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Thursday, September 17, 2015

Domestication Seems to Have Made Dogs a Bit Dim

 
Dogs are considered some of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Thanks to a relationship with humans that dates back tens of thousands of years, dogs can respond to emotions, recognize numerous words and be trained to follow commands. 
 
Notably, these seemingly smart accomplishments all hinge on the partnership between our two species. Now, however, tests of canine problem-solving skills indicate that dogs rely on humans so much that we actually seem to be dumbing them down.

 
Most studies that investigate dog intelligence assume that certain interactions with humans are indicative of higher cognitive function. In one experiment, for example, dogs and human-socialized wolves were presented with a canine version of the Kobayashi Maru—an unopenable box that contained food.
 
Story here 
 
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Dogs are as smart as you make them. True, there are some that are born just dumb as shit, so not all of them are as trainable as the others. But, for most of them, they can be trained to do some pretty incredible things. We have 4 that currently roam the confines of the Backyarder camp. All of them are well mannered and respond to different commands with ease. The oldest of our pack, who is 13 this year and also the Alpha, can still shake, speak, roll over, whisper, play dead, crawl, respond to hand signals, and steal your food off of your plate when you aren't looking like a ninja in the night. He was my squirrel hound at one time. If the dude had thumbs, we'd all be in trouble... He's even taught MD, our rescued pit bull, how to hike her leg to piss like a male rather than squat like a female. It's funny to see her go behind the boys and cover them up. 


 
 
 
 
 

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