Here's an article talking about a wolf vs. dog study...link

[Mary Plummer]

Hello everyone,

I know we've talked about studies demonstrating dogs' ability to read human facial expressions, etc., but I don't remember one comparing their ability to do this to wolves. What this makes me wonder is just how researchers define what makes an animal "smart". It seems like there are a number of different ways we could define it for dogs, and I'm just not sure how it is most commonly used.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20 ... gwolf.html

[TheSkeptic]

Coren uses those things that can be tested imperically....

Memory. ...

A: Show teh dog something he really likes.
B: Let him see you put it somewhere.
C: Take him away for a period of time.
D: Take him back and see if he goes to the place you put the item.

Problem solving.

A: Show the dog something he really likes.
B: Let him see you put it somewhere where it would be difficult for him to get it.
C; see if he can solve the problem of retrieving the object.

[momPaws]

I saw a show on Animal Planet once that showed a dog IQ test. Some of the tests were things so simple for Honey...like... put a hankie on the dog's head and see what they do. Some dogs actually just sat there covered up..but if you had a smart dog they would, of course, shake it off in a sec.

Another one was to turn an object upside down - like in Honey's case either a hamb. roll or frosty paws cup - and time how long it takes for them to right the object. This is nothing for her to do.

Wish I could remember the others, so I guess since I can't I flunk the test

[momPaws]

oops..just remembered (cheated and looked at Skeptic's post) - those were there, too...hiding and object, etc. It was a very interesting test when you saw the variations in how the different dogs reacted.

[newfie]

Half those IQ tests especially on animal planet are horrible at finding a motiviator for the correct dog, for instance a mastiff, was considered low on the intelligence scale becouse he didnt go after the rubber squeek toy, how awful.
they are intelligent,
find them a REAL motivator and you will SEE how intelligent they really are.
why didnt they try food or something really enticing?
sometimes i swear they love to set up a particular breed to fail and make others shine.
LOL
oh and the blankee test i laughed at, many people cover their dogs up and they lay on the bed with them, it is comforting for many dogs to be under a blankee, that to me does not show intelligence, take them into the field of SAR or some other working test than we will see how intelligent they REALLY are

[Amandasmom]

This article was in the November issue of Science. It said dogs are better at picking up clues from humans then chimps. A chimp will follow the gaze of other chimps or humans but a dog will understand pointing or taps and a chimp can't. I didn't think about this until I read the article. I'll point to Pete's toy and he will go get it. But when I point at something for the cat, he doesn't understand. It's realy neat.