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cwalt

MH
Posts:180

09/11/2008 6:39 AM
Studies of canine intelligence are not helped by pop psychology texts or simplistic IQ tests. There are several published books about this topic and they are entirely horse manure. I recently saw a television program about the intelligence of dogs and wolves and the wolves seemed better at problem solving but the interesting issue with the videos wasn't that the dogs gave up on the problems, they fooled around a bit and then sought help from humans. This is the equivalent of not knowing something but knowing where to find the answer, a good solution for a modern animal. Years ago Scott and Fuller observed that a dog's ability to solve problems isn't an inherent intelligence factor but is an issue of how the dog's emotional characteristics are compatible with the problem. The ability of a dog to be trained isn't intelligence but a function of cooperation, an emotional interaction between human and dog. Wolves may well be brighter than dogs in some kinds of problem solving but they are impossibly difficult to train for even simple obedience. The hands on training I use for the fetch command would guarantee an attack by a wolf whereas a dog will submit and learn to do it. Almost all domesticated dogs are specialists, they have been selectively bred to do certain things, this affects their ability to do other things and any book comparing the intelligence of different breeds is absolutely silly. I don't expect a doctor to know how to cast a fly nor do I think an engineer should understand evolution, why should I expect tracking dogs to know more than guard dogs? One thing that is biologically certain is that intelligence is reflected in play, stupid animals don't play. A young opossum is all business from the word go, no play at all and they don't have much in the brain pan. Even more important for us, play is the key to learning. Cj

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