11.19.20 Main Idea

Animals have the right amount of intelligence

to learn what they need to know to survive.

Many animals are smarter than dogs.

Dogs enjoy the company of people because

they are not very smart

No one really knows how intelligent

animals are.

assert that humans are the most intelligent

animals of all

claim that the larger the animal the more

intelligent it is

introduce the topic of animal intelligence

explain why some people consider dogs to

be dumb

how dogs like to fetch their leashes when they

go out

why dogs bark at vaccum cleaners

why kids shouldn’t eat Play-Doh

whether or not a dog is smart

The hardest part is coming up with the

right test.

A dog can’t sit down with a No. 2 pencil and

take a multiple choice exam.

So the test has to be something the dog can

learn to do: select a block by nudging it with a

nose or a paw, for example

The test also has to be something the dog

wants to do: a dog might stare at that

block all day long without budging—until

she figures out that there’s a treat hidden

underneath.

monkeys are smarter than dogs

Milgram’s test is unfair to dogs

monkeys tend to be curious while dogs are

more cautious about approaching new things

an accurate test has to measure the

intelligence of one animal against another

Dogs learn to do what people want them

to do.

Dogs can fetch the newspaper.

Dogs like to perform tricks.

Chasing and retrieving are carry-over

behaviors from hunting.