Intelligence of Purebred vs. Mixed Breed Canines

Overview

Objectives/Goals To test the intelligence of the different kinds of canines: purebreds and mixed breeds. Methods/Materials There were four tests performed on the dogs. 1.)For the first test, we placed a treat under a coffee can in front of the dog. The dog got an A on the test if it managed to retrive the treat, a B if the dog showed interest in the can initially, but gave up, and a C if the dog ignored the can. 2.)For the second test, we dropped a treat on a table above the dog's line of sight. The dog got an A on the test if it continued to look at the table where the treat dropped. The dog got a B if it looked at the ground, and then looked back at the table. The dog got a C if it looked at the ground. For the third test, we placed two chairs on the ground in front of the dog, leaving a small space in between them. We then dropped a treat on the other side of the chairs so that the dog was able to see it. If the dog immediatley ran around the chairs to get the treat, it got an A. If the dog hesitated, but then ran around the chairs to get the treat, it got a B. If the dog tried to get through the small space between the chairs or didnt know to go around the chairs, it got a C. 4.) For the fourth test, we tested how many spoken commands the dog knew. If the dog knew more than 25 commands, it got an A. The dog recieved a B if it knew 10-25 commands. If the dog knew less than 10 commands, it recieved a C. Materials: Dogs, dog treats, large can, low table or tray, large cushion or towel, and a couple of chairs. Results Overall, mixed breed dogs are smarter than purebred dogs. Mixed dogs scored 463 and purebred dogs scored 417. Conclusions/Discussion In our experiment, we wanted to determine if purebred dogs or mixed breed dogs are smarter. We tested twenty-six dogs of all different breeds: thirteen purebreds and thirteen mixed breeds. We performed four intelligence tests on each dog. The first test involves placing a treat underneath a can and observing whether or not the dog knew the treat was still there and if it was able to retrieve the treat. This test was designed to determine if the dog understood that an object continues to exist, even though it is not able to be seen. In the second test we dropped a treat on a table that was above the dogs# eye level. We placed a towel on the table so that the treat did not make a sound as it was dropped.

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Mammalian Biology · Entry S1296

Resources

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