Book Review: The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren

Bless her, my partner, in an effort to keep my thirst for all things dog sated, purchased me three new books today:. One of which was The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren.

Despite me never having heard of him before, he is also the author of "How Dogs Think" and "How to Speak Dog". However, it is the "Intelligence of Dogs" that I shall focus upon here, as that was the one I tackled today.

ISBN: 1-4165-0287-4
Price: 8.99
Pages: 278
Format: Paperback

Make no mistake, this book is quite heavy reading. It's not supposed to be, nor does it try to be another "Why Does My Dog..." type read.
It is most definitely more focused on the actual science and psychology of answering the age-old questions of are dogs intelligent, and if so, in what ways are they intelligent?

The author goes to great lengths to attempt to present fair, balanced, and scientific views on dog intelligence, using anecdotes more as reference points than as basis of fact. For that, he got my immediate respect and interest.

It's not an easy subject to address, and the author, to his credit, has clearly made great effort to try to start with a blank canvas, and build his entire case by painting the facts layer by layer. (Assuming, of course, that anything in dog behaviour can actually be called fact.)

He argues, and argues it well I might add, that dogs do indeed have intelligence. Not only do they have intelligence but they have different types of intelligence that are often more common in some breeds than others. He categorises these types of intelligence and demonstrates how they are different from one another.

There are also several tests that can be carried out towards the end, which are based on tests used within science to measure a dog's intelligence, and then tests to calculate your dog's personality. He's customised the tests a little to make them more practical for a home environment, and I can't see that they would be impossible for the average dog owner to carry out; requiring very little equipment.

What I also liked about the book, aside from it being about as factual as you can get, based on the latest psychology, and mitochondrial DNA testing, is the sheer number of interesting facts that the author dots around the book. Particularly, for example, when discussing how religion has affected our views on dogs in society, and thus how each society views dogs in general.

Also contained are lists that are based on the best evidence available as to which dogs are the most intelligent, and which are the least. The list itself surprised me. I was stunned to learn that the poodle ranks as the second most intelligent breed, in terms of working and obedience intelligence. Not that I have anything against poodles per se, but I just wouldn't have imagined that level of intelligence. For the record, I present the top ten below:

1: Border Collie
2: Poodle
3: German Shepherd
4: Golden Retriever
5: Doberman Pinscher
6: Shetland Sheepdog
7: Labrador Retriever
8: Papillon
9: Rottweiler
10: Australian Cattle Dog

If I was stunned to learn that the poodle was second, I was even more stunned to learn which breed came last, though I won't add it here, for fear of offending owners of that particular breed.

Though, the author does make a point of emphasising the point that many obedience judges pressed to him; there are always exceptions to any breed, and more often than not, it's the relationship between the handler and the dog which can make the most difference.

The last section of the book deals with the pros and cons of owning the intelligent dog and the not so intelligent dog, and how you can improve the intelligence of the latter.

Overall, I really loved this book (as can be reflected by the fact I read it all in a single afternoon.) It appealed to me mainly because it really tried to deal with the science, not the emotion, but didn't disrespect the latter either. In fact, he takes quite a swipe, albeit in a non-threatening manner, at old theories based on the works of Decartes, and others, who really believed that the dog couldn't have emotion or intelligence, but was simply a machine. (When you read his counter attacks to their theories, you wonder why they didn't question it at the time.)

However, without a doubt, my favourite part, as it made sense in today's climate, where we all too often look at the most wishful answer, over the most logical, was the true story relating to Hans the horse that could do math. I shall leave you to look that story up, or buy the book. It's a light-bulb moment, for sure.

I really loved this book and shall be seeking out other books by the same author. Heavy reading at times, with quite a few science references, but at the end of it, you come out much better informed, I think.

Great review Maz... sounds like a good read I'm sure fights will break out now between Border Collie and Poodle owners! lol

Sounds a good read, i've read before somewhere that Poodles are an intelligent breed. Now you have me wondering who was at the bottom of the list...should Toby be worried???LOL (thats Toby the dog by the way,not me Toby!!!LOL again)!

That's why poodles always featured in circus acts and variety shows doing all those tricks. As for the least intelligent I guess you can compare them to a supermodel brains are not necessarily the prime requirement with looks like that.

So, which was last?? You can't leave us hanging like that? It wouldn't surprise me if it was a Boxer!

I really like Stanley Coren and can also recommend 'How Dogs Think' by him...it really made me assess how I speak and relate to my dogs and how they perceive the world. Love him. Great review and fantastic pressie!!!!!