Oh, please. Races in humans are nothing remotely comparable to breeds in dogs, and to imply that if you believe that different breeds are of different intelligence somehow implies a racist point of view is beyond idiotic. Breeds of dog have been bred for different characteristics, including intelligence. Some breeds are smart; some are dumb.
And I have to jump in and defend Jack Russells again. Ours is a fantastic little dog, and as has been said, all but understands English. He can get a little clingy if he doesn’t get enough exercise, but he’s very obedient and nothing like the horror stories.
Sampiro, I have to admit as far as killing machines, nothing comes in our yard and lives to tell about it. Snakes, rats, filed mice, gophers, egrets, lizards, have all met a fast demise at the hands of the “Pack”. One of their favorite exercises is to chase a laser light around the pool for several laps. We also have a good time with 3 or more balls all thrown as far as I can manage. I have to take 1-3 to the dog park at a time due to them ganging up on the big dogs when they are all together.
BTW sometimes, all 7 sleep in the bed when my wife or I am away on business, normally its just 5 with the “Giant Jacks” having their own bed. I have two that are 30 and 31 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh 43 and 46 lbs. I swear they are from the same litter as the smaller ones, they just kept growing and growing.
One thing I’ll say about Ollie (my half JRT) is that once you do teach him something, he’s got it from then on. When I first moved into the house where I live now he was bad about running out anytime the back gate was open and it took me a lot of fussing and yelling and holding him in position, etc., to break him from the habit. (I don’t know about other JRTs, but Ollie hates to be fussed at; I don’t think he’d mind a spanking as much.)
Not long ago I was walking my other dog and heard a commotion as Ollie was barking at another dog who had the nerve to walk down the same street. (Jack Russells are little dogs but they have big dog barks; I’ve opened the door before for people who were shocked to see what size body the barking when they rang the doorbell was coming from.) When I got back Ollie’s hair was bristling, he was in full on “I WILL RETURN WITH MY SHIELD OR ON IT!” mode, and he was standing at the back gate, which I hadn’t closed well and which was open, but which might as well have been closed and bolted shut because he wasn’t going to cross it without his leash on.
WORST thing about him by far is that he doesn’t mind worth a damn when he sees something that upsets him (99 out of 100 times another dog that might be a Chihuahua or might be a Russian mastiff) in the park. I have to buy extra strength retracting leashes because once he goes into “DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT I’M HAVING DOG ASS FOR DINNER!” mode he’s unreachable other than by physical restraint.
Funny thing though: as mentioned he would probably charge an oncoming velociraptor without a second thought, but he’s afraid of large birds. There are geese and swans at the park where I walk him; usuallyt hey’re on the other end of the park where the ponds are, but if any are in “Ollie’s” side of the park they’re one of the few things that make him cower.
He and Mardi have interesting interactions as well. Like two brothers they are constantly fighting- not usually actual fights with teeth and the like but snarling and growling and ‘fussing’ at each other and you’d think half the time- especially when they both want to be in the same part of the bed at night- that they can’t stand each other.
Mardi had to have an operation recently and was gone for several days; Ollie stopped eating while he was gone. Not completely- he would take scraps and he’d eat a little from his dish, but maybe a quarter of what he’d eaten before- he was literally worried sick about Mardi. When I brought Mardi home from the hospital he stopped just short of throwing palm branches.
OTOH, one time when I was walking Mardi and a friend was walking Ollie (I NEVER walk them both together) a dog off his leash (about Cocker Spaniel sized) took Ollie by surprise before I could stop him. Ollie instantly went into “BASTARDO PREPARE TO DIE” mode but before I could break the dogs up Mardi, who is the biggest Beta-to-Omega dog on the planet usually, is charging to his defense- “You leave my stupid little brother alone you son of a bitch!” Luckily the other dog’s owner and my friend had the fight broken up before there was any real damage done on either side but it was interesting seeing Mardi go to the rescue of his buddy.
Another Mardi moment was when my mother was dying from cancer- she was still ambulatory at the time- a home health care nurse used to come by every few days, which was also interesting. Again Mardi- who is usually the sweetest dog I’ve ever known- went into attack mode and snarled and barked at her, which he never does to anybody, and had to be reassured “it’s okay, she’s fine”, but even then he squeezed into the chair by my mother’s side and never let the home health care nurse out of his sight with an unquestionably defensive glare. A couple of years before that my brother-in-law had a stroke- very unexpected- and whenever he was at my sister’s house or my brother-in-law was at ours Mardi wouldn’t leave his side, not until he got better.
I like Papillons, personally. They’re bright, energetic, and very alert–plus, they have those ears. I’ve never met one that was hostile. They can do anything that a little dog can do, and pretty much anything that a big dog can do.
They’ve been good enough for the likes of George Takei, Ron Jeremy, and Marie Antoinette, anyway.
I’m here to second Papillons. They are ranked eigth over all in intelligence (all breeds). I have had the breed for 12 years and they are SMART. Very easy to train. They are loyal to the point of being annoying at times, they must be with you or their little Papillon life will end, and, oh yeah, they are cute as hell.
Jack Russells are wonderful dogs with high drive, and a high energy level. They thrive on structured activities that allow them to use their brains and skills, and need adequate exercise.
I would say most small-medium breeds are fairly intelligent compared to larger ones with some that stand out from the pack: Papillons being one, Tibetan Terriers (I have one and she is uncannily human in her understanding, very unlike my other two dogs) another. My Poodle-Cocker cross is effortlessly trainable and responds like a flash to my every command and emotion, but I wouldn’t say he’s particularly smart - he’s just biddable, and very focused on me and my desires. My TT does her own thing and solves her own problems.
I don’t know why intelligence is mentioned as a desired quality; trainability has little to do with it, and a smart dog usually needs more time from you if you don’t want it to have behavior problems due to boredom/poor training. Basenjis are brilliant dogs in my experience, but they are not people-oriented so of course they don’t leap to do what YOU want them to. They have their own concerns and desires. Saying dogs that aren’t easy to train are ‘dumb’ is as silly as saying cats are ‘dumb’ (they are not - but they are much harder to train than most dogs).
My cousin had one. Absolutely. After she had to put him down this past year, she got a lovely card from the vet’s office about how they’d all miss him, “such a spirited dog!” Uh-huh.
Snugglin’ with big and dumb even as we speak. (Big and dumb but extremely trainable - he can’t open a door that’s already ajar, but he learned “stay” in less than a minute.)
We had a Silky Terrier for 17 years, and she was the brightest dog I’ve ever known. She outgrew the silly stage within a couple of years, but remained alert and active until the day she died. As a bonus, her fur was more like hair and didn’t tend to get everywhere like other breeds. It probably helped that my Mum kept it clipped short.
Brussels Griffon. I don’t know that they are particularly known for their intelligence, but I’ve had two and both were pretty damn clever.
They are considered great apartment dogs because they have all the benefits of small breeds without nearly as much energy as the other breeds are known to have.
Only downside is that they are called “Velcro dogs” for a reason–they stick to you like glue, and mostly just watch what you are doing like it is the most bad ass thing ever.
But that’s easy enough to do; like anything else in which people tend to take for granted that their anecdotal experience, and conclusions drawn therefrom, are immutable universal truths. We, as a species, instinctively seek out patterns and tend to extrapolate from what we observe. But any one person’s conclusions from their own experience with dog breeds is exactly the same as a roulette player who is sure he has a system to beat the wheel. Coupled with the fact that most such conclusions about dog breeds, specifically, are not only supported by, but created by, breed mythology, and it’s a mythology that many people go to their grave believing with all their heart and soul. The same mythology that feeds and then confirms breed prejudice also strongly influences actual dog behavior, because dog owners who believe in it will train their dogs accordingly, thus “proving” the myth. Unfortunately that’s not how proof works. Dog breed mythology is the strongest and most consistent example of “confirmation bias” I can think of. Examples of dogs that DO confirm to breed prejudices proves nothing, but it’s the only proof that most people require. Multiple individual dogs, being shown to be UNtrainable against their traditional behaviors, is closer to proof, but I don’t know of any study that’s been done with proper double-blind/control, etc., conditions. Absent that, the existing science on a species that has been very closely studied for racial trends in behavior will have to suffice. If dogs can be used in scientific experiments that are relevant to humans, and we know that they are, then my own experience training dozens of dogs, coupled with the scientific consensus on the biological validity of such prejudices in Homo sapiens, makes it clear enough to me that you’re just as likely to get an individual dog whose behavior is trainable the way you want it to be if you ignore breed prejudice altogether.
Any mutt, or any breed, and physical limitations aside, what each individual dog can or cannot be trained to do is determined at the individual level, not at the breed level. And yes, dog breeds are exactly analogous to human races. The intent of the isolated populations developing different physical characteristics is irrelevant–that dogs were explicitly bred with a particular goal in mind, while human populations diverged racially due to geographic isolation, is 6 of one half dozen of the other. The end result is analogous.
People keep telling us how smart Duchess is (a Boston Terrier). I agree that she is obedient, clever, and very sensitive to our moods. BUT, she is the stupidest dog I have ever owned.
This is not her fault, our previous dog was a Doberman, and before that a standard dachshund. Duchess never picked up some basic things, like “Tell us if you are out of water” or “Move you own bed out of the sun if it is too hot.”
She also believed us when we told her we have an invisible fence and has never run out of the yard.
Sure, the processes of natural selection and selective breeding are similar and related, but (1) selective breeding can work much faster, producing dramatic results in a short amount of time, and (2) selective breeding is done with specific goals in mind – you KNOW what traits were being selected for.
I’m sure you wouldn’t buy a Papillon pup with the idea that “maybe it will grow to be as big as a Shepherd; after all, its all about the individual not the breed”. Clearly, selective breeding has had spectacular results as far as physical structure. But these breeds were also bred for specific behaviors as well. Although behavior is certainly more plastic and moldable than body shape, is it not the result of physical structure (brain) as well?
As far as differences in human populations, although I certainly wouldn’t expect the dramatic results that you see with selective breeding, clearly there ARE traits that have been naturally selected for resulting in differences between populations – ie skin color depending on the sun intensity in the area. I also wouldn’t think someone is a horrible person for suggesting that while one MAY discover an individual with a superior aptitude for basketball among a population of pygmies, it probably wouldn’t be the best place to look.
Are you concerned that if you admit that dogs have been successfully bred for behavioral traits you will be opening the door for racism among humans? If so, I don’t see how that works. Intelligence seems to be the trait of choice for racism, but I don’t think anyone has put together a convincing explanation for why some populations would be naturally selected for this trait and others would not. On the other hand, dogs CAN and HAVE BEEN selected for very specific behavioral traits. While I wouldn’t expect this to have been completely successful, I would be shocked if it didn’t have any effect, as you suggest.
You know, several people in this thread have asserted with complete certainty about breed determining dog intelligence. My post came with numerous caveats, including “individual dogs will vary dramatically,” “people make too much of breed tendencies,” and “how a dog is raised and how he or she is socialized and exercised will probably have greater impact than genetics.”
It seems downright weird to single out and quote my post as the problem when you are asserting that people make too much of breed tendencies and individual dogs will vary dramatically.
Incidentally, speaking as the guardian of two “pit bulls” (an American Pit Bull Terrier and an AmStaff/something mix), this is one of the scenarios that scares me the most – an uncontrolled, aggressive terrier charging my dogs. Should it come down to a fight, my dogs will lose either way; whether or not they even fight back, people will remember it as a pit bull “attacking” a “brave” little dog. I hate to have any breed prejudice, but in my experience so far, Jack Russells have come closer than most other breeds to initiating this nightmare scenario.
My dogs are always leashed in public (outside of fenced areas) but many people in my area are quite determined that the leash laws do not apply to them or to their dogs.
Dude. Why on earth do you think we’ve been selectively breeding dogs for the past few millennia? Just for size and color? Some hunting dogs are bred to be independent. Some hunting dogs are bred to swim. Some are bred to be scent hounds, and some are bred to be sight hounds. Do you honestly think you can’t breed a brain because there’s something special about it?