Calling all Border Collies.

[desertranger]

I cut this from a Border Collie.ORG topic.


The topic of Border Collie intelligence has been discussed a bit here previously, but I want it known that I was looking to get a border collie before it was about to become fashionable with techie geeks. Anyway, don't flame me if you think your BC is smarter than a 2 year old, blame the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Still, fun stuff.

The Telegraph reports that researchers using tests originally designed to demonstrate the development of language, pre-language and basic arithmetic in human children have found that dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations putting them on par with the average two-year-old child. While most dogs understand simple commands such as sit, fetch and stay, a border collie tested by Professor Coren showed a knowledge of 200 spoken words. 'Obviously we are not going to be able to sit down and have a conversation with a dog, but like a two-year-old, they show that they can understand words and gestures,' says Professor Stanley Coren, a leading expert on canine intelligence at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Dogs can tell that one plus one should equal two and not one or three,' says Coren, adding that dogs 'can also deliberately deceive, which is something that young children only start developing later in their life.' Coren believes centuries of selective breeding and living alongside humans has helped to hone the intelligente of dogs. 'They may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought.'

A BC is smarter than a fifth grader in most respects and from a measured stand point has a higher IQ than the average 5 year old. They also listen better than a 2 year old.

200 words? That's nothing, I've had dogs with vocabularies much higher than that. Jins vocabulary is almost 100 words and he's still learning. Add to that BCs can understand phrases, hand and whistle signals even how to read and respond to body language that has to be included in their vocabulary as well. Jin knows the difference between a squeaky, tennis, chuck-it, large and small soccer balls, a Frisbee and rope. And that's just Jin. Every BC on this (BC.ORG) forum can do any of that.

Ever watch a BC work out a problem, you can see the wheels turning in its head. Ever count how many commands there are for a trained BC. Hundreds, Jin at 7 months already performs over 30 diff commands and he's only 7 months old. Nope I'm afraid Prof Coren needs to go back to his studies as he came up a bit short



My dog is smarter than your honor student.