Scientist Brian Hare with his dog Tassie, aka Tasmanian Devil
Image: Gretchen Mathison
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Just about every dog owner is convinced their dog is a genius. For a long time, scientists did not take their pronouncements particularly seriously, but new research suggests that canines are indeed quite bright, and in some ways unique. Brian Hare, an associate professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University, is one of the leading figures in the quest to understand what dogs know. The founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, Hare has now written a book, “The Genius of Dogs,” with his wife, the journalist Vanessa Woods. Hare answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook.
Cook: What is the biggest misconception people have about the dog mind?
Hare: That there are “smart” dogs and “dumb” dogs. There’s still this throwback to a uni-dimensional version of intelligence, as though there is only one type of intelligence that you either have more or less of.
In reality there are different types of intelligence. Different dogs are good at different things. Unfortunately, the very clever strategies some dogs are using are not apparent without playing a cognitive game. This means people can often underestimate the intelligence of their best friend. The pug drooling on your shoe may not look like the brightest bulb in the box, but she comes from a long line of successful dogs and is a member of the most successful mammal species on the planet besides us. Rest assured – she is a genius.
Cook: What are the “different things” that dogs are good at? What are the areas of dog intelligence you have studied?
Hare: We know that as a species, dogs are remarkable in certain areas, like taking someone else’s visual perspective, or learning from someone else’s actions. In particular, I’ve been interested in how dogs recruit help and how they take someone else’s visual perspective. However, most of my research with dogs has been about the cooperative way they use human communicative gestures. Or put more simply, how they can interpret our gestures to understand us or get what they want.
Cook: But other animals are intelligent, right? What makes dogs unique?
Hare: Absolutely. Other animals have their own unique genius that was shaped by nature. In the case of dogs it happens to be their ability to read our communicative gestures. We take it for granted that dogs can effortlessly use our pointing gestures to find a hidden toy or morsel of food, but no other species can spontaneously read our communicative gestures as flexibly as dogs can. It allows them to be incredible social partners with us, whether it’s hunting, or agility, or just navigating every day life. Their ability to interpret our gestures also helps them solves problems they can’t solve on their own.
Cook: I see you have created a new website, Dognition. Can you tell me about it?
Hare: Dognition is about helping people find the genius in their dog. The only way to find their genius is to compare them to other dogs who all play the same cognitive games. As I said, different dogs use different strategies to solve problems. Does your dog rely on you to solve problems, or are they more independent? Do they pay attention to where you are looking before they decide to sneak food off the coffee table, or are they unaware when you are watching — making it hard for them to be sneaky?
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19 Comments
Add CommentInteresting article. I'll check out Dognition. Isn't it "emigrating out of Africa"? And "almost led to their extinction"?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot to say "I told you so!", but, yes, I could have told you this!!! It's so wonderful to see scientific documentation of what many of us have long known!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOh Fine, now I have to buy the Goddamn book! ;-D
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo to do anything on dognition costs 60 bucks up front???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI remember reading the Siberian wolf study where only the friendliest pups were selected and studied, bred and studied more. Does anyone have the link to that article?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLovely, when did SA become a schill for pay web sites? What kind of "scientific study" requires participants to pay 60 bucks up front?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI feel uncomfortable feeling like I am raining on somebody's well deserved party but as academics -retired or not- our peers will always judge your expressions critically, and for good reason, you really never cease to encourage others to think critically. As an example, why not be honest and seriously consider that, e.g., dogs are better than humans in 'reading' human facial features and, based on previously acquired knowledge, learn what best adaptive behavior will likely repeat the same response it did before, a biopsychosocial (bps) adaptive response in behalf of just species survival? Why suggest an introspective dog search into 'self' to distinguish between self and his master? Where is the evidence. Why shouldn't a Skinnerian interpretation do until the evidence is in dor a dog's 'theory of mind'? Why run to a publisher when your other serious minded peers are watching you? I guess is part of getting older and being self critical before you influence younger others about what honest conscious reality is 'truth'... or not? Sorry to rain on what may be a well deserved party. I discuss some of this in my blog: <http://angelldls.wordpress.com/> Dr.d
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTry the Wikipedia entry on domesticated Russian silver fox, or something like that.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe term 'intelligence' is much maligned & misunderstood.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIntelligence or I.Q. is a measure of the ability to learn relative to time.
Having a high I.Q. doesn't make you smart.
How you use it determines that.
I have met many intelligent idiots in my life.
yea, but do dogs go to heaven? :-)seriously, fundamentalist Christians believe that only humans have an afterlife, and not animals. It would seem that if one life-form had an afterlife that all forms of life would. If you really want to confuse a creationist ask them if animals which have human DNA introduced via genetic engineering will have an afterlife (like the cows in china that had human dna added to produce human-like milk).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"It looks like some dogs also contagiously yawn. The yawn test is just the owner yawning and seeing if their dog yawns back! It’s a really simple test but it can tell you a lot about your dog."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMaybe you should do some research before you jump to conclusions in other research.
Dogs yawn back because as most educated people in the dog professional field know--it is a calming signal, it's body language. I hope they do some research before coming to any conclusions there...
http://www.amazon.com/On-Talking-Terms-With-Dogs/dp/1929242360/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360172680&sr=8-1&keywords=calming+signals
...and all dogs understand Dutch, I always talk to them and they understand me...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDogs are most interested in making sure the environment smells enough. If not, dog adds smell. They are loyalty servants and know the score so suck up to their masters like their life depends on it. Sounds like my teens so dog not so smart, just practical. Better to try childnition and understand how they get disappeared in EED space. (Environmental Escape Devices = smarterphones)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe TOS of the Dognition website is interesting. Basically, you are paying THEM to use your data to further their scientific research and possibly to use your data for their own financial or other gain -- with no compensation to you. What a great deal!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisScientific Research. One of the purposes of the Service is to further scientific advances in the field of canine research and we may use, share, publish or disclose your User Content, including Canine Data (as defined below), that we reasonably believe constitutes non-private, aggregated or otherwise non-personal information, in connection with scientific research, studies, publications, and for other similar purposes (collectively, “Scientific Research”). As further discussed below, to the extent that any Scientific Research results in the development of any intellectual property rights, including, without limitation, any and all inventions, trade secrets, confidential and proprietary information, software programs, discoveries, conceptions, preparations and developments, whether or not eligible for or covered by patent, copyright or trade secret protection (collectively, “Inventions”), you acknowledge and agree that we are the sole owners of all right, title and interest in any such Inventions.
Greenhome: Of course dogs go to heaven! Or at least to purgatory, where we humans need to go to learn to be humane. However, since I have been housemate with several dogs who seemed entirely humane, no matter what the situation, I expect dogs get to heaven thousands of years ahead of us, along with bonobos, dolphins, ladybugs, garter snakes and butterflies. And no doubt many other species who are a great deal nicer than we are.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAmen!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou're right about "led"! But "immigrating" is correct from the perspective of Europe.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn page 2, the "wolf event" section is very confusing. Hare said that wolves basically took over Europe 1.7 to 1.9 mya, and "[i]t was also around this time that humans were immigrating out of Africa. But the wolf’s reign didn’t last long. As modern humans became the dominant carnivore, we have persecuted other large carnivores to extinction...." But those were not modern humans that arrived at the same time as the wolves. Modern humans did not reach Europe until about 30,000 years ago.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was really excited about this site and to be a participant until I got to the site and found out I had to spend money. Went back and reread the article and couldn't find mention of it being a pay site.
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