# If We Could Make Dogs As Smart As Humans, Should We?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-could-make-dogs-as-smart-as-humans-should-we/540857>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 26, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-could-make-dogs-as-smart-as-humans-should-we/540857 "2010-05-26T19:01:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-could-make-dogs-as-smart-as-humans-should-we/540857/61 "2010-06-01T17:59:44Z")

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> [@adhay](#):
>
> … Woof!

Now that I think about it, on my way out of town, I’d stop by the local pound and break out some dob, rot and pit bull bitches. Me Alpha now. Arooooooo… .

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**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-could-make-dogs-as-smart-as-humans-should-we/540857/62 "2010-06-01T21:19:11Z")

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Upon further reflection, first thing I’d do is lick my balls for an hour. 🆒

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**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-could-make-dogs-as-smart-as-humans-should-we/540857/63 "2010-06-01T21:30:46Z")

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> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> Depends on your definition of “intellect,” maybe. When my dogs are smelling something I’m completely ignorant of it. If it’s a threat, they take pains to impress upon me that they’ve detected a threat, because they can tell I’m completely unaware of it. In general, my reactions to some kinds of danger probably make my dogs pity my mental capacity.

I’m using the one that has to do with intellect, as opposed to information availability.

And I seriously doubt your dogs either feel or comprehend ‘pity’. You are projecting.

> [@Sailboat](#):
>
> As far as “minds” go, however, it’s more correct IMHO to say dogs and humans have co-evolved to be more successful together than either was apart. Studies have claimed that dogs are uniquely good at reading human gestures and facial expressions. We’re not yet at the level of symbiosis, but perhaps mutualism. We may no longer need dogs as much as we once did to thrive, but that development was very, _very_ recent (like since the 1930s, maybe?) and may not stand the test of time (in post-oil society we might need dogs more than we now do, for example). We are in this together, for better or worse.

Um, no. Humans bred dogs to be useful to us, but we have no more evolved to need them than we evolved to need toasters. We don’t need dogs at all - as a species. Some individuals have developed personal attachments to them, in the way that I am personally attached to my widescreen TV, but this has squat to do with evolution, and all dogs could disappear tomorrow and we’d be none the worse off at a societal level.

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