously incorrect!
Dogs do not have a sense of humor?? These folks have never been around my dogs who often do things in play to addle me...Maybe they cannot store species history, but does that mean they lack a culture?? Canines are highly evolved pack animals, and have been since pre-recorded time.. They know their place in the natural world and all the rules needed to survive it and thrive in it..
Romulus and Remus, the inspiration for the Roman Empire... is it so far fetched?? There have been other stories of human children being raised and nurtured by dogs.
I know this, my dogs can look into my eyes and see love, just as I can see it in theirs, and no Scientist or Theoligist can convince me that it's not there!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Even more evidence..
ON DOG INTELLIGENCE AND EMOTION
LEXIANN GRANT INTERVIEW WITH A MIAMI HERALD INTERN
by Lexiann Grant
In the following article, author Lexiann Grant, was interviewed by a student intern at the Miami Herald on the subject of canine emotions and intelligence. The questions and answers below are a summary of that interview.
Question Miami Herald Intern (QMHI):
Are dogs more intelligent than we give them credit for being?
Answer Lexiann Grant (ALG):
Absolutely. For most of the thousands of years that dogs have lived side by side with humankind, they were viewed in primarily a utilitarian manner -- as hunting aids, or farm workers. This relationship was self-limiting in that humans did not expect more and were unaware of canine potential.
When we look at what a dog can accomplish without special training, say, saving the life of a loved one by warning them of a fire in the home, it is even more amazing what they can be trained to do. Early on we learned to develop their natural instincts to do such things as guard livestock or hunt, now they help us in many capacities including serving as ears for hearing impaired persons, leading the blind, as arson detection dogs and much more.
As humans ask "What can a dog learn to do?", we raise the expectation and discover that dogs are capable of learning a great deal more than originally believed, and that they are capable of using that knowledge to interact with humans in helpful, meaningful ways.
The scientific community, in particular animal behaviorists, have only recently begun to study animal intelligence on a serious level. The findings of some of the initial studies are astounding -- that some non-human animals can comprehend abstract ideas, symbols, new concepts, and, can analyze situations and choose varied but appropriate responses for their reactions.
Personally I believe that there has always been much more to the canine mind than what we have in the past permitted ourselves to perceive. Believing this is no longer the wishful thinking of a pet owner anthropomorphizing their own thoughts onto those of their dog's. Rather, dogs have recognizable intelligence.
QMHI:
Do dogs have a similar state of mind as humans? Do they share our emotions? For example, when a dog's owner returns home after being gone and their canine companion shows happiness or is excited, is it because their human is back and the dog is truly happy that they have returned, or do you think they know food is now available to them?
ALG:
Intellect or intelligence, and emotion, are two different things. However, in addition to intelligence, the field of animal emotions are also now being investigated in depth by scientists. The result? Animals do have recognizable emotions. Many animals, particularly the dog, are social animals. In order to live in a society or pack, or even within a human family, it is necessary to use intellect to survive and maintain order.
Emotions come into play when the members of an animal social group interact with one another -- playing, respecting the pack leader (or head human), appearing to be lonely or missing another pack member when they are gone. Are they the same as what humans feel? I can't know for certain, but I strongly feel they are similar and serve similar functions.
Do my dogs miss me when I'm gone? Are they happy when I return? Yes, I believe they are. I've had this discussion with a few trainers who believe that dogs are intelligent enough to know that when their human is gone, they can't get the food necessary to their survival. These trainers believe that everything a dog does is done out of what they instinctually know to be in their best interest. However, I have seen instances where food is forgotten, or someone else is providing the food and the dog still appears sad when their human is away and happy when they return. In my opinion that makes the "instinct to please in order to survive" theory less of a complete explanation.
The bond, the connection that I share with my dogs is primarily one of emotion. I do not have dogs for them to perform tasks for me. And I certainly don't have them just to provide the items necessary for their survival. I choose to live with dogs because of the emotional relationship that enhances and enriches my life.
What do these emotions, this emotional interaction, do for the dogs? The connection is not one way, but is reciprocal. I feel my dogs loving me and I believe they feel my love for them. We play together, I laugh, they look as if they are happy. At night we cuddle up together and there is a comforting peace. My dogs are healthy and content. And given a choice, I don't think that if they could, they would chose to live anywhere else. The food and shelter may be equally as good elsewhere, but they would remain here because of emotions -- the emotional bond that nourishes their minds and souls*, not just their bodies.
* This raises another issue: Do dogs have souls? I'll leave that discussion to the philosophers and theologians for now! Personally I think that every living being has a soul.
QMHI:
Do dogs understand our verbal communication to them, or have they just memorized certain sounds and motions of ours?
ALG:
Studies have shown recently that dogs, cats, horses and some other animals recognize certain words or sounds. As in human societies, each culture has it's own language or dialect, as well as symbolic gestures. In order to live within the bounds of these societies, members of the society, and even outsiders who wish to become a part of the society, learn the special words or motions in order to communicate more accurately with one another.
This could apply to dogs living with humans: They learn our language and gestures in order to conduct the communication necessary to live with us on our terms. Do they understand us? They appear to understand very well much of what we say to or request of them on a regular basis.
My dogs clearly comprehend what I mean when I say to them, "dinner, sit, treat, stay, walk" or "ride." Trainers and behaviorists explain that this recognition is the tone we use when we say these words to dogs that causes them to react. However, if I speak in a normal tone they still respond appropriately. If I use an excited voice to say words meaningless to them, such as "laundry" or "light," they ignore me.
What about when we don't say or gesture any communication to them? When we purposely block body language so it can't be said that they are just reading the motions we make? I have witnessed too many episodes of dogs responding appropriately to a human, interacting with them, to not believe that they somehow understand us.
A non-doggy person might call me crazy, but I carry on conversations with my dogs. It is an outlet for me that provides a compassionate audience. Although their response is non-linguistic, they do communicate with me and are an active part of the conversation. When I'm sad, they snuggle and are gentle and loving, not playful or rough. When I share good news with them, they respond by jumping around or by bringing me one of their toys. To me, this illustrates in the dog, a certain degree of intelligence and emotion, as well the ability to read, understand and interact with us.
Whether it's words, tone, gestures, body language or even telepathy, it doesn't matter, it's all communication.
QMHI:
How long have you observed and read about canine behavior?
ALG:
Casually for 20 years, more seriously for seven years. I am an award-winning dog-columnist and freelance writer. I have served as educational liaison for a local dog club, and volunteer with various dog rescue programs. My husband and I have shown our dogs in conformation and agility and have trained them for obedience; some of them are therapy dogs. In college I studied philosophy, sociology and psychology.
QMHI:
What are your overall views of our canine friends?
ALG:
I enjoy their company, their behavior and watching them think. I love them immensely and cannot imagine my life without them in it. Because of a dog -- their emotions and intelligence -- I:
Have a career;
Have been lifted from depression;
Found a new, more profound meaning in my life;
Coped successfully with a long recovery from chronic illness;
Learned what is truly important in my daily life…and what is not;
Know about love freely given and received without judgment.
QMHI:
If you believe dogs experience emotions, do you think that they are the only animals who do? Why? What other animals do you feel possess this state of mind?
ALG:
As I stated above, I believe that every living being has a soul, and if they have a soul, then it probably follows that they must also experience emotions as part of their life.
Other animals which I have observed personally, or about which I have read in various studies that have shown to exhibit emotion and intelligence include a large variety of primates, bears, pigs, horses, cattle, cats, a few various rodents, elephants and so forth. For those interested in learning more about animal intelligence and emotion, readers can research the work of Marc Bekoff, Jane Goodall, Rupert Sheldrake or Mary Lou Randour; these are just a few of the scientist currently working in this field.
As we enter the new millennium, humans are being called to review their relationships with pets and all animals. We share one world together, are all part of one creation. Since we have domesticated some animals and placed others in captivity, it is our responsibility and duty to care for them with the utmost respect for their lives and well-being and this includes their emotional and intellectual well-being. Through this stewardship, we can come to fully realize the depth and joy of the bond we are privileged to share with dogs…and other animals.
Lexiann Grant; copyright 2000, 2001
LEXIANN GRANT INTERVIEW WITH A MIAMI HERALD INTERN
by Lexiann Grant
In the following article, author Lexiann Grant, was interviewed by a student intern at the Miami Herald on the subject of canine emotions and intelligence. The questions and answers below are a summary of that interview.
Question Miami Herald Intern (QMHI):
Are dogs more intelligent than we give them credit for being?
Answer Lexiann Grant (ALG):
Absolutely. For most of the thousands of years that dogs have lived side by side with humankind, they were viewed in primarily a utilitarian manner -- as hunting aids, or farm workers. This relationship was self-limiting in that humans did not expect more and were unaware of canine potential.
When we look at what a dog can accomplish without special training, say, saving the life of a loved one by warning them of a fire in the home, it is even more amazing what they can be trained to do. Early on we learned to develop their natural instincts to do such things as guard livestock or hunt, now they help us in many capacities including serving as ears for hearing impaired persons, leading the blind, as arson detection dogs and much more.
As humans ask "What can a dog learn to do?", we raise the expectation and discover that dogs are capable of learning a great deal more than originally believed, and that they are capable of using that knowledge to interact with humans in helpful, meaningful ways.
The scientific community, in particular animal behaviorists, have only recently begun to study animal intelligence on a serious level. The findings of some of the initial studies are astounding -- that some non-human animals can comprehend abstract ideas, symbols, new concepts, and, can analyze situations and choose varied but appropriate responses for their reactions.
Personally I believe that there has always been much more to the canine mind than what we have in the past permitted ourselves to perceive. Believing this is no longer the wishful thinking of a pet owner anthropomorphizing their own thoughts onto those of their dog's. Rather, dogs have recognizable intelligence.
QMHI:
Do dogs have a similar state of mind as humans? Do they share our emotions? For example, when a dog's owner returns home after being gone and their canine companion shows happiness or is excited, is it because their human is back and the dog is truly happy that they have returned, or do you think they know food is now available to them?
ALG:
Intellect or intelligence, and emotion, are two different things. However, in addition to intelligence, the field of animal emotions are also now being investigated in depth by scientists. The result? Animals do have recognizable emotions. Many animals, particularly the dog, are social animals. In order to live in a society or pack, or even within a human family, it is necessary to use intellect to survive and maintain order.
Emotions come into play when the members of an animal social group interact with one another -- playing, respecting the pack leader (or head human), appearing to be lonely or missing another pack member when they are gone. Are they the same as what humans feel? I can't know for certain, but I strongly feel they are similar and serve similar functions.
Do my dogs miss me when I'm gone? Are they happy when I return? Yes, I believe they are. I've had this discussion with a few trainers who believe that dogs are intelligent enough to know that when their human is gone, they can't get the food necessary to their survival. These trainers believe that everything a dog does is done out of what they instinctually know to be in their best interest. However, I have seen instances where food is forgotten, or someone else is providing the food and the dog still appears sad when their human is away and happy when they return. In my opinion that makes the "instinct to please in order to survive" theory less of a complete explanation.
The bond, the connection that I share with my dogs is primarily one of emotion. I do not have dogs for them to perform tasks for me. And I certainly don't have them just to provide the items necessary for their survival. I choose to live with dogs because of the emotional relationship that enhances and enriches my life.
What do these emotions, this emotional interaction, do for the dogs? The connection is not one way, but is reciprocal. I feel my dogs loving me and I believe they feel my love for them. We play together, I laugh, they look as if they are happy. At night we cuddle up together and there is a comforting peace. My dogs are healthy and content. And given a choice, I don't think that if they could, they would chose to live anywhere else. The food and shelter may be equally as good elsewhere, but they would remain here because of emotions -- the emotional bond that nourishes their minds and souls*, not just their bodies.
* This raises another issue: Do dogs have souls? I'll leave that discussion to the philosophers and theologians for now! Personally I think that every living being has a soul.
QMHI:
Do dogs understand our verbal communication to them, or have they just memorized certain sounds and motions of ours?
ALG:
Studies have shown recently that dogs, cats, horses and some other animals recognize certain words or sounds. As in human societies, each culture has it's own language or dialect, as well as symbolic gestures. In order to live within the bounds of these societies, members of the society, and even outsiders who wish to become a part of the society, learn the special words or motions in order to communicate more accurately with one another.
This could apply to dogs living with humans: They learn our language and gestures in order to conduct the communication necessary to live with us on our terms. Do they understand us? They appear to understand very well much of what we say to or request of them on a regular basis.
My dogs clearly comprehend what I mean when I say to them, "dinner, sit, treat, stay, walk" or "ride." Trainers and behaviorists explain that this recognition is the tone we use when we say these words to dogs that causes them to react. However, if I speak in a normal tone they still respond appropriately. If I use an excited voice to say words meaningless to them, such as "laundry" or "light," they ignore me.
What about when we don't say or gesture any communication to them? When we purposely block body language so it can't be said that they are just reading the motions we make? I have witnessed too many episodes of dogs responding appropriately to a human, interacting with them, to not believe that they somehow understand us.
A non-doggy person might call me crazy, but I carry on conversations with my dogs. It is an outlet for me that provides a compassionate audience. Although their response is non-linguistic, they do communicate with me and are an active part of the conversation. When I'm sad, they snuggle and are gentle and loving, not playful or rough. When I share good news with them, they respond by jumping around or by bringing me one of their toys. To me, this illustrates in the dog, a certain degree of intelligence and emotion, as well the ability to read, understand and interact with us.
Whether it's words, tone, gestures, body language or even telepathy, it doesn't matter, it's all communication.
QMHI:
How long have you observed and read about canine behavior?
ALG:
Casually for 20 years, more seriously for seven years. I am an award-winning dog-columnist and freelance writer. I have served as educational liaison for a local dog club, and volunteer with various dog rescue programs. My husband and I have shown our dogs in conformation and agility and have trained them for obedience; some of them are therapy dogs. In college I studied philosophy, sociology and psychology.
QMHI:
What are your overall views of our canine friends?
ALG:
I enjoy their company, their behavior and watching them think. I love them immensely and cannot imagine my life without them in it. Because of a dog -- their emotions and intelligence -- I:
Have a career;
Have been lifted from depression;
Found a new, more profound meaning in my life;
Coped successfully with a long recovery from chronic illness;
Learned what is truly important in my daily life…and what is not;
Know about love freely given and received without judgment.
QMHI:
If you believe dogs experience emotions, do you think that they are the only animals who do? Why? What other animals do you feel possess this state of mind?
ALG:
As I stated above, I believe that every living being has a soul, and if they have a soul, then it probably follows that they must also experience emotions as part of their life.
Other animals which I have observed personally, or about which I have read in various studies that have shown to exhibit emotion and intelligence include a large variety of primates, bears, pigs, horses, cattle, cats, a few various rodents, elephants and so forth. For those interested in learning more about animal intelligence and emotion, readers can research the work of Marc Bekoff, Jane Goodall, Rupert Sheldrake or Mary Lou Randour; these are just a few of the scientist currently working in this field.
As we enter the new millennium, humans are being called to review their relationships with pets and all animals. We share one world together, are all part of one creation. Since we have domesticated some animals and placed others in captivity, it is our responsibility and duty to care for them with the utmost respect for their lives and well-being and this includes their emotional and intellectual well-being. Through this stewardship, we can come to fully realize the depth and joy of the bond we are privileged to share with dogs…and other animals.
Lexiann Grant; copyright 2000, 2001
Saturday, August 30, 2008
More on canine intelligence
Science is finally coming to see what those of us who have spent a lifetime studying our canine companions have known all along... That dogs are highly intelligent animals capable of strong reasoning.. I'm glad to see them finally getting their due.
_________________________________________________________
The Intelligence of Dogs
Research Discovers Canine Cognitive Abilities
© Joy Butler
Dec 15, 2007
Scientific studies in recent years show that dogs apply earlier learning to new situations, perform selective imitation, and understand human gestures and new words.
Dog lovers have long touted the intelligence of man’s best friend and are sometimes accused of anthropomorphism. However, in recent years, science has made some exciting discoveries concerning canine cognitive abilities.
Dogs Apply Earlier Learning to Different Situations
In a study at the University of Vienna in Austria, dogs used touch screen computers to show that they could categorize photographs. They were trained with treats to select a dog picture over a landscape picture. When they were shown a different set of dog and landscape pictures, they continued to select the dog pictures, demonstrating that they could apply earlier learning to a different situation. Researchers tested further by presenting the dogs with contradictory information to see if they were capable of forming concepts. When shown pictures of an empty landscape and a landscape with a dog, they continued to select the picture with the dog.
Dogs Selectively Imitate
A Border Collie named Guinness has been able to identify different landscapes, different faces and even different dog breeds. She, like most of the dogs tested at the Clever Dog Lab, seemed to enjoy watching the monitor. Guinness was also taught to open a food dispenser by pushing a handle with her paw. Dogs will instinctively use their nose for most situations like this but when other dogs observed Guinness using her paw, they also used their paw, indicating that they figured there must be an advantage to this method. However, when they observed Guinness with a ball in her mouth and using her paw, they usually used their nose, indicating that they figured the ball in her mouth was the reason she used her paw. They did not simply imitate her actions but selectively chose to imitate when it seemed appropriate.
Dogs Use Logic in Learning New Words
Another Border Collie named Rico was able to identify more than 200 toys. Researchers then placed a new toy among seven familiar toys and, using a word Rico had never heard before, ask him to fetch the new toy. Seventy percent of the time, Rico fetched the correct toy, indicating that he understood that the new word must mean the new toy.
Dogs Understand Human Expressions
In other studies, dogs as young as six weeks showed amazing ability for understanding human expressions such as finger pointing or gazing at certain objects. Juliane Kaminski, of the Mac Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany says, “When it comes to understanding human behavior, no mammal comes even close to the dog.” Perhaps that’s why they came to be known as man’s best friend.
It seems that science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along. There really is more going on behind those big, soulful eyes than just sleep, eat, and play. Dogs truly are intelligent animals who use logic, feel emotions, and form strong bonds with humans and other animals.
_________________________________________________________
The Intelligence of Dogs
Research Discovers Canine Cognitive Abilities
© Joy Butler
Dec 15, 2007
Scientific studies in recent years show that dogs apply earlier learning to new situations, perform selective imitation, and understand human gestures and new words.
Dog lovers have long touted the intelligence of man’s best friend and are sometimes accused of anthropomorphism. However, in recent years, science has made some exciting discoveries concerning canine cognitive abilities.
Dogs Apply Earlier Learning to Different Situations
In a study at the University of Vienna in Austria, dogs used touch screen computers to show that they could categorize photographs. They were trained with treats to select a dog picture over a landscape picture. When they were shown a different set of dog and landscape pictures, they continued to select the dog pictures, demonstrating that they could apply earlier learning to a different situation. Researchers tested further by presenting the dogs with contradictory information to see if they were capable of forming concepts. When shown pictures of an empty landscape and a landscape with a dog, they continued to select the picture with the dog.
Dogs Selectively Imitate
A Border Collie named Guinness has been able to identify different landscapes, different faces and even different dog breeds. She, like most of the dogs tested at the Clever Dog Lab, seemed to enjoy watching the monitor. Guinness was also taught to open a food dispenser by pushing a handle with her paw. Dogs will instinctively use their nose for most situations like this but when other dogs observed Guinness using her paw, they also used their paw, indicating that they figured there must be an advantage to this method. However, when they observed Guinness with a ball in her mouth and using her paw, they usually used their nose, indicating that they figured the ball in her mouth was the reason she used her paw. They did not simply imitate her actions but selectively chose to imitate when it seemed appropriate.
Dogs Use Logic in Learning New Words
Another Border Collie named Rico was able to identify more than 200 toys. Researchers then placed a new toy among seven familiar toys and, using a word Rico had never heard before, ask him to fetch the new toy. Seventy percent of the time, Rico fetched the correct toy, indicating that he understood that the new word must mean the new toy.
Dogs Understand Human Expressions
In other studies, dogs as young as six weeks showed amazing ability for understanding human expressions such as finger pointing or gazing at certain objects. Juliane Kaminski, of the Mac Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany says, “When it comes to understanding human behavior, no mammal comes even close to the dog.” Perhaps that’s why they came to be known as man’s best friend.
It seems that science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along. There really is more going on behind those big, soulful eyes than just sleep, eat, and play. Dogs truly are intelligent animals who use logic, feel emotions, and form strong bonds with humans and other animals.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Canine intelligence?
I've always given canines far more credit for intelligence than science has alluded to, but this story might just be a little too much...
Math??? I just dunno...
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Mutt does math
XI'AN (China)
Apr 27, 2007
A 3-year-old dog in Xi'an, Northwest Shaanxi Province, reportedly knows how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers up to 10. The small, white pug known as "Wawa"
( - meaning "baby"), can correctly answer questions such as "How many is 2+2 equal to?" and "How many is 3 x 3 equal to?"
The pooch responds by barking the appropriate number of times and sitting when finished.
To test the claims, a reporter from the Sanquin Daily visited the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pang where Wawa lives. "How many is 9 divided by 3 equal to?" asked the reporter. Wawa barked 3 times and squatted on the floor. 1
Skeptics, believing that Mr. Pang was covertly signaling the answers to Wawa, decided to test the dog without Mr. Pang present. Wawa still responded with perfect accuracy. 2
Mr. Pang says he began tutoring Wawa in math two years ago after noticing that the pooch showed a natural sensitivity to numbers. He began with hand gestures, showing one finger and saying, "Wawa, this is one," and training the dog to bark once. After a few weeks, Wawa graduated to 2, 3, 4 and so on. Within 6 months, the precocious pup had mastered 1-10 and began learning arithmetic operations.
What's next for Wawa? Geometry, maybe. Everyone knows dogs love to sink their teeth into pi.
ARRUFF-METIC
Mr. Pang has taught his pooch "Wawa" to count numbers up to 10 and perform elementary math calculations. The 3-year-old pug mix learned very quickly, mastering the basics after only 6 months of training, says Mr. Pang.
(Photo: Xi'an Daily)
CAN DOGS COUNT?
Thousands of years ago, Canis lupus (wolves) developed basic arithmetic skills in order to keep track of the members within the pack. Today, Canis lupus familiaris (dogs) still have that ancestral skill. 3
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You decide.............
Math??? I just dunno...
__________________________________________________________
Mutt does math
XI'AN (China)
Apr 27, 2007
A 3-year-old dog in Xi'an, Northwest Shaanxi Province, reportedly knows how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers up to 10. The small, white pug known as "Wawa"
( - meaning "baby"), can correctly answer questions such as "How many is 2+2 equal to?" and "How many is 3 x 3 equal to?"
The pooch responds by barking the appropriate number of times and sitting when finished.
To test the claims, a reporter from the Sanquin Daily visited the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pang where Wawa lives. "How many is 9 divided by 3 equal to?" asked the reporter. Wawa barked 3 times and squatted on the floor. 1
Skeptics, believing that Mr. Pang was covertly signaling the answers to Wawa, decided to test the dog without Mr. Pang present. Wawa still responded with perfect accuracy. 2
Mr. Pang says he began tutoring Wawa in math two years ago after noticing that the pooch showed a natural sensitivity to numbers. He began with hand gestures, showing one finger and saying, "Wawa, this is one," and training the dog to bark once. After a few weeks, Wawa graduated to 2, 3, 4 and so on. Within 6 months, the precocious pup had mastered 1-10 and began learning arithmetic operations.
What's next for Wawa? Geometry, maybe. Everyone knows dogs love to sink their teeth into pi.
ARRUFF-METIC
Mr. Pang has taught his pooch "Wawa" to count numbers up to 10 and perform elementary math calculations. The 3-year-old pug mix learned very quickly, mastering the basics after only 6 months of training, says Mr. Pang.
(Photo: Xi'an Daily)
CAN DOGS COUNT?
Thousands of years ago, Canis lupus (wolves) developed basic arithmetic skills in order to keep track of the members within the pack. Today, Canis lupus familiaris (dogs) still have that ancestral skill. 3
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You decide.............
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