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Wolves are better than dogs at COUNTING: Wild canines identify the number of items more often
UK Daily Mail ^ | December 22, 2014 | Richard Gray

Posted on 12/23/2014 6:13:25 AM PST by C19fan

After living alongside humans for thousands of years, it would be nice to think that a bit of our mental agility has rubbed off on dogs. However, it seems that domestic dogs are actually less intellectually capable than the wild relatives they were bred from. Animal psychologists have found that wolves are able to count far better than domestic dogs - and it's because dogs have become used to relying on us to help them.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: agriculture; animalhusbandry; dog; dogs; domesticated; domestication; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; huntergatherers; wildlife; wolves
Although domestic dogs are unique in understanding human gestures and faces.
1 posted on 12/23/2014 6:13:25 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Thank God I need not rely solely on my dogs for math.

:-P


2 posted on 12/23/2014 6:22:57 AM PST by Salamander (I'm falling down a spiral, destination unknown. A double-crossed messenger, all alone.)
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To: C19fan

“An experiment using black stones in place of some of the cheese also saw wolves choosing the larger amount of cheese than the dogs. Experts said it is possible that, due to domestication, dogs possess a weaker ability to mentally represent and discriminate quantities in comparison to wolves.”

Wolves have to work to survive. Domestic animals become dependent.

Made me think of the welfare system and the dumbing down of some.


3 posted on 12/23/2014 6:26:37 AM PST by Beowulf9
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To: Beowulf9

I would describe it as dogs being adopted to work with humans. For most of human history, different breed of dogs served useful purposes. Good luck trying to get a wolf to herd sheep. :0


4 posted on 12/23/2014 6:34:19 AM PST by C19fan
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To: C19fan

Stands to reason, wolves fall to sleep counting sheep.


5 posted on 12/23/2014 6:40:53 AM PST by PoloSec ( Believe the Gospel: how that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again)
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To: C19fan; GeronL; Slings and Arrows
"Get the ball"
"Get the ball"
"Get the ball"
"Uh wait, wut?"


6 posted on 12/23/2014 6:47:26 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Shickl-Gruber's Big Lie gave us Hussein's Un-Affordable Care act (HUAC).)
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To: C19fan

Crows can also count, but they can be fooled...

How To Hunt Crows – Exit Laughing Column by Ed Zern

Over the years a number of readers have written, asking me to provide them with my crow-shooting system as it appeared here a decade or so ago. As both of them are regular subscribers I can hardly afford to ignore their request, and hasten to comply.

The system is based on a study of crow behavior conducted by research biologists at Phelps University which showed that crows have a relatively high level of intelligence and are actually able to count, but only in multiples of three or less, so that the conventional procedure for fooling crows-by sending several men into a blind, then having all but one of them leave — is not likely to work except with very young birds, if at all. Thus, even if six crow hunters go into a cornstalk blind and only five come out, the crows probably won’t be fooled, as they will have counted off the hunters in trios and will realize that one of the groups is short a man; as a result they will stay the hell away from there until the frustrated gunner gives up and emerges.

My system for successful crow hunting is childishly simple, and consists of the following steps:

1. Build a blind overlooking a cornfield frequented by crows.

2. Assemble a group of twenty five hunters, all dressed more or less alike and of nearly equal height, build, and facial characteristics. All the hunters should be clean-shaven, but twelve of them should be wearing false mustaches. The group should assemble in a barn or some sort of building not less than 350 yards from the field. (It would be prudent to have a few spare hunters on hand, to substitute in cases of pulled muscles, heart attacks or other contingencies.)

3. All of the hunters should be equipped with 12-gauge shotguns, but it is advisable that these be fairly light in weight, as it is important that all hunters going to and from the blind must travel at a dead run, so that the crows will not have sufficient time for their calculations.

4. As soon as a flock of crows comes into the area, eleven of the hunters are dispatched from the old barn to the blind, running at top speed. The instant they arrive, seven of them turn around and rush back to the barn.

5. When the seven hunters get back to the barn, they are joined by six other hunters and the thirteen of them sprint back to the blind as fast as possible; on arrival there, ten of them immediately turn around and dash back to the barn.

6. Before the ten arrive, eight more hunters are sent from the barn to the blind. When they meet the ten returning from the blind all of them switch hats and false mustaches while milling around in a tight huddle, then break it up and resume running to their respective destinations.

7. As soon as the eight hunters arrive at the blind, five of them turn around and rush back toward the barn; on the way they meet nine hunters running from the barn toward the blind, whereupon the hunters divide themselves into two groups of seven, one of which runs back to the barn while the other rushes to the blind, changes hats and mustaches, leaves two of its members there and dashes back to the barn.

8. Of the twelve hunters now in the blind, nine now rush across the fields to the barn while twelve of the thirteen hunters in the barn charge en masse from the barn to the blind; on arrival they immediately turn and sashay back to the barn taking two of the three hunters still in the blind, leaving a single hunter.

9. It is, of course, essential that all this be done at the highest possible speed, so that the crows will fall hopelessly behind in their arithmetic and in the consequent corvine confusion fail to realize that a hunter is concealed in the blind.

10. Eventually, the crows will learn to count faster, so that the system must be modified occasionally to keep ahead of them. In addition to having the hunters run faster, it may be necessary to introduce false beards and quick-change toupees as well as false mustaches, and to build a second blind on another side of the field so that the traffic will be triangular instead of simply linear, requiring the crows to start working on trigonometric permutations and geometric progressions in order to cope. In severe cases the hunters may be equipped with numbered jerseys from 1 to 25 but with the number 17 omitted and two numbers 21s. (This can also be done with roman numerals, when birds are very wary.)

Well, you asked for it, readers, and you got it. Watch this space next month for an equally simple fool-proof system for outwitting that wily old woodchuck in the back pasture, requiring no special equipment other than a stuffed Guernsey cow and a milkmaid’s costume. Remember — you saw it here first!


7 posted on 12/23/2014 6:54:39 AM PST by eartrumpet
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To: C19fan

German Shepherds are extremely smart too.

AND they won’t bite your face off.

Much.


8 posted on 12/23/2014 7:45:36 AM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: C19fan

Dogs are better at following commands.


9 posted on 12/23/2014 8:23:09 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: eartrumpet
Here, try this:


10 posted on 12/23/2014 8:27:53 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: AnAmericanMother; Titan Magroyne; Badeye; SandRat; arbooz; potlatch; afraidfortherepublic; ...
WOOOF!

Computer Hope

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

11 posted on 12/23/2014 8:29:02 AM PST by Joe 6-pack (Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.)
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To: MrB

Alright, be an a**hole!


12 posted on 12/23/2014 8:31:06 AM PST by eartrumpet
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To: eartrumpet

I posted the img of the two guys arguing over the cow suit to someone on here the other day that WAS being an ash hole... I don’t think he got it.


13 posted on 12/23/2014 8:35:00 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: a fool in paradise

lol


14 posted on 12/23/2014 9:02:08 AM PST by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
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To: chris37

We have wolf breeders (Up to 98%, due to legal reasons.) on opposite ends of this great state...they are surprisingly well-behaved. The wolves, that is.


15 posted on 12/23/2014 9:51:33 AM PST by __rvx86 (This Tagline is gluten-free.)
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To: __rvx86

They are amazing and beautiful animals.

I'm not sure I'd want one as a pet though. They are not the same as dogs.

I imagine it's similar to those select few who have pet grizzly bears. It can be done if you get them from birth and raise them, but even then, it's still quite risky, wild instincts and such.

16 posted on 12/23/2014 11:20:47 AM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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Note: this topic is from 12/23/2014. Thanks C19fan.

17 posted on 06/05/2016 4:34:19 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (I'll tell you what's wrong with society -- no one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore.)
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