http://www.democraticunderground.org/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6257117Oh my.
Another one of those bonfires that more appropriately belongs in the pets forum on Skins's island, but the willywussle primitive wants to be seen hanging around the cool primitives in "General Discussion" rather than the uncool nerd primitives in a lesser forum.
WillieW (957 posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:15 AM
Original message
Your dog may be smarter than your toddler
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/07/smart.dog...
My dog is so smart that she scares me sometimes.
(CNN) -- Your dog may not actually be smarter than somebody's honor student -- popular bumper stickers aside. But your canine companion might well be smarter than their toddler, according to a growing body of research on how dogs think.
The smartest dog breeds are on par mentally with a 2 1/2-year-old, professor says.
1 of 2 Using adapted tests designed for human children, psychologists have learned that average dogs can count, reason and recognize words and gestures on par with a human 2 -year-old.
"They may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought," said Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and leading researcher on dog behavior.
Coren planned to present his research Saturday at the American Psychological Association's annual convention in Toronto, Canada.
He said the average dog can understand about 165 words, including signs, signals and gestures. They can also count to about 5, he said.
"I mean, we're not going to make them an accountant or something," Coren said in an interview with CNN Radio.
The smartest dogs, he calls them the "super breeds," are on par with a 2½-year-old, recognizing up to 250 words.
And, no, not all breeds are created equally.
For his book "The Intelligence of Dogs," Coren asked more than 200 dog-obedience judges to rank 110 breeds based on their intelligence. Border collies, poodles, retrievers, German shepherds and Doberman pinschers were among the dogs at the head of the class.
The intellectual runts of the litter? The borzoi, chow chow, bulldog, basenji and -- finishing dead last -- the Afghan hound.
The dividing line, Coren said, tends to be the age of the breed. More recent breeds, like the collies and retrievers, have been bred for years to do what humans want them to do.
"We've been wiring into dogs the ability to communicate with us," said Coren, author of several books on dogs' thinking . . .
It's a pretty big bonfire, so I'll quote only the Primitives of Prominence, one of which the willywussle primitive is not.
havocmom (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:21 AM
Response to Original message
2. My dog is a whole lot smarter than the former president
And more ethical by a long shot.
Doug's stupid ex-wife:
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:28 AM
Response to Reply #2
9. My girl sneers in Sarah Palin's general direction.
after which a photograph of a dog
havocmom (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:29 AM
Response to Reply #9
11. My Golden boy would go WooWoo if he met your pretty girl
I love retrievers. They are so well rounded. Good judges of character too.
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:35 AM
Response to Reply #11
14. My first Lab helped us find some chicks that got loose once.
She brought one to our manager that she'd picked up in her mouth. It wasn't harmed in any way.
I bet you George Bush couldn't have done that
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 01:48 AM
Response to Reply #21
28. She owns me and she knows it.
I think pharmaceutical drugs own Doug's stupid ex-wife, and she knows it.
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 01:50 AM
Response to Reply #27
29. I forget how to do without them.
They're just the smartest, most patient, sweetest critters on this Earth.
And they don't smell bad, either.
Yeah, probably smell better than Doug's stupid ex-wife.
The sparkling husband primitive who, like all men, nightly pitches his tent one day's march closer to the mausoleum:
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:24 AM
Response to Original message
7. We have a border colie and a german shepherd dog
The BC is a human in a sog suit.
Te GSD has a language she attempts to use with us.
havocmom (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:30 AM
Response to Reply #7
12. A border collie and a German Shepherd?
So, Mensa meets in your back yard?
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:46 AM
Response to Reply #12
19. Hehehehe
They're really fun to have around.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
The wired gassy primitive, speaking from the farmette in Wisconsin:
grasswire (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:26 AM
Response to Original message
8. border collie owner here...
...and he's definitely on top of things!
Stinky The Clown (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:57 AM
Response to Reply #15
22. I am convinced the "superdogs" have real empathy. Ours both exhibit it, but the Border Collie ......
..... is amazing. As you describe, there is the staying by your side and the human-like gestures of connection, comfort, and maybe attempts to heal (licking and snuggling to generate warmth)
Man's best friend. Yeah.
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 12:38 AM
Response to Reply #13
16. One of my best friends had two Afghans.
They wouldn't mate even with Viagra, a video and a soundtrack.
They were really pretty, though, especially when they were running.
You know, maybe my fellow alum Skins could pick up some extra bucks for himself, by charging Doug's stupid ex-wife a buck or so every time she uses "lol".
EFerrari (1000+ posts) Sun Aug-09-09 01:56 AM
Response to Reply #26
32. Your dog's fleas are smarter than Sarah Palin.
Probably more sincere, too.
