Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs - where does your dog come?

Lemlin

Not sure if this guy has been mentioned on here before but he has done alot of research into dog breeds and their intelligence. I just thought I'd bring it up as I mentioned him on another post.

He was actually on The Last Word with Matt Cooper a few weeks back when they were speaking about how a grown dog is more intelligent than a two year old child.

Anyway, follow the link and see where your dog comes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligence_of_Dogs

My English Cocker Spaniel was rated as number 18 so not too bad!

My friend breeds Afghan Hounds though and wasn't too happy with the results!

Elevelyn

My pup is a mix of 47&49

andreac

Woohoo, number 9!!!:D

Blueprint

I have the book and did the test, my dog passed everything with flying colours except the one about recognising when you smile and coming to you - I evidently don't smile at him enough! So he's a doggie genius, really!

liah

I have a #3, a #1x#3, and a #19 version 2.

Lol, the #19 is definitely the dumbest of the three, and the #1x#3 is definitely the smartest.

Oddly accurate.

looserock

My Mastiff is rated 72 which is ridiculous, if he had the vocal chords he would be able to talk to ya for feck sake.

I wouldn't put much pass on that list.

peasant

This "study" is a heap of balderdash to be quite frank ...a nice bit of entertainment, but nothing more. (oh and the author of course does quite well out of it)

First off it's anthropomorpism at its worst. We have an expert in human psychology assessing the intelligence of another species by human intelligence criteria ...now, how accurate is this going to be? Not at all is the answer.

Next, dog intelligence is assessed by what is most useful for us ...how quickly and how well the dog picks up our commands. I would hold that a dog that refuses tasks that it doesn't want to do / sees no sense or gain in is far more intelligent than one that blindly does everything it's told.

But worst of all ...this study is racist, or rather breedist.
Of course there are behavioural differences between breeds ...a lap dog will react better with humans than a flock guardian that has been bred to make stand-alone decisions and trust no-one but its owner for centuries.
But this study completely disregards the effects that training, socialisation and upbringing have on behaviour as well as individual differences between individual dogs of the same breed. Instead a few samples of one breed are tested and are taken as the standard for every single individual in that breed.

This is akin to saying that Barrak Obama is unfit to be US president because, you know he's black and we did a reading test with two Bushmen the other week and they didn't even understand English

Whispered

Peasant, your dogs musta come waaaaay down the list. :P

My boy is a mix of 7 and 49 He's a 7 when there is food involved, 49 otherwise.

(btw peasant, I was only joking, I agree with what you said.)

peasant

helena.ryan wrote: »

Peasant, your dogs musta come waaaaay down the list. :P

34, 60-something and unranked because mongrels apparently have no intelligence at all

star-pants

Mine are 60 something, that's crap cuz damn they're smart as foxes sometimes!! So tbh I don't know how much faith I'd have in this study of his.

tootyflutty

hahaha, sorry that has to be so inaccurate, it says dalmatians are 39, when my shih tzu/yorkshire terrier cross works out at 70/not on the list. But the latter is by far more intelligent . .

mymo

Both of mine were in the 60+ range.
Having taught them quite a lot of commands, I found never need more than 5 times to learn command(4 month old Lhasa learned high 5 in 2) but will only do things when it suits. (not when you want them to show others or if theres a dog/child/toy to play with)
Also have a friend with a Lab and that dog while adorable, has to be the thickest dog I ever met.(not saying all labs are dumb!)

ghost_ie

The eldest is a mix of 1 and 7. The other two are unquantifiable as they're both a mix of Jack Russell crossed with God knows what, although I will say that the second eldest is far more intelligent than the youngest, who can best be described as a canine Winnie-The-Pooh - a dog of little brain

amacachi

No sign of Jack Russells there?

leddpipe

i have two golden retrievers



ahem

Orla K

No miniture Jack russels or even jack russels. The one I know can solve a problem but ignores following commands. She figured out how to open a door and get up on an american fridge now for a tiny dog that requires not only skill but problem solving too and she's not on the list. She understands a lot of commands but just does what she wants to do, she's very difficult.

ghost_ie

Orla K wrote: »

No miniture Jack russels or even jack russels. The one I know can solve a problem but ignores following commands. She figured out how to open a door and get up on an american fridge now for a tiny dog that requires not only skill but problem solving too and she's not on the list. She understands a lot of commands but just does what she wants to do, she's very difficult.

How did she manage to get on the fridge? I've left things on top of microwaves and blamed the elder lemon (a labrador/collie cross) for organising the raid. Looks like I may have to revise my opinions and start blaming the 2 Jack Russell crosses for them - or rather the apparently brainless one. These raids didn't happen before we got her

Orla K

ghost_ie wrote: »

How did she manage to get on the fridge? I've left things on top of microwaves and blamed the elder lemon (a labrador/collie cross) for organising the raid. Looks like I may have to revise my opinions and start blaming the 2 Jack Russell crosses for them - or rather the apparently brainless one. These raids didn't happen before we got her

We know she got onto a chair, from there to a table their was some stuff on the table and that's about all we know. She was found already on the fridge looking for someone to lift her down, I can barely even reach the top of the fridge and it's not like I'm short. This happened about a year ago, since then we never put her toys "out of reach"

getz

i dont think this professor has a clue ,since when is instinct a sign of intelligence ? for a start he thinks bulldogs and staffies are working dogs,he also believes that because the bulldog wont run over to him when called ;its thick; not thats its just the stubborn trait in the breed, he has that one down to number 77,and as for the staffie,i have had staffies for over 30 years in shows and also they are used now in obedience training,and one thing i can say is that they are a clever dog,the man is just after publicity,and you know what ?he has got it i also have a bulldog

Lemlin

I had a look for Jack Russells but can't find them. I also had a look on their Wiki page and it usually lists where they come on the list but doesn't for Jack Russells for some reason.

My Cocker isn't on the list either but on her breed page it says 18th.

illiop

haha that's brilliant! How in the name of god are labradors and retrievers in the "Brightest" category?! In my opinion dogs that are easier to train are often less intelligent. My dog (Jack Russell x Cairn terrier and possibly Corgi) is literally the boldest dog you will meet but is as quick as fox.

funlovintapir

My dog is a lowly number 57 in the list. he is a pug and he's an evil genius so I don't think the list is accurate at all.

getz

in dogs we are expected to believe that to obey first command and understanding first commands are a sign of intelligence[in humans its a sign of stupidity]any dog owner will tell you that you cannot test a dog intelligence that way,the reason the jack russel became famous,is because the man whos name it got was called rev jack russell, and he ran hounds for fox hunting,one day he met a tramp and bought a funny looking dog off him as a pet,when hunting with his hounds the jack russell soon worked out that they were chasing the fox ,so as the hounds followed the sent,he ran ahead and waited for them at the foxes den/lair ,the jack russell was believed to be a cross from a staffie and a now extinct breed of english terrier,sorry to ramble on.i just wonder how if he would class it stupid

palaver

peasant wrote: »

I would hold that a dog that refuses tasks that it doesn't want to do / sees no sense or gain in is far more intelligent than one that blindly does everything it's told.

According to the list my beagle is of very low obedience "intelligence". Don't I know... :rolleyes:

Hence I go with above statement and declare my dog as the most intelligent dog ever!

Seriously. She tricks me out every time, knows exactly what she wants and how to get or do it and reads me and others better than any human.

The test is utter rubbish.

getz

a bit in the local newspaper ,12th march 2008 ,six year old bulldog louis,shocked blackpools early rising commuters around 7am on monday,when he hopped on a board a bus travelling into the resort, the driver was so astounded he contacted his base for advice, meanwhile worried owners were scouring the streets,the driver was told to issue a unpaid ticket, the dog would not get off the bus untill it returned to where it got on ,near the stricken ferry riverdance,owners said its not a though he has ever been on a bus. stanley coren has this breed at the bottom of his list 77

Medievalist

My dog's number 46. Apparently understands new commands after 25 - 40 repetitions. I usually give up after 5....maybe she's not a dim as I thought! Unlikely though, this is a dog that runs into doors without checking to see if they're open first.

Though when it comes to getting food, she's really on the ball:P

The Master

Score!

I have a #1

2 x #13's

1 x #49

Excellent Results

YOURFACE!

Number 3! I always knew my girl was fabulous!! Super smart, loyal, devoted, protective, relaxed and one big lump of love!

Then our wee boy is a 7 x 17! He's a big star in my eyes!

spiderdog

hmmm....a 3 and 48`s....not sure about this,
yes my gsd is very obedient etc ,but i often think the danes are nearly more intelligent......i can often see them weighing up the pro`s and cons in their heads, when they`re deciding wether or not to do what ask...if you get me:p
surely that makes them more intelligent then the gsd!!!! :D

super_metroid

i have a german shepard/labrador cross and he is the most intelligent dog that i have ever seen

the guy basically is like a human

also i had a german shepard that figured out how to open gates and doors

liah

The list may be inaccurate, but I don't think anyone can argue #1's place on the list.

Borders are RIDICULOUSLY smart dogs.

PetrovthePrat

I dunno if I buy this Coren fellahs list at all. I would have thought it's down to the dog and handler how well they learn? And the method of training? I wonder if the good professer would publish a list like that about human races? Hmmm,I think not. Then again,my mutt is a cross between #3 and #7,so maybe I should shut up and lord it over the less gifted dogs on our walks. We could get little collar badges made up to highlight just how clever we are!

BanzaiBk

35 and 47, seems about right tbh :pac:

clairem

funlovintapir wrote: »

My dog is a lowly number 57 in the list. he is a pug and he's an evil genius so I don't think the list is accurate at all.

I have a pug too and you took the words out of my mouth - evil genius is right!!! He is such a clever dog and so quick to learn new tricks (when food is involved.) I really don't think this list is accurate

peasant

liah wrote: »

The list may be inaccurate, but I don't think anyone can argue #1's place on the list.

Borders are RIDICULOUSLY smart trainable and co-operative dogs.

FYP

Morganna

he doesnt even list German shepherds as obedience dogs

liah

peasant wrote: »

FYP

:rolleyes:

They are smart, by your definitions or Coren's. They're very quick at figuring out situations regardless of what they've been trained to do.

rainbowtrout

Jack Russells don't need to be on the list, they're in a league of their own!

I have two, one is incredibly clever, she picks up most new commands after a few times, but also can be stubborn when i'm training her, as if to say, i've done enough tricks and obeyed enough commands and I won't do anything else until I get my treat, the other one isn't as clever but isn't as driven either. The first one is usually the instigator of any shenanigans in my house, most recently a tray of bbq'd pork ribs i put on the worktop 'out of reach'. When we're out in the car, the first one always ducks going under bridges which is hilarous to watch. She's also figured out the difference between the different sounds the laptop makes so when I shut it down completely at night, instead of just closing it, she runs for the back door to be let out to go to the toilet before I go to bed. Never when I do anything else with it.