Perception includes such processes as the selection of information through attention, the organization of sensory information through grouping, and the identification of events and objects. Perception refers to mental processes through which incoming sensory information is organized and interpreted in order to represent and understand the environment. Stanley Coren used surveys done by dog obedience judges to rank dog breeds by intelligence and published the results in his 1994 book The Intelligence of Dogs.įurther information: Dog anatomy § Senses, Animal cognition, and Perception The test was administered to 100 dogs and standardized, and breed norms were developed. It also assessed the ability of a dog to adapt to new conditions and cope with emotionally difficult situations. It included measurements of short-term memory, agility, and ability to solve problems such as detouring to a goal. The first intelligence test for dogs was developed in 1976. Breed differences possibly could impact on spatial learning and memory abilities. Dogs from other populations may show different cognitive behaviors. Most modern research on dog cognition has focused on pet dogs living in human homes in developed countries, a small fraction of the dog population. Synaptic plasticity is widely believed to be the cellular correlate of learning and memory, and this change may have altered the learning and memory abilities of dogs. In 2014, a whole genome study of the DNA differences between wolves and dogs found that dogs did not show a reduced fear response they showed greater synaptic plasticity. Thus, modern domestic dogs seem to use humans to solve some of their problems for them. Another study indicated that after being trained to solve a simple manipulation task, dogs that are faced with an unsolvable version of the same problem look at a nearby human, while socialized wolves do not. For example, one study showed compelling evidence that dingoes (Canis dingo) can outperform domestic dogs in non-social problem-solving experiments. Research suggests that domestic dogs may have lost some of their original cognitive abilities once they joined humans.

As a result of this physical and social evolution, many dogs readily respond to social cues common to humans, quickly learn the meaning of words, show cognitive bias and exhibit emotions that seem to reflect those of humans. The cognitive capacities of dogs have inevitably been shaped by millennia of contact with humans.

However, it is questionable whether the cognitive evolution of humans and animals may be called 'independent'. With dogs and humans, we may see psychological convergence that is, dogs have evolved to be cognitively more similar to humans than we are to our closest genetic relatives. For example, fish, penguins and dolphins have each separately evolved flippers as solution to the problem of moving through the water. This may be an example of convergent evolution, which happens when distantly related species independently evolve similar solutions to the same problems. Rather, these skills resemble some of the social-cognitive skills of human children. In the course of this research, behavioral scientists uncovered a surprising set of social-cognitive abilities in the domestic dog, abilities that are neither possessed by dogs' closest canine relatives nor by other highly intelligent mammals such as great apes. Dogs demonstrate a theory of mind by engaging in deception.ĭogs have often been used in studies of cognition, including research on perception, awareness, memory, and learning, notably research on classical and operant conditioning. They have advanced memory skills, and are able to read and react appropriately to human body language such as gesturing and pointing, and to understand human voice commands. Studies have shown that dogs display many behaviors associated with intelligence. Further information: Dog behavior and Animal cognitionĭog intelligence or dog cognition is the process in dogs of acquiring information and conceptual skills, and storing them in memory, retrieving, combining and comparing them, and using them in new situations.

Do dogs have good memories