Are dogs smarter than what we give them credit for?

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   robhamptonposted 12 years ago

   Are dogs smarter than what we give them credit for?
   
   Personally I think my little dog is pretty smart. Do you think they know more than what we see?
   
   

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   Thelma Albertsposted 12 years ago

   Yes, I think so. I think my dog Angus is smarter than what I think of because whenever he can, he always go behind my house and he´s not allowed to do that. When he´s with me in my front garden, he stroll around until he thinks I´m to busy watching him that he just sneak out of my sight. Well, I always know where he is then. In our backyard looking for my father´s chicken.

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   Scribenetposted 12 years ago

   They are more intuitive. Dogs watch for tiny little nuances in how you are behaving and take their cue from that. They love their people, food and play and I think their world revolves around that. The more you interact with your dog, the more they learn to deal with their world and with you. About math and literature...not so much...lol

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      robhamptonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lol, ya I can't say I recall the dog with a calculator in his paws!

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   DrMark1961posted 12 years ago

   I have a question about your question. Who is the "we" that does not give them credit? I´ve been working with dogs all my life, some smart, some "intellectually challenged", so maybe I am not part of that "we" you are talking about.

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      robhamptonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      We, being people in general. Pet owners, pet lovers, etc.. The question did not refer to dogs being challenged mentally. This question was not implying that dogs are stupid. Did you read the full question? DO YOU THINK THEY KNOW MORE THAN WHAT WE SEE

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      DrMark1961posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Why the hostility? Do you have a problem with anyone who does not agree with the way you ask things? Yes, I read the full question. Do you really think you need to yell to be heard?

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      robhamptonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      lol, no hostility. Maybe it was the CAPS at the end that scared you. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion, I just think you simply misinterpreted the question. I also commend you for working with dogs. I have a high respect for them.

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      DrMark1961posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No, I did not misinterpret the question, just disagreed with the idea that everyone gives them the same lack of credit. Is that your Chihuahua driving?Cute dog.Did you see the video of shelter dogs driving cars?Dont have link but you can find it on G

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   Solarasposted 12 years ago

   Yes, they are more intuitive than the primates in understanding what we humans want from them, and in finding ways to please us.  They pickup on subtle nuances in our body language and facial expressions and can work independently to achieve our goals.  For example, herding dogs can work stock effectively, out of site of the handler, because the dog understands what the ultimate goal of the human is and wants to help us achieve it.
   
   Primates in general could care less about our goals, they just work for the banana or what ever treat their trainer rewards them with.

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   drpennypincherposted 12 years ago

   Dogs and humans have been adapting together for thousands and thousands of years.  Dogs care what people think and automatically try to please humans.  Dogs are good at figuring out what people want- either with verbal commands or nonverbal cues.  Most people naturally like dogs and easily interact with them.  I would say most dogs are better at dealing with people than most people are!  If you mean "smart" to include figuring out how to interact with people and solve problems, then dogs are very smart.  They do lack a bit on mathematical, language, and artistic skills- but otherwise dogs are very smart.

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   moonfairyposted 12 years ago

   yes, and I actually think that sometimes my golden retriever thinks rather logically! If he and I are home alone, he's content to just relax but as soon as my husband comes home he morphs into spoiled dog and "demands" to be paid attention to.
   It's funny that he acts accordingly with each of us and I truly think that he thinks about it before hand! And he's incredibly stubborn.....he answers to commands only when he feels like it (he actually tends to listen to me better than he listens to my husband).  My husband spoils him rotten and I tend to make him work for his treats...and I'm usually the one that issues boundaries so I think he respects me more....but he's got that all figured out! LOL!! He knows what buttons to push and who to push them with....

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   Melissa A Smithposted 12 years ago

   I think people tend to give dogs too much credit. As has been mentioned, the selective breeding has been very successful in yielding a product that is a true companion animal for humans and they are responsive in various ways to human needs. Also due to this, dogs have various personalities and strengths and weaknesses. Some really don't have minds of their own and have a hard time figuring out simplistic concepts. The more independent/primitive the breed the more 'intelligence' you may see from them, but of course it also matters how yo define that term. A lot of what they do is embedded instinct and for me intelligence should go beyond that. For others intelligence is measured in tricks which is just memorization capacity and a social instinct to follow orders.

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      Sherrie Youngposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't "train" my dogs, dutchess has been doing most of that for me.  Which I didn't "train" her to do... she knows what's expectable and what's not... She is a boxer, who some would say is a "dumb dog" which I got from a "backyard breeder"

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   Markie Wposted 12 years ago

   I think so! I have this one book that talks about and has several photos of how dogs use body language almost all the time to communicate. Some examples are how they could sniff the ground or pick up one paw to show you they're not a threat, or how they get a small crinkle on their "forehead" when they're stressed. It's crazy how much we miss just from not knowing! They definitely understand our language better than we understand theirs.

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    penladyposted 12 years ago

    Yes they are. My neighbor's dog can sense when a person is good or bad. If they're bad, he barks at them with a growl. If they're good, he doesn't bark. And he's right too about which ones are bad and good.

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       robhamptonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I've noticed that about my dog as well.  interesting.

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       Janelle Coultonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes Penlady and Rob, I have noticed this too and my dog has never been wrong either, how do they know? That's the question I thought about for years.

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       Maggie Bennettposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I had the same experience with my dachshund I lost some ten years ago.  He was a very good judge of character.

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    agilitymachposted 12 years ago

    Yes.  Dogs are MUCH, MUCH more intelligent than the average person gives them credit for.  As a professional dog trainer, I am still regularly blown away by the intelligence of my dogs and my students' dogs.
    
    Train any dog to the highest level of a canine sport and learn exactly how intelligent these animals can be.

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    Janelle Coultonposted 12 years ago

    I've always believed that animals, and particularly dogs are much smarter than anyone realises. Just look at what we can train them to do. Police dogs, rescue dogs; it is amazing watching these dogs perform their work. But I certainly do not buy into the premise that dogs or any animal is smarter than human beings. We are the superior species when it comes to intelligence and that's the way it was meant to be from the beginning. Dogs can sense things we can't; and they are sensitive to our emotions. Dogs can also hear and see much better than we can, and their sense of smell is ten times that of a humans. While a dog's intelligence is extremely high, it will never be superior to the intelligence of a human.

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    praveengosainposted 12 years ago

    Dogs are undoubtedly smarter than we predict them. They learn things very quickly and are intelligent like other smart living things on earth.

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    Healthy Mikeposted 12 years ago

    Dogs are arguably the smartest domestic animals as they are easy to train and they seem to grasp human instructions at a very high rate. Given the duties they are assigned-sniffing bombs,guarding V.I.Ps,keeping burglars at bay, leading and guiding blind people, sniffing drugs among others- i think it's only fair to give credit where it is due. I would easily vouch for the fact that indeed they are not overrated, they are smart animals.

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    ExoticHippieQueenposted 12 years ago

    I can't tell you the name of my hub because I don't want to get in trouble for self-promotion, but I just addressed this very question when I had a conversation with a dog recently.  They are insanely smart, so much smarter than most people give them credit for.  When you have had a dog for many years, they become so in tune to the tones of your voice and mannerisms that they can anticipate what comes next before you even finish a sentence.  I wish people would stop eating them in other parts of the world, cats as well, and would stop chaining them up to a doghouse way back yonder where they bake in the heat and freeze in the winter.

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