Are We Underestimating Our Dogs?

National Geographic interviewed 603 people and asked what they prefer, cats or dogs. Fifty-two percent preferred dogs, 21 percent preferred cats, and 27 percent weren’t sure which species they liked better. Dogs have always been known as man’s best friend, so it’s inevitable that they rank higher than our feline friends.

But do we give our dogs the credit they deserve?

According to the Huffington Post, even though dogs can’t speak human languages, they have the capacity to understand more than 100 words. And researchers have now discovered that “human and dog brains process the vocalization and emotions of others more similarly than previously thought.”

Postdoctoral researcher Attila Andics and his crew from MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group trained 11 dogs to lie still in an fMRI brain scanner for seven six-minute intervals. Both dogs and humans listened to almost 200 dogs and human sounds, ranging from whining and crying to laughter and playful barking. The results showed that both groups responded with greater neural activity when they listened to the positive emotions. However, each individual group responded more strongly to the sounds made by their own species.

Andics believes this is evidence for why the bond is so close between humans and dogs. Humans domesticated dogs some 30,000 years ago. They also believe the parallel brain sensitivity to voices and emotions are the reason our bond is so strong. Andics says, “This similarity helps explain what makes vocal communication between dogs and humans so successful. It’s why dogs can tune into their owners’ feelings so well.”

In an article on the website of the American Psychological Association, canine researcher Stanley Coren states, “We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky, and apparently irrational behaviors Lassie or Rover demonstrate. Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought.”

There are three types of dog intelligence, which depend on the type of dog and its breed: instinctive intelligence, which is what the dog is bred to do; adaptive intelligence, which involves how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems; and ­the intelligence required for the dog to work and obey commands.

The average dog is able to learn 165 words, including signals. And “super dogs” that are in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence can learn 250 words. Dogs are also able to count up to four or five, and can notice errors in simple math problems.

So let’s not think of dogs as those adorable creatures that occasionally drink out of the toilet. Let’s think of them as smart, sophisticated canines that know just a little more than we think they do.