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Name: The Genius of Dogs
Rating: 4.2 (92 reviews)
Author: Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

Discovering the Unique Intelligence of Man’s Best Friend

4.2 (92 Bewertungen)

19 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

"The Genius of Dogs" by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods explores the intelligence of dogs and the evolution of their special bond with humans. Discover the groundbreaking discoveries made through years of research into our furry friends' capabilities.

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What’s in it for me? Discover the secret behind the genius of dogs.

Every year, proud owners travel the world with their furry friends to compete in dog shows to display a wide range of agility and tricks. It’s hard to deny that dogs have an impressive ability to learn! In fact, research has shown that few other animals can learn as well as dogs can.

So how exactly did dogs get so clever? Domestication and training has surely played a part, but as these blinks will show you, the story is more complex.

How did wild, lone wolves become man’s best friend and develop a special bond that makes them more suited to a pack of two-legged people? Read on to discover the genius of dogs.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why dogs chose to domesticate themselves;
how dogs and toddlers share the same cognitive abilities; and
why the bulldog’s nose is so flat and its jaws so strong.

A dog’s intelligence is grounded in its survivalist skills. Picking humans as companions was genius.

If you’ve ever seen a dog perform a series of complicated tricks, you know that these four-legged creatures are clever. But just how clever are they, and how can we measure dog smarts?

Animal intelligence is different than human intelligence, and is better measured in how well an animal has managed to survive and reproduce over time.

Interestingly, many mammals today are in decline, endangered or teetering on the edge of extinction – but not dogs.

So how do we evaluate the genius of dogs? A genius can excel in one area of cognition, but remain average or lacking in another. While dogs may not be all-round geniuses, they can be considered specialized geniuses when compared to other closely related species.

Another signifier of genius is the ability to make spontaneous inferences, which humans do all the time.

For example, if you’re driving toward an intersection and can’t see the traffic light, yet notice a car entering the intersection from a side street, you infer that your traffic light is red. Dogs too have the ability to infer information from their surroundings, as there are few allowances for trial and error in nature.

The lasting relationship between humans and dogs throughout history is based on our shared intelligence.

Initially, people thought early humans raised wolf cubs as companions, animals that evolved into what we know today as dogs. Yet why would our ancestors take cubs away from wolves, wild animals that were intensely feared?

Humans didn’t need the help of wolves to hunt; in fact, keeping wolves as part of the human “pack” would mean we’d have to hunt more, as a wolf needs up to five kilograms of meat per day to survive. What’s more, wolves are incredibly possessive of their food, and a hungry wolf is a dangerous wolf!

So the wolf-cub-to-dog theory didn’t make sense. How then can we explain why ancient human graves, from some 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, also included buried puppies?

Dogs domesticated themselves to eat better, and along the way, bonded closely with humans.

So how did the wolf become the domesticated dog? Rather than humans seeking to bond with wolves, it was the wolves that chose to bond with humans.

Early human settlements offered new sources of food, such as discarded bones and rotting meat. Only the more audacious wolves could use this discovery to their advantage, and slowly, these wolves became more skilled at responding to cues in human behavior.

Dogs watch us and learn from us, much like an infant does. Yet dogs develop much quicker.

As humans, we aren’t born with fully formed cognitive abilities. It takes time for small children to develop the skills needed to survive. Dogs, however, learn much more rapidly.

At around nine months, human babies begin to focus on what others are looking at and how others react to the environment. This ability to read intention is the cognitive basis for culture and communication. Impressively, dogs share this ability, too.

For dogs, survival of the fittest means survival of the friendliest. Wagging tails are more than cute!

You’re probably familiar with the concept of “survival of the fittest.” But what does it mean to be fit?

Let’s take two of Homo sapiens’ closest relatives, the chimpanzee and the bonobo. In doing so, you’ll witness two different types of “fitness” at work.

Dogs show understanding and can communicate, but there are limitations to their “language.”

Plenty of dog owners attest to sharing a mutual understanding with their pet. Is this an exaggeration? Well, there’s actually more truth to this claim than you might think.

So what exactly do dogs understand? A word? A concept? When we’re young, and learn a word such as “shoe,” we understand that “shoe” refers to a category. The same goes for our canine companions.

Dogs are social animals. They learn and act best with others, and even better when with humans.

Dogs are pack animals. Street dogs work together, and pets stick to their human “pack.”

This social way of living and learning gives dogs an advantage. When they’re alone, dogs can get stuck with a problem, but when they observe others solving the problem, they learn quickly.

There is no “best” dog breed. Curiously, a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard have lots of genes in common.

Even if you don’t own a dog, you’ve probably heard different opinions about what breed is best.

But dog breeds are not as different as you might think. In fact, there is no international consensus on the number of dog breeds, as different countries recognize different breeds.

Dog training doesn’t follow behavioral concepts, but uses cognitive encounters as a guide.

Established by Burrhus Frederic Skinner, behaviorism was a leading learning concept in the second half of the twentieth century.

Behaviorists believe that the cognitive mechanism behind behavior is irrelevant, but that it is the ingraining of the “right” behavior that matters. This approach, however, has its limitations.

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Worum geht es in The Genius of Dogs?

The Genius of Dogs (2013) uncovers the remarkable intelligence of man’s best four-legged friend. By first examining human intelligence, the authors go on to explain exactly what makes dogs so smart, which talents they have in common with humans and other animals, and what sets them apart.

Bestes Zitat aus The Genius of Dogs

Relative to other animals, it is the ability of dogs to understand human communication that is truly remarkable.

—Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

Wer The Genius of Dogs lesen sollte

Dog owners or anyone considering adopting a dog
People interested in animal behavior and cognition
Veterinarians or anyone who cares for or works with dogs

Über den Autor

Brian Hare obtained his PhD from Harvard University and is an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. His research has been cited in articles published in The New York Times, TIME, Wired and National Geographic.

Specialising in animal intelligence and behavior, Vanessa Woods is an Australian scientist, author and award-winning journalist. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, BBC Wildlife and The Huffington Post.

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