Kitty is not impressed.
Posted on 06/10/2007 8:15:08 AM PDT by blam
Dogs 'as bright as a 14-month-old child'
By Tim Shipman, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:56am BST 10/06/2007
Dog lovers have long argued that their pets are practically human.
Just how close they are to the truth is revealed by research showing that the creatures have the intelligence of a toddler.
As with humans, they have the capacity to decide whether to copy others' behaviour, depending if it makes sense to do so.
Researchers at the University of Vienna trained a female border collie called Guinness to use her paws to push a bar that released a treat, rather than using her mouth as dogs prefer.
Two sets of mixed breed dogs then watched Guinness pushing the bar - one set when she had a ball in her mouth, the other while her mouth was empty. Eight of 10 dogs in a third group that had not seen Guinness perform pushed the bar with their mouths as expected.
The set that saw Guinness perform with her mouth empty copied her action and used their paws, thinking that it must be the best way to achieve success.
However, the group that watched their canine instructor with her mouth full overwhelmingly used their mouths, apparently reasoning that she had only used her paws because her mouth was full.
Lead researcher Friederike Range said: "The fact that the dogs imitate selectively, depending on the situation, has not been shown before… We were very surprised to see this 'selective imitation' by the dogs. They didn't just copy blindly what they saw."
Before dog lovers start drawing up a list of challenges for their clever pets, however, there is one crucial caveat - a dog's intelligence is estimated to be equivalent only to that of a 14-month-old child.
The experiment, published in Current Biology, an American journal, has divided canine experts
In a separate test, toddlers who watched their mother turn on a light switch with her head because she was carrying a tray, were able to judge that she had only done so because her hands were full and that, when possible, they should use their hands for switches.
Zsofia Viranyi, of Eotvos University in Budapest, co-author of the dog study, said: "The behaviour was very similar to the children who were tested in the original experiment.".
So a dog is like a 14 month old child? I smell social engineering - big time.
Marriage rights for dogs & 14-month-old toddlers NOW!!!
I love dogs, but they don’t seem to instantly repeat the F-word whenever it’s uttered within a 5 mile radius like your average 14 month-old does.
...or Hillary Clinton.
And so are most liberals.
In certain cases, such as Young Democrats, 18 to 30 year old children.
Kitty is not impressed.
As a dog, I have to complain about the limited scope of the experiment. Next time, I want to see steak bones and poodles in the mix to see where the dog would put his energy.
My springer is as bright as most dull 3 year olds.
Not my dog.
I love him dearly, he is gentle and kind and lovable, but...
14-day-old is more like it.
“Just how close they are to the truth is revealed by research showing that the creatures have the intelligence of a toddler”
...As does the average US Senator. And they are all pretty average.
So let’s see if I understand this report — dogs are smarter than DemocRats. But intelligence is one thing, common sense is another. Most dogs beat out Dims there, too. So why are Dims voting and dogs are not?
That is a serious question. The mentally handicapped, functionally not superior, are very much entitled to vote; and someone else, clearly, must decide for them. Free votes.
The activism in htat area is intense and permanent.
I said, "Mom, you're spelling in front of a dog."
She insisted he understood the word, so I turned to him (he was just a little dog) and said calmly, with as little inflection as I could, "Tsar, I'm going to get your toys."
That dog went nuts. "BARARARARAR! BARARARARAR!" He ran over to his toys and stood over them, glaring at me. Over the course of the week I learned that you had to spell toys, car, out, and ice cream in front of him if you didn't want to set him off.
And I do not say this in a sentimental cloud of mush; I hated that little mutt. My parents loved him beyond measure. My sisters and I used to joke, "Stay on Tsar's good side, because he's going to inherit everything."
Thankfully, I outlived him. But anyway, he was freaky smart.
GOD AND DOG
On the first day of creation, God created the dog.
On the second day, God created man to serve the dog.
On the third day, God created all the animals of the earth
(especially the horse) to serve as potential food for the dog.
On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could
labor for the good of the dog.
On the fifth day, God created the tennis ball so that the dog
might or might not retrieve it.
On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep
the dog healthy and the man broke.
On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but He had to walk the dog
I've got one you have to spell in front of. He's smarter than some of my kids.:<(
For all you dog lovers out there check out “Jim the Wonder Dog” perhaps the smartest dog that ever lived (that we know about).
In the interest of fairness, I gotta ask also. Why weren't cats tested? My 14-pound "rescue" cat is way smarter than my 40-pound dog. He naps in the dog's bed and the dog naps on the floor. And gets away with it!
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