# The Guardian on "Genius Dogs"



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

‘Genius dogs’ can learn names of more than 100 toys, study finds. Six canines, all border collies, have proved some possess a remarkable grasp of human language.

No poodles???? I'm aghast.

All of the dogs taking part were border collies – herding dogs originally bred to work sheep. Although this makes many of them very responsive to the behaviour of their owners, only a small proportion of the breed are able to memorise the names of their toys.​​Neither is this talent unique to border collies. “Thanks to the Genius Dog Challenge we have managed until now to find also dogs from other breeds including a German shepherd, a pekingese, a mini Australian shepherd and a few dogs of mixed breeds,” Dror said. Separate research has also suggested some yorkshire terriers may be able to do it.​


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## Apricot mini momma (Dec 22, 2020)

Liz said:


> ‘Genius dogs’ can learn names of more than 100 toys, study finds. Six canines, all border collies, have proved some possess a remarkable grasp of human language.
> 
> No poodles???? I'm aghast.
> 
> All of the dogs taking part were border collies – herding dogs originally bred to work sheep. Although this makes many of them very responsive to the behaviour of their owners, only a small proportion of the breed are able to memorise the names of their toys.​​Neither is this talent unique to border collies. “Thanks to the Genius Dog Challenge we have managed until now to find also dogs from other breeds including a German shepherd, a pekingese, a mini Australian shepherd and a few dogs of mixed breeds,” Dror said. Separate research has also suggested some yorkshire terriers may be able to do it.​


Beau is insulted too 😆. When I say “where’s squeaky” he knows exactly which toy I mean and he goes and gets it. Poodles are brilliant 🤓🥰


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Interesting.

I had not heard of this Genius Challenge. No one ever posted on this forum that they were looking for smart dogs. I never saw anything in the news or heard this mentioned at any of the dog clubs I’m a member of or take classes at. Their choice of border collie is probably a result of a bias on how and where they reached out to dog owners and the type of people who own a particular breed. If they had reached out to poodle owners I’m sure they would have found poodles.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Skylar said:


> If they had reached out to poodle owners I’m sure they would have found poodles.


They don't actually give a breakdown of the breeds of the dogs they've discovered through the challenge. However, the challenge is ongoing, and you can apply here. Mia doesn't meet the prereq: "If your dog _knows the names of more than 10 objects or toys_ and you are interested in cooperating with us, please fill up the application form." [Emphasis added.]


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

My first poodle, Chante', knew the names of all her stuffies. She would go get the correct one when you told her to fetch it. She, also, did not ever destroy any of her toys. We had one of those interactive dog puzzles that we borrowed from our dog training yard. We were all supposed to test our dog and record the results. Chante' sat politely and stared in a fixed manner back and forth between the toy puzzle and my daughter (who was doing the testing). When this did not produce a treat, she got very exasperated and pawed at my daughter's arm and then, at the toy. Then, she sat back down staring at my daughter. She was NOT amused. In the same amount of time, our Airedale had picked up and shook all the treats out of the puzzle. When we admonished her that the puzzle was not to be "killed", she flipped all the puzzle lids open and ate the treats. It was obvious that the poodle's solution to the puzzle was to make the human solve it, while the Airedale was intent on getting that food on her own as quickly as possible. Chante' used to "fake" bark at the fence line to make the Airedale run check for intruders and then, steal the other dog's bones.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

This is an interesting way to test canine intelligence. 

Trixie, I am pretty sure knows some toy names (Yorkie). Giraffe, lamb, etc. She has favourite toys. Or she did, until Annie came along, and now her favourite toy is whichever toy Annie is holding! 

Annie has never been interested in the names of her toys and I have tried a few times to teach her them... She seems to differentiate ball from toy and that's it. 
She has no favourites, one squeaky ball is as good as the next. Even her 'favourites' - stuffed ball and hedgehog- are readily interchangeable, it's the shape she likes. 

But, she knows people/animals names. At least 7 that I have tested ('Where's X?' Even out in the bush, she leads me to the person I want), Probably more animals if I start thinking about her dog friends at the park. And she knows the names of locations, too. Upstairs, downstairs, bathroom, kitchen, 'bed', crate, etc...


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Emily, my big red mutt, knew so many names of things and people. She would go to people by name, go get people (entice them to follow her), and bring different things, including toys, called by name. She was such a smart, sweet girl.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I once knew a greyhound who had memorized the names of different people. He went to work with his owner in a large building. We could open the corridor door and tell him to go visit someone elsewhere in the building. He would trot down the hallway, even wait for the elevator, and hie himself to the correct office to be let in. His skill was always interesting to me, because greyhounds are supposed to be low on the doggy IQ scale. I think people running the tests simply haven't found the correct way to motivate one.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I forgot that our Airedale knew some words in American sign Language. She picked up the words when attending class with my daughter in high school. She only learned the words that she had an interest in. For example you could sign "apple" or "ball" and she would go crazy. She could distinguish the two words and would select the correct object. This was pretty amazing for her because while an apple was edible, a ball was NOT! Apparently balls were of some value to her, ha-ha!


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## Deere (Jun 25, 2021)

Charmed said:


> My first poodle, Chante', knew the names of all her stuffies. She would go get the correct one when you told her to fetch it. She, also, did not ever destroy any of her toys. We had one of those interactive dog puzzles that we borrowed from our dog training yard. We were all supposed to test our dog and record the results. Chante' sat politely and stared in a fixed manner back and forth between the toy puzzle and my daughter (who was doing the testing). When this did not produce a treat, she got very exasperated and pawed at my daughter's arm and then, at the toy. Then, she sat back down staring at my daughter. She was NOT amused. In the same amount of time, our Airedale had picked up and shook all the treats out of the puzzle. When we admonished her that the puzzle was not to be "killed", she flipped all the puzzle lids open and ate the treats. It was obvious that the poodle's solution to the puzzle was to make the human solve it, while the Airedale was intent on getting that food on her own as quickly as possible. Chante' used to "fake" bark at the fence line to make the Airedale run check for intruders and then, steal the other dog's bones.


That is definitely terrier behavior and so true for the poodle!


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