Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think

[Sierra Newfs]

Brian Hare of the Duke Canine Cognition Lab has written a new book with Vanessa Woods, "The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think". I have just started reading it, but it's not too early to call it wonderful and thought-provoking. The book definitely leaves you with new perspectives.

A couple of interviews with Brian can be found at Scientific American and Wired:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=brilliance-of-dog-mind
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/02/dognition-how-smart-is-your-dog/all/

Dognition - https://www.dognition.com
[From the link below] The site offers dog-owning customers a series of tests to determine their pooch's relative strengths and weaknesses in various thinking skills, from empathy to cunning to memorization.

More information about Dognition can be found at: http://today.duke.edu/2013/02/genius-dogs#video

Duke Canine Cognition Lab
http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/research/dogs

Lots of exciting research going on, an example of one of the recent cognitive studies can be found in the article "Dogs understand human perspective, say researchers" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21411249

 

[janices]

I'll have to go take a look at book.

 

[R Taft]

I know dogs are smart..........And I have found since taking up water rescue training how smart they really are. We set them tasks and they think for themselves and do certain tasks and even if things change they complete tasks.

And it amazes me how many words some of our dogs know.....Katy, Tessa and Annabelle have an incredible knowledge of words...Lukey not so :lol:..every household has the "not so clever one".

Having worked with stock dogs and trained service dogs, I find dogs the most adaptable and thinking animals..it is not all learned by repetition either, some of it happens, because they think it through. That is why we also now in the new method of training get better thinking dogs, because when a dog makes a mistake, it has to realize it is a mistake and does not get chastised for making it, but ignored and rewarded or sees us happy when the right thing is done...that is why I think we are now getting so many dogs that are so clever. In the old methods of training dogs were almost afraid to try something.

As always love your links and as always thought provoking

 

[AngusMcDubhsMom]

Thanks for the links. I'm always surprised and delighted to watch them figure out a new way of doing something when their first attempt isn't working or to discover a more efficient way to accomplish what they want...Traveler being the clever devil that he is.:lol:

 

[pecanpiepatti]

I posted on FB that this is the best book on canine intelligence I've read to date. Really great read, backed by research as well as charming andecdotes.