Hi everyone,
Dogs have been found to have an innate ability to pay attention to people, and thus to communicate and work with them.
[link= http://search.csmonitor.com/2005/1026/p17s02-sten.html ]http://search.csmonitor.com/2005/1026/p17s02-sten.html[/link]
Yes, I know you already knew that! :)However, here'sthe link to a fascinating article about some scientific research carried out in Hungary. It sounds like dogs may be more intelligent than primates (well, we knew that already too!)
I read it in the weekly paper World Edition of theChristian Science Monitor, so went to [link= http://www.csmonitor.com ]www.csmonitor.com[/link] and it's still on line (but will disappear soon and then you have to pay to archive it) Actually, I just checked to see if it's still her today - 9th Nov - and it is, but thought I'd copy a little to give you the gist which is fascinating:
Until recently, domestication was thought to have dulled dogs' intelligence. Studies in the early 1980s showed that wolves, from which dogs probably descended, can unlock a gate after watching a human do it once, while dogs remained stumped after watching repeatedly.
That never sat well with Vilmos Csanyi, the recently retired head of Mr. Miklosi's department. Mr. Csanyi, who had dogs of his own, suspected the dogs were awaiting permission to open the gate, that they regarded opening the gate as a violation of their master's rules
Do you remember that wonderful case of the lurcher called Red who was letting everyone out at night at Battersea dogs's home for a midnight feast? Obviously Red didn't have the same sense of right and wrong as the others!
Enjoy!
Judy
RE: Why your dog is smarter than a wolf
Thanks for posting, Judy. I grabbed the opportunity while it was still a freebie and copied it for later reading 😉
I also saw the video on TV of the Battersea dog who was letting all the other dogs out of their pens at night - very funny, but could have been a disaster if they'd overeaten on dry complete food.
Laura.
RE: Why your dog is smarter than a wolf
Hi Laura,
My first time back in this area since I posed! In case anyone doesn't know the story about Red, here it is:
I always thought he was a dog of superior intelligence - now I learn it's just because he doesn't have a moral sense - aw shucks.......[&o]
Love and peace,
Judy
RE: Why your dog is smarter than a wolf
Hi Judy
Too funny ... the banner at the top of that page was an advert for wine on line ... just as I was recalling that one of my Border Terriers used to steal my wine (red) if I left the room for a couple of minutes.
I never caught her in the act (or my armchair), she never knocked the glass over, and the only way I knew it was Mary who'd left bubbles on the surfacewas by going round them all(I had six at that time) and dabbing at the whiskers with a kleenex. 😀 No moral sense indeed!
Thanks for the link.
Laura.