Canine Intelligence Level on Par with Two Year-Old Human

Dogs are more intelligent than many people give them credit for, according to renowned canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. Coren, author of How Dogs Think, puts the canine intelligence on par with a two to two and a half year-old human being.

Pet owners are often curious about the intelligence of their canine companions, It turns out that dogs have a higher level of intelligence that they have been given credit for previously. Dogs sometimes seem to have an uncanny understanding of the people around them. Maybe they do understand more than we give them credit for.

You wouldn't put them to work balancing your checkbook, but dogs can count up to four or five, according to Coren. Dogs can also recognize words. The average dog recognizes 165 words, while more intelligent dog recognizes about 250 words. This should come as no surprise to anyone whose dog looks at them with complete understanding when they talk.

The intelligence level of dogs varies by breed. Coren lists the top dogs in order of intelligence, as follows: Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Shetland Sheepdogs and Labrador Retrievers.

Coren is the author of more than a half dozen books about dogs. He has reviews numerous studies that conclude that dogs are able to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other primates in intelligence that previously thought.

There are three types of dog intelligence, including instinctive, adaptive and working and obedience. Dogs are able to solve spatial problems by modeling the behavior of humans, or other dogs. They are able to learn the location of treats; favorite places; how to operate simple mechanics, such as latches; and to understand the meaning of words and concepts. Dogs are also capable of strategic thinking, deceiving other dogs and people.

Resources:

"How Dogs Think," Stanley Coren, PhD, University of British Columbia. EurekAlert, August 8, 2009.

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