How Intelligent are Dogs, Really? (feat.
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- Опубликовано: 24 фев 2021
- Dogs are humanity's best friend, but did we domesticate the brains out of our favorite companions? What's your favorite dog video? Share it with us! 🐕
Like this episode of #AnimalIQ? Whale maybe you should subscribe to Terra 🐋 bit.ly/3mOfd77
The humble dog has been adapting and evolving alongside humanity since before we learned agriculture and how to make our own tools. This long history means #dogs are incredible at human-canine interaction but is there a downside to this all human-focused adaptation? Hosts Natalia Borrego and @TraceDominguez talk to Laurie Santos, Director of the Yale Cognition Center, to find out.
On Animal IQ we dig into the research and talk to the experts to find out just how smart animals appear to be. We then use that knowledge to fill in our AIQ Rubric across five domains of intelligence: Social, Rational, Awareness, Ecological, and our own intelligence X-Factor. Every animal is clever, but their talents vary based on their evolution, biology, values, adaptations, and environment. We hope y'all learn how each of our animals tick on Animal IQ!
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You can also seek out our experts and hosts here:
:: Laurie Santos ::
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Yale's Comparative Cognition Lab: caplab.yale.edu
:: Dr. Natalia Borrego ::
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:: Trace Dominguez ::
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📚 READ MORE
Dogs and people share social intelligence skills
www.aaha.org/publications/new...
Study with 552 dogs, pet, assistant dogs in training, military explosive detection dogs, “variety of breeds” Game-based tests, hiding treats, -- then humans pointed, looked at hiding places
There is no human counterpart to some types of dog intelligence
mindmatters.ai/2020/08/in-wha...
University of Exeter psychology professor (and dog expert) Stephen Lea, says that domestication “has radically altered the intelligence of dogs.” Not so much raised or lowered it as changed its nature from the type of intelligence we would expect from a wolf.
Dog lovers have been saying it for years: dogs are smarter than many people give them credit for
www.vox.com/2015/4/7/8360143/...
Over the past decade, research into canine behavior and intelligence has been blossoming, and a range of experiments have suggested that dogs are capable of surprisingly complex feats of social intelligence and emotional sensitivity. On the whole, psychologist and dog researcher Stanley Coren estimates, the average dog's intelligence is roughly as sophisticated as a 2.5-year-old baby's.
Music: APM
Footage: Storyblocks, Nature Footage
It's so cute that dogs will realize something is hard and think "this is a Human Problem" 🥺
You could argue that it's a form of laziness - "Uh, tis' too difficult for me. Human, could you help me please?"
Other animals are better at problem solving specifically because they don't have others to lean on.
@@GTAVictor9128 can you blame them? If you were living next to the most intelligent and dominant species on your planet you'd rely on them aswell
I mean we will actually train dogs as puppies to look to humans for guidance when they encounter something new. It's used to prevent them from barreling into dangerous situations or items. Soooooo
It's an interesting question- is it an adaptation for dogs to use us as problem solvers, or is it a form of learned helplessness?
Either way, I wouldn't put a negative spin on it because it's something we've done to all of our domesticated animals. You can see that we've bred them for manageability and dependence, and those are almost solely herbivores/prey animals. You certainly wouldn't want a predator sharing your household if you had to constantly outsmart it (I'm thinking of some of the issues that some high-content wolfdog, or other exotic animal owners have).
Basically, an animal needs to be somewhat dependant on us before we can work with it and become really close. Is that a bad thing? I'm not sure 🤷
@@GTAVictor9128 Laziness is often just unattributed efficiency, I feel this would be one of those moments ;)
Ravens, crows and corbids generally are an obvious group to tackle here too.
Yess crows are so fascinating animals.
Yes. I AM SO EXCITE FOR CORVIDS.
Other birds too. We tend to think of little songbirds as dumb, but they're not.
Magpies! In studies, some magpies showed signs they recognized themselves in mirrors. The scientists placed a colored dot on the bird and some tried to groom the area after looking in a mirror.
Also pet/fancy rats. They are intelligent and can be trained to do all sorts of tricks.
One evening my dog was searching around the livingroom for one of her toys. Taking a guess at what she was looking for, I got her attention and said "Your squeaky deer is in the bedroom." And to my shock, she immediately stopped looking, and trotted off to the bedroom, returning moments later with her toy.
Ever since she was a puppy I would say "it's bed time, time to go to bed!" before turning in for the night, so I see where the association comes from, but I was shocked that she could attach the two ideas.
Yep, I'll ask my dog "wanna watch doggies on TV?" And he runs over to sit in front of the TV and barks and won't stop until I turn on RUclips or pitbulls and parolees (his favorite show). It's pretty amazing to see how much they learn from us!
Yeah. They really do seem to understand like a 3 year old human and I tend to forget sometimes that I’m taking to a dog lol.
My cat basically told me she understood what was going on tv when they were talking about a shipwreck, she went over and pushed her button that said OUCH! She has different meanings by how she moves her tail too so I can usually get a response when I ask her yes or no. She's commented on me drinking water lol and she is very vocal when she is mad about soemthing with her button😅
“How intelligent are dogs, really?”
Written by: Dog
😂😂🤣🤣
Every time I watch things like this, even if I'm already in bed getting ready to sleep, I always have the urge to get up, go to my dogs and pet them.
Me too😂😭
Me too!
Socially speaking, horses are also extremely intelligent. They, too, can pick up on human facial expressions.
Oooh! I didn't have them on my list -- ADDING 🐴
Horses are also completely insane. As mad as a box of frogs some would say. But then there does seem to be a fine line between intelligence and insanity.
I do believe that other mammals can read humans...much better than most humans can read them.
They arent that smart. They can read human expressions though (clever Hans effect)
I think most domesticated animals can understand human facial expression or body language to some extent. My chickens definitely know when to come and beg me for snacks and when not to
African grey parrots would be an awesome episode in my humble opinion
my own humble opinion is that I v much enjoy this humble opinion
@@TraceDominguez lol your appreciation is appreciated 😉
Do a video(s) on the crows/raven family
Can we get a penguin episode? or an owl episode?
Bees; they're among the most social of all animals, and at the very least their memory and ability to communicate information to each other is pretty impressive.
Rats?
My son wanted a dog when he was 6. I was flipping a former drug house and working/commuting 57 hours per week.
We all know who (this single mom) would have all the work, right?
Got him a Domesticated Fancy Rat. Then 3 more, consecutively. They are smart as all get out!
Cage? This is where I sleep, this is where I eat/drink, this is where I play, this is where I tee-tee, etc. We'd use cardboard and books to set up mazes around his room.
The tail is used to regulate heat, their hearing is amazing, and they always give themselves a bath after handling. (Removing the oils of our skin after handling.)
Taught my son about great nutrition with small paper plates every day.
Yogurt (a dairy and a protein), a few grains of rice, tiny piece of cheese, celery, a few healthy Cheerios, some veges, some meat, fish... all the while teaching him about caring for a living pet, the responsibility, etc., and I didn't have to clean up the calling cards all over the newly installed white carpet.
Points? One for mom, lol.
10,000 points for my son, as he learned so much about pet care, handling gently, and life...
We'd go out on Worm Patrol. A protein, and they loved it.
Raw chicken or beef?
Their natural diet, in the wild, right?
Anomaly? They will eat tomatoes and grapes, but not the skins.
Maybe the daily buffet was too good... ? 👍 😎 👍
Ooooh you nailed it look out for that episode! 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀
I ❤ ratties!
Their rodent tails and street relatives give them a terrible name. I support anything that can bring awareness to their value as animals and pets worthy of love and adoration. I hope they do a video on their type of intelligence. 🤞🏻
@@Smorgasbord. We called them the
FASTEST FATTEST RATTUS, 🤣
@@Smorgasbord. When it's too warm, sends the heat to the tail. Too cold? Pulls the heat in to the body.
My son was w his dad (the ex) on Vacation one week. "Snowy" was ill and at the end of her 3-year life.
She was so sick. I was holding her and giving her a kernel of corn, knowing that she was near the end of the road. She had a seizure and died in my hands/arms. I cried for hours.
How do I tell my son???
He got back home, and we drove to Grandpa and Grandma B's house for the funeral.
She is buried under the apple tree out on their property, east of Seattle.
She was so white, with those beautiful pink eyes.
Remember the song, "Three Blind Mice"? It's true. They are almost totally blind, but what precious souls and God's gift to human kind.
My brother had 2 growing up, and a blue winter down vest. They each had their own pocket, and would crawl to it if you put the other one in "their" pocket.
So smart!
This needs to be a thing. Literally every creature would be interesting! Cats, rats, otters, crows
We've heard from the dog crowd, now let's hear from the cats!
Cats aren’t smarter.
Did Marble write this?!
@@naturepbs I thought she was only sleeping on my keyboard!
My cat is demanding that everyone be reminded that cats domesticated themselves.
@@mid-sizesedan488 It depends on one's definition of _smarter._ I'm looking forward to hearing their findings.
Would be cool to see a show on octopus/cephalopods and another episode on whales and/or dolphins.
I'd vote for Elephants. Matriarchs have to teach the herd where to go when conditions change like a drought. Not only do they store that info but they are able to pass it along.
Definitely wish we knew more about them
Yes, elephants! 🐘
they are definitely on the list!! COMING SOON! 🐘
They have good memory power
Squirrels. They keep outwitting me in my own backyard.
ruclips.net/video/DTvS9lvRxZ8/видео.html
Mark robers squirell maze
My dog doesn't understand when you point at something to try to help him. He looks at my finger and if I'm insistent with my pointing, he maybe sniffs or licks my hand. He's a smart dog. He just doesn't understand some things like pointing or not following the exact path of an animal he's chasing trying to catch.
My dog does. He always look at where I’m pointing and act on that object. That’s how I taught him how to take his own leash from the basket.
Let's face it not every human is an Einstein. It's a surprise that some can even tie their own shoes in the morning. It's the same with dogs. Your dog may just need help understanding the concept of what pointing means or he may be the one who just doesn't have intelligence for more. I knew a bull terrier once who couldn't find his own food dish without help. Very sweet but dumb as a rock.
Yes please cover whales and/or dolphins if possible
DOLPHINS FOR SURE! Are they as smart as we see in movies and on tv?
Would love to know more about Killer Whales! (Though they ARE dolphins lol) It's super scary how smart orcas seem.
Do an episode about the opossums! They are kinda ignored.
Ravens, racoons, octopuses and some fish have been overstudied already.
:DD yeah they should do some studies themselves, that would be awesome :D and have everything on video if they do.
Did anyone else notice the guy changed his glasses from clear frames to tortoise shell?
I did! But only after we'd already shot that new ending bit… making video is tough when you're trying to match everything to everything 😅
To know what is going through an animal's head is like me knowing what is going on in your head. Humans, Dods, cats, etc., etc... All the same. Each an individual. One into itself. Communication is the key. When we learn to clearly communicate with other animals then we will know what is going on on the inside. Only then will we know. I have always been curious about communication across species. So when I adopted a puppy, my goal was communication. My dog is now 16 years old and we communicate like two people. But with complications... My dog understands 95% of my verbal communication and I understand 85% of his communication. Dogs communicate with sound and body language. And it gets complicated from there. My relationship with my dog is very rewarding and honest. I only wish I had this relationship with one of my own.
How about goats? They're incredibly good at problem solving.
Great idea!
@@maryp.v.2013 there thousands of vidos on octopus intelligence
Its in their name. Greatest Of All Time
they seem pretty dumb
Don't know about problem solving but goats are amazing at pathfinding.
Dolphins and elephants would be interesting to know how you would rate these two intelligent animals.
Raccoons would be very interesting as they seem to be very clever and use ingenuity in getting into things. They are rising in popularity as a pet as well.
I like this show!
I suggest: any reptile. They just seem so... Different from us. I want to hear more about their different intelligences.
Reptile brain = "am I going to kill it and eat it or is it going to kill me and eat me"
I would love to see your evaluation of ferrets.
A video on squirrels would be interesting!
Starfish (Sea Stars) do some intelligent behaviors we normally associate with brains, but starfish don't have a brain.
I would like to see pigs, parrots and corvids
Yes, pigs!
I understand they are smarter than dogs.
Is that true?
Is that Warf on the wall behind you? Speaking of Star Trek, I gotta say that an episode on whales would be cool
I think Raccoons will one day take over the world...😁...they are so smart! ♥️🇨🇦♥️
I think the crows will wait until the raccoons take over, to learn how to do so, and then take over in such a way that allows the raccoons to believe they're still in charge. Like, the raccoon may be king, but the crow is his advisor.
Are you from the raccoon loving city in Canada? I’m so sorry I don’t remember which it was, but I heard a while ago there’s a particular metropolitan city in Canada that’s famous for its raccoons
@@vannah12222 NiiiicE 😎
The problem with racoons being on charge is that they'd all eventually die of overeating...
I've never known bigger gluttons, they are bottomless pits!
I'd love to see:
Corvids
Porpoises, Dolphins, Whales
Bees and other social insects
Barnyard animals like pigs and cows
Racoons and other scavenger animals
Elephants
Panthera and other cats
Rats and other animals used in research
Birds of prey
Cephalopods
Hooman: “It’s ok doggo. What your intelligence is doesn’t change how much I love you.”
Horses may be intelligent. We've depended on them for years!!!
I wanna know more about the intelligence of dolphins!
ME TOO (working on that episode now!) 🐬🐬🐬
So excited about this series! Would love to see an episode on sea otters, they've always seemed surprisingly smart to me.
One thing I’m not sure scientists are looking at is the fact that dogs and cats have different life-priorities from those of humans. Bunny (the sheepdoddle) seems to think the most about poop, going outside, playing with friends, and affection. I think they see most of what we find important not worth thinking about.
Natalia’s job is a dream job!! To me, she fucking won the lottery!!
it's so cool, right? She's awesome
Bats?
Chameleons?
Dolphins vs orcas vs other whale species?
Prairie dogs are VERY socially intelligent. Surprisingly so. Their watchdogs can seemingly communicate shape size and color of threats and differentiate between coyotes and domestic dogs. An episode on them would be awesome
Would love to see an episode on pigs! Also, goats! Both animals have such a sense of fun and mischief .
Yes, pigs!
I understand they are smarter than dogs.
Is that true?
It might be kinda cool to do paper wasps. Even though they're SO different from humans, paper wasps can recognize individuals of their colonies due to unique patterns on their faces. You'd think that individuality wouldn't really matter for a eusocial insect, but it DOES matter, it helps them identify intruders. If you take a fine tipped marker and change the patterns of a wasp's face, it won't be recognized by its colony anymore.
Ooh, I'm excited for this series! Thank you! I'd be really interested to see an episode on bears as well as one on corvids
Love this series after just one episode. I'd love to know more about insect intelligence and how ant colonies work together or bees communicate or how spiders make webs. Looking forward to more!
No matter what. They’re all good bois.
What about the girls?
@@LeoStaley All the petz!!
Dogs are excellent companions, they really do seem to understand us on an emotional level.
I actually met a fellow undergrad in a psycholinguistics course. His domain of interest? *octopus* cognition. He was taking linguistics to get a perspective on how human language works in our own minds to use as a point of comtrast. Fascinating guy.
I’ve worked with a lot of dogs because I used to foster service dogs in training. I was amazed by their differences in personalities. They vary as much as human personalities. They were all bred for their intelligence because they’re meant to be service dogs, but some are definitely smarter than others.
I hope you mention Octopuses and pigs in future episodes both are incredibly intelligent also whales and dolphins
Everyone At about 99% of Videos: OMG THEY HAVE A BAD CAM OMGGGGGGGGGGG
Everyone on PBS Videos: EPIC VIDEO
And reptiles, bats, sharks, snakes, turtles, bears, lemurs, rabbits, guinea pigs, kangeroos, koala s, crows, parrots, cetaceans, raccoons,
I would love to see an episode on elephants
Animals I'd love to see covered by this series: Chickens, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and horses.
Yes, pigs!
I understand they are smarter than dogs.
Is that true?
Yes, cows! I would like to see that too!
Yes, sheep! I would like to see that too.
Many of us have watched the videos of dogs using buttons to communicate, I really do think that the depth of canine intelligence is far greater than we think.
My cat loves performing tricks, but only to receive treats. He doesn't do it to please me. He loves me, but not enough to do a trick without a treat.
Our dog is not as smart as the average dog, but she's cute. We'd love to see a video on parrot or raven intelligence
Thank you so much for uploading this video. It is helping me get through the pandemic!
Soooo when are we getting to house cat episode?
What next? Coyotes, please.
A really smart dog is truly wonderful and awfully frustrating at the same time. A smart dog understands you, thinks about what you want, and decides that they would rather not comply, it won't blindly obey like a dumber and more trusting dog will. Despite that annoyance I would much rather have an intelligent dog, they understand you and will do their utmost to help you, whether that is performing a task or just being a wonderful friend that loves you more than itself. The feeling of being loved so deeply by an emotionally savvy and cognitively aware creature, having its undying loyalty is joy like no other, treasure your dogs as they treasure you, no other creature in the universe cares for you more than your dog.
Pretty fascinating stuff.
Watching border collies heard sheep, taking cues from their human clicking or whistling, is a prime example of our “Special Relationship” with them.
After twenty years of selling Dalmatians for fun, I enjoyed ten years of rough haired collies. The Dalmatians were cool smart and could run forever it seemed, though some breeders had issues with deafness. I was lucky and careful. The rough haired collies were so sweet and gentle, but the hair was extraordinarily difficult with a nearly constant hair hurricane in my convertible.
After losing my last Collie a couple years ago, I picked up a black lab at the humane society who I hit it off with right away. He was about five years old or so, and he is my first black lab.
I’m learning a lot now about their unique behavior. I’m sure he could never outrun a Dalmatian distance wise, but for short distances, I’ve never seen a big dog move that fast. Now that I’ve taught him to count to two treats, we are working on three but he seems to be quite cognizant of the difference in size of the treats.
Since he will constantly eat, I have to measure his food and he has filled out and filled out and filled out some more, since I got him from the local lost and found. I love all dogs and each breed has its own unique characteristics, even though all breeds share plenty of common ones too. Now, i have no idea why my black lab won’t even get into a kiddy pool with four inches of water, let alone the local lake. But that’s the way he is, so I keep a warm towel handy to dry him off when he comes in from the weather of the Pacific Northwest.
GREAT VIDEO!!!
When I was a National Park Ranger, I gave a talk on gray whales. At the end of the talk, one of the participants asked me about whale intelligence. I responded that I thought they were intelligent, but we couldn't tell how smart they were because so much of intelligence was measured using tool use and communication. Since whales had no hands and we didn't understand their communication (or even if they really had language), we just didn't really know. That was 35 years ago. How has the state of our knowledge progressed since then?
My chickens can be pretty dumb, but my aunts ducks are dumber. Whats the actual rating for both?
elephants, pigs, and octopi! saw these in some comments below and i agree!
Do African Grey parrots or leaf cutter ants
I'd like to see an analysis of the more intelligent birds -- maybe one video for raptors (eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls) and one for Corvidae (mainly crows, ravens, and magpies). Maybe even a third for parrots.
I'd especially like to see a ranking among owls and hawks. I volunteered for a year with a wildlife care clinic, and I took a Great Horned Owl out for walks (he was on my arm) frequently for several months. A couple times, we had a Red-tailed Hawk fly toward us aggressively -- and one of the times, a pair of crows (which I'm pretty sure were regulars who lived in the area) eventually chased the hawk away! (But the crows left us alone. I'm pretty sure they recognized us and didn't see us as a threat to their territory.) We also had a Bald Eagle check us out once, but (s)he just did one casual fly-by and went on his/her way. And one time, we saw a pair of Barred Owls high in a tree, and one stayed and watched us and occasionally hooted at us over several minutes. (The Barred Owl seemed curious, not at all aggressive.)
My impression from all this (regular interaction with one Great Horned Owl, our encounters with other birds, and helping rehabilitate a few other owls and hawks) was that owls tend to be more intelligent than hawks. I also suspect eagles are smarter than hawks -- possibly also smarter than owls. (But I've had very little interaction with eagles.) I have no idea where falcons would rank compared to other raptors. And, of course, crows are very smart and social -- probably smarter than the raptors.
But I'd love to know more details, if there have been studies to really try to assess their intelligence to the point where they can be compared to each other.
Planaria next. I've been training mine.
We notice how sensitive to emotion our dog is during homeschool. She'll get up and leave the room when we get frustrated.
This is a good fit for the channel.
Give in to the almighty brain(s?) of the octopus, humans!
Need ALOT more research into invertebrate intelligence. This NEEDS to be supported. It can totally change our understanding and definition of what 'intelligence' is.
I mean, my dog got on its hind legs, used a nail to pick the lock, and then bit the doorknob and turned it to open the door.
I didn't teach it that.
It understood that the door was in its way and that the knop area was how humans (namely myself) open and close it, and then experimented until it opened the door.
That's a pretty good sign of intelligence, I'd say.
Corvids in general would be a great episode, but the New Caledonian Crow should probably get their own episode with how unique their abilities are.
This was fun to see because my dog definitely follows my eyes and my hands if I point to something or even look in that direction she can go in that direction to find her treat. she reads me.
I think that you should do a video on octopuses and/or the orca
octopus = clever, but too short of a lifespan to matter..
Smart or dumb, I love them all ❤
My iguana was potty trained without much effort and followed a strict routine. No cage, but I think most of it was instinct. Some dogs I had were smart and some were dumb but still had some weirdly smart habits.
I have a dog and he knows when it rains when there’s no windows. He can detect blood pressure issues. He can detect heart rate in a human. I can quietly open up a jar of peanut butter in a different room and he will wake up from a dead sleep and go immediately sniff it out within 1 minute. He responds to all sort of different words and sounds that I make. Those are just a few things I’ve noticed and experimented with my own dog. And he’s awesome. I’m more attached to my dog than I was to my own mother.
Edit: I also remembered that he can tell the difference between sounds coming from an app on my phone and the 60+ factory installed ringtones. I don’t know how he does but he just does.
Bias dog lover.
We had one who looked at us like he wanted to use human speech and another who ran into walls. Some are scary smart and some are shockingly not.
We had a dog that used to actually go look up at the clock every day around 3 to 5 o'clock - for my dad to come home from work. My mom noticed it as she had a chair she sat in right by the front door and wondered why the dog would keep coming into the room looking up at the big clock now and then, and she noticed every day at 5 on the dot it would go sit or stand at the front door wagging its tail. I did not believe it at first when she told me this, but I saw it also.
Theis video reminded me of how much I love dogs! Good boys and girls! Fluffy cute baby
Turdus Migratorius (N. American Robin) has a small-vocabulary language of a dozen words, and it's just for mating, and no one has even noticed.
"The Majestic wolf, nature's ultimate klling machine. Through generations of selective breeding, now humankind's cute little buddy." -Interdimensional cable
I loved this! I can't wait for the cat edition and then, of course, every single other animal the two of you choose!
Dog intelligence is as variable as human intelligence. As a lifelong dog trainer, some of my dogs have been pretty dim, and others have been exceptional. One thing I rarely notice is people making a distinction between intelligence and cognitive ability. A young dog only a few months old can be very intelligent and quick to learn, but like people, they don't get good sense until they are older. Dogs need a minimum of 3 years to "wake up," and 5 years is better. Stock dog trainers call it "Getting their fifth leg." Maturity and experience count for a lot in cognitive ability.
So imagine being stranded on an island with 1 other person who speaks a language unknown to you. After a while you might have an idea of what they're saying based on their tone and behavior, but might not know what they're saying exactly.
Octopuses! Do octopuses!
Clams and oysters can be trained. Some research people raising clams in trays of water were having problems feeding them, because they would close tightly if anyone came near. They hired an animal trainer, who trained the clams to respond to a sound by opening their shell for food to be dropped in.
These captions aren’t up to the usual high standards. Missing plurality, periods and commas added in the middle of sentences, incorrect conjugations (such as “extraordinary” instead of “extraordinaire”), and outright misheard words.
A few typos can slip through but this has gone just over the line where it can impact understanding by hearing-impaired folks. Lots of Deaf ppl complain that they can often tell a word is wrong for the sentence but can’t figure out what it was meant to be. I can hear but I use captions because of occasional verbal transcription failures, and for instance I had a really hard time when treat became “trait” in the captions. Took me like five minutes, and I have the benefit of hearing her accent!
We'll do better next time!
Craptions
I would argue that dogs are able to comprehend sentences in the most basic sense. Dogs can pick up on several words in a strand and perform different actions based on what they've heard and the order in which they heard it. For example, a dog can be taught to "bring" an object to a place, person, or even another object, and can pair that with the name of an object. They can understand the order of the words in the sentence to achieve this. The same dog frequently referred to as the one who "knows 1000+ words" has actually demonstrated this. Her owner would lay several objects on the floor in designated places, each of which the dog knew by name. Then he would instruct the dog to pick up one object and bring it to the location of another object. The dog would comprehend the order in which the names of the objects were said, and use that information to correctly bring one object to another's location.
LOOOOVVE this!
Squirrels!
3:50 they had to test that? My dog could do that ever since he was a pup, so I don't think it is that uncommon
Rats.
I spent a decade looking for smart and interpersonal pets I wasn't allergic to (which excluded dogs and cats). I first tried birds (cockatiels). That didn't go well. To the point that I called them "burds" (short for "burdens"). I finally got them re-homed via a bird adoption group.
Next I tried rats. Females only, seven of them total over a few years. The last five were rescued lab rats, all of whom were sweet and nice, but brainlessly dumb. However my first two rats were random pet store rats who were very smart, actually interacting with me (making eye contact), and were highly trainable. But one of them was truly genius-level, easily smarter than the smartest dog I've ever met. The communal rat cage sat on a table. I performed aversion training on all the rats except the smartest one. This training was simple: Push them toward the edge of the table, almost over the edge, until they frantically resisted the pushing. Completed over just 3-4 sessions.
For my brilliant rat, I instead taught her how to leap a small gap between the table to a nearby chair in both directions, to freely leave the table and return. She had total freedom in my home, while the other rats had only limited freedom under close supervision. I had to train her for basic safety for both of us, which included three things:
1) No pooping or peeing away from the cage (due to the smell and difficulty to find and clean).
2) No food storage/hoarding away from the cage (due to ants and other bugs).
3) No chewing on electrical cords or base molding.
The first two were diabolically difficult to train, but my genius girl finally got them (sorta-kinda), mainly via audible commands (well, noises, mainly hisses). But the third training item had me worried, as my girl loved to nibble and climb. Turned out only a single long session was needed: I laid an extension cord on the floor and over a chair, then rubbed food on it. Whenever she tried to bite or climb it, I'd flick a finger on the top of her head. The third or fourth time she approached it, she put a paw on it and looked at me. I slowly and silently shook my head 'no', and she walked away from it! I did a similar thing for the wood molding: Another "one and done". I never had any chewed wires or wood after that training.
She then insisted I build a ramp so she could access my bed. Literally insisted. When I went to bed she'd be on the floor squeaking at me until I lifted her up. I built her a ramp, and in about 5 seconds she knew how to use it. When I went to bed, she'd climb up and snuggle between my neck and the mattress when my head was on the pillow. If I decided to read a bit before sleeping, she'd rest on my chest right below my chin, watching my hands turn the pages, as if she were reading along.
Best of all was the morning: When she thought it was time for me to wake up, she'd climb on the pillow and lick my eyelids and face. During the workweek, she'd do this 10 to 15 minutes before the alarm went off, giving me a few minutes to welcome the morning with my Best Girl. I still wonder how she learned to tell time and know the day of the week...
Despite their total awesomeness, I didn't stick with rats: Their lifetimes of under 3 years (best case) were simply too short: It seemed I was always losing one of them, and the sequence of tiny deaths finally overwhelmed my desire for such fantastic pets. Losing my Best Girl was by far the hardest. I couldn't go through that again.
I did some research, and if I interpreted it correctly, I found that rats are the only mammal that co-evolved with humans that was NOT routinely domesticated (which excludes mammals such as cows, dogs and cats). Surprisingly, mice and similar small animals did not co-evolve with us, at least not in any way close to what rats underwent.
I have such fond memories of my girls all lined up on the edge of the table squeaking at me when I returned from work. I'd sit next to their table, and they'd run up my arms to lick my neck and ears, welcoming me home. Amazing pets. Friends, really. No, more like roommates.
Why not boy rats? They mark EVERYTHING (which gets a bit stinky), and they can be competitive and territorial, meaning I'd need more than a single cage (which still could be on the same table). And male rats going through puberty are a nightmare. Yes, they too are total loves, and I made friends with fellow rat owners who preferred males for their stronger personalities.
No other rat I ever met, male or female, was anywhere near as smart and loving and wonderful as my Best Girl.
Did you know that rats are ticklish? And they laugh? They also act just like toddlers when you tickle them, even grasping my finger if I stopped too soon.
I think it's really interesting how many behaviors we associate with "good dog" have to be meticulously trained from puppyhood, and how many innate behaviors we quash at the same time. Dogs looking for cues and guidance (see; example stated of frustrating dog turning to human) is literally trained, not always innate ("look at me" puppy class command, or rewarding them for paying attention to you). A dog investigating where you point is also trained, it's one of the very first behaviors because it's used to shape all other trained behaviors. So I can't help but question a lot of these studies.
Another point of view - how many people write cats off as stupid because they can't motivate them to take commands or behave in specific manners, or understand how they communicate?
The dog makes constant eye contact with our faces, wolves no, BUT I saw a documentary on foxes getting more dog-like, they are starting to make more observable eye contact with their human owners and thus they are getting slowly domesticated too. So eye contact IMO is a great sign of intelligence.
Yay! Great to see a Trace!
What a wonderful video and channel. Subbed.
I think it would be interesting to see how your metrics line up with ants.