Every dog owner knows their pets understand the odd word they say – but many have no idea how far their knowledge can actually take them.
According to a study undertaken by psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, at University of British Columbia, dogs understand a lot more than we think.
Many of them can understand hundreds of words and even do basic maths – but there’s just one problem. Amusingly, many of them simply choose to ignore us.
Speaking at the American Psychological Association’s 117th Annual Convention about the topic “How Dogs Think”, Coren shared how dogs have similar mental abilities to a human child aged between two and two-and-a-half.
However, particular breeds appear to be more intelligent than others, possibly thanks to their natural temperament and willingness to learn and obey.
Coren said: “Border collies are number one; poodles are second, followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers; fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador retrievers.”
Adding to this, his study of 208 dogs shows they “can learn 165 words, including signals, and and the “super dogs” (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words”.
A statement on American Psychological Association reads: “Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.
“Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by modelling human or other dogs’ behaviour using a barrier type problem.
“Through observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favourite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).”
Commenting on this revelation, one user said: “My dog can’t tell the difference between the words dork, fork, gawk, hawk, cork, pork, talk or York. She always thinks we’re saying ‘walk’.”
Another user added: “Mine knows so many words, and ignores most of them besides ‘food’ and ‘walk’.”
A third user said: “There are several cats and dogs (and a guinea pig) on YouTube that have learned to “talk” by pressing buttons to sound words out.
“It is a fascinating if sometimes scary look into what an animal companion might be thinking and feeling. (The guinea pig so far just presses ‘kernels’, so we know what’s on his mind most of the time).”
Another user said: “My dog knows the names of numerous toys he has. He also knows when us humans are talking about going somewhere.
“You don’t even have to grab the car keys or put your shoes on. He just knows enough words to figure out what’s likely to happen.”