Even More...

I bet you're bored of reading about canine intelligence now...but bear with me for one more post! We'll have a break...and then continue on the topic of intelligence. This topic is too vast and some parts of it are too inscrutable for it to be covered by a mere student like me, but I'm doing my best.

This post will comprise of some common statistics I've found. Since we've established that instinctive intelligence is too different to be compared, you should test for work & obedience intelligence and adaptive  intelligence instead, since those vary among individuals.

As far as work & obedience, Border Collies, Poodles, and German Shepherds are ranked the top three for their abilities to learn and follow commands, while Bull Dogs (I wonder why our school mascot is this), Basenjis, and Afghan Hounds are the three lowest ranked. Below is a picture of an Afghan hound; regardless of his abilities (or lack thereof) to follow commands, he sure is pretty (Wish my hair looked like that). Afghan Hounds are also esteemed hunters, and are very protective of their territory.

Some more statistics: according to studies, a dog's mental ability is close to that of a human child between 2 to 3 years old. They can apparently understand up to 165 words and signals, with the most ever recorded--based on a Border Collie named Rico--at 250 words. In addition, dogs can also count up to five and have a basic understanding of math, such as one plus one equals two.

That having been said, dogs are also very good at discerning body language. Being pack animals with very absolute hierarchies, it has always been important for dogs to be able to observe communicate. Thus, dogs (and cats) are very sensitive to the mood and atmosphere around the house. They are prone to watching you closely--are you smiling? Angry? Staring intently at them? Based on these signals, companion dogs are able to provide comfort to their owners. In fact, dogs and cats will generally be listless when you are, and are very easily stressed out when there is a lot of shouting or fighting around the house.

Bye for now!

~S