IS YOUR DOG INTELLIGENT?

A dog selectively bred to do its work independently of its handler may not be the most obedient
but is far from lacking intelligence …

What can affect our dogs’ performance?
Most of us (I hope) think our dogs are wonderful but occasionally I meet someone who believes their dog is not so bright.  I, of course, always defend the dog as their abilities and performance will depend on a number of factors:

• Their genetic instincts and physical capabilities (as humans have selectively bred them for our own specific requirements).
• The learning and socialisation opportunities offered to them as a young dog whilst with the breeder.
• The learning and socialisation opportunities offered by their owners.
• The clarity and consistency of their training and what is required to carry out any particular ‘intelligence test.’

Please also see below for more considerations as to what other factors influence our dogs’ performance.

So our perceived intelligence of dogs will vary in what we as humans consider intelligence.  This has always been a subject of interest to me and I recently carried out some research as part of my studies into canine behaviour and the often complex causes and solutions of dogs’ behaviour.

The theory of multiple intelligences
With humans there is a ‘theory of multiple intelligences’ and I believe this is also most relevant to dogs.  With both humans and our canine friends, researchers would have to take into account the background of the individuals concerned and how they have been raised.

With people, for example, it is proven that usually children from a supportive background and with a good education will do better than those from an under privileged background and lesser education opportunities.  The same is certainly true for dogs with regard to their early formative years with the breeder and in their new home, both with regard to socialisation and environmental enrichment – beware of the breeder who has not carried out suitable socialisation and given the puppies an interesting environment in which they can learn and play.

Scott and Fuller – study of behaviour related to genetics
Scott & Fuller (1965) in their well known book entitled, ‘Genetics and the Social Behaviour of the Dog,’ state in their summary of the chapter on ‘Training’ that it is extremely difficult to devise a test which measures only one simple capacity.  They also state some of the differences which affect testing, including each breed’s genetic traits, such as Cocker Spaniels having a tendency to naturally sit, Wire Haired Terriers using aggression, the Basenji’s natural resistance to restraint, and the Sheltie’s tendency to ‘crowd’ in close to the handler.  These were for their training, rather than problem-solving tests, but emphasises the difficulty, as they point out, of any test which aims to measure one ability.

Scott & Fuller also noted that some dogs have a natural physical or mental ability to succeed.  In a ‘motor-skill’ tests where dogs had to jump on boxes and a bridge to gain access to food the Basenjis had the natural physical ability to jump higher but were far more wary than other breeds of the new objects in their enclosure.  Cocker Spaniels however showed no fear and although less physically able to jump as well as the Basenjis they showed no fear and their motivation was also noted as being high.

 Multiple Intelligences in humans and how to apply that to dogs
With regard to the theory of multiple intelligences in humans, I looked at a paper by Howard Gardner and Thomas Hatch ‘Multiple Intelligences Go to School: Educational Implications of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences’ (1989) to see what the human intelligences are considered to be.  This paper listed:

Logical-Mathematical

Sensitivity to, and capacity to discern, logical or numerical patterns; ability to handle long chains of reasoning.

Dogs can be very good problem solvers but also they appear to have a good grasp of basic counting abilities.  Stanley Coren stated that dogs can count and that belief is supported both by owner observations and by test results (www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201103/do-dogs-know-mathematics).

The simplest explanation of Coren’s as to why a dog may be required to count is that it is a useful ability, for example, for a female to know if all of her pups are present.

Or, in the case of my current puppy, I have always fed her meals in two parts to give me more training opportunities at mealtimes and now she is used to having more than just one bowl of food each mealtime and can definitely count-  looking for the second helping each time!

Linguistic

Sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words; sensitivity to the different functions of language.

Dogs are naturally good communicators, usually offering us excellent clues via body language and oral communication.  They also pick up on our body language and tone of voice.

Musical

Abilities to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch, and timbre; appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness.

Dogs are aware of the different pitches of a dog whistle and the signal given.  That is why dog owners should preferably use the same pitch whistle and signal for their dog.  Some dogs also seem to enjoy music  – although that is my own unscientific opinion!

Spatial

Capacities to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform transformations on one’s initial perceptions.

Dogs are very good at this as they can judge distances very accurately in some cases.  For example a dog can ‘snap’ at a person or animal and give the impression that he meant to bite but he will have carefully judged this distance, usually to avoid injury.  However, not so good at getting a large stick through a narrow gap!

Bodily kinaesthetic

Abilities to control one’s body movements and to handle objects skilfully.

Dogs are very good at this when in good health and variations in breed make a huge difference.

Interpersonal

Capacities to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, motivations, and desires of other people.

Dogs seem masters of this intelligence, and very tuned in to their owners’ moods.  If observation is one of the methods of studying behaviour then there are many first-hand observations by owners of their dogs’ reactions to their emotions.  This may be a dog which comforts an owner who is upset or, at the other end of the scale, a dog which reacts aggressively to a handler who is acting aggressively.

Intrapersonal

Access to one’s own feelings and the ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide behaviour; knowledge of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, desires, and intelligences.

Dogs vary very much in this intelligence and their behaviour is usually arrived at by genetic make-up and learned experience.  Most are aware of the ‘knowledge’ of their own status and physical strength, by way of their status in the family/canine packs and also of any physical games such as playing tug.

Multiple Intelligences in Dogs
I found an article relating to research, again reference Coren, where he had reviewed many studies to conclude that dogs do have the ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other higher primates than previously thought.

With huge differences as we know in breeds, Coren stated that the intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog’s breed determines some of these differences.

He went on to say that there are three types of dog intelligence:

• Instinctive (what the dog is bred to do) (and I would add to this that it must involve both the mental ability of the dog and of course its physiology which will result in different physical capabilities)
• Adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) This would also have to consider the environment in which a dog had been raised since birth, as lack of environmental enrichment during its life will have affected the learning process
• Working and obedience (the equivalent of ‘school learning’). See notes below on what would affect a dog’s ability to perform in this area.

Obedience intelligence of dogs
According to Coren, data from 208 dog obedience judges from the USA and Canada showed the differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds.  The order of breeds (shown highest to lowest) was:

• Border Collies
• Poodles
• German Shepherds
• Golden Retrievers
• Dobermans
• Shetland Sheepdogs
• Labrador Retreivers

However, intelligence is hard to define because there are many different reasons why a dog may not come out well in the ‘working and obedience’ category.  These include:

• Is the dog able to understand the handler clearly?
• Is the dog motivated to comply with the required commands?
• Why is the dog motivated to comply with commands – many obedience competitors do not feed their dogs for a long period before competition to enhance the dog’s motivation to comply?
• On the day tested was the dog at the best of its ability?
• Some breeds are more likely to ‘question’ the command of a handler and others to comply. .

A thought about our own abilities
So please, the next time someone suggests their dog may not be overly bright, you can point out the reasons which may be affecting their dog and ask them also to consider how dogs might consider their owners a bit dim due to our dreadful lack of scenting ability, how birds must surely think we are extremely stupid to walk instead of fly and how fish must be shocked that we need to carry large tanks of oxygen …

A well known quote (thought to be from Albert Einstein) is worth remembering:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
The question I have for you at this point of our journey together is,
“What is your genius?”

More importantly, what is your dog’s genius
(not Albert Einstein)…

 

© Sally Bartlett
www.co-operativecanines.co.uk
07752 427804