Study: Dogs are not as smart as you think they are

If you are a dog lover, feel free to ignore the findings of a new study in the journal Learning & Behavior that suggests our pooches are not as smart as we may think.

The study compares canine cognition to other carnivores, social hunters and domestic animals (all groups that dogs fall into).

Researchers looked at the behavior of several animals, including wolves, cats, dolphins, chimpanzees, pigs, and pigeons to see if dogs have any special skills that weren't recorded in other species.

The researchers say they do not.

"We cover sensory cognition, physical cognition, spatial cognition, social cognition, and self-awareness," the study reads. "We conclude that dog cognition does not look exceptional."

The good news is, there are a lot of different ways the study explores intelligence, which means you are free to choose the parts in which dogs did as well, if not better, than other animals.

For example, while they're not great at physical cognition, interacting with and understanding objects around them, dogs seem to be at least average, when it comes to social cognition, especially when they are taking cues from humans.

Still, the study concludes, "when a broad-enough set of comparison species is considered, there is no current case for canine exceptionalism."

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