The question of whether dogs and cats are more intelligent than human babies is intriguing—but perhaps it is the wrong one. A more precise inquiry would be whether kittens and puppies surpass infants in intelligence. While young animals do develop faster, their cognitive progress soon plateaus, unlike that of humans, who continue to scale intellectual heights.
Comparing Canine and Human Intelligence
LiveScience recently explored this question in an article by Marilyn Perkins, citing the work of Stanley Coren, an emeritus psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and an expert on canine cognition. Coren has applied the psychological concept of “mental age” to assess dog intelligence relative to human children.
According to Coren, while a direct comparison between human and canine intelligence is impossible, dogs do exhibit cognitive skills, such as recognizing vocabulary and rudimentary counting, that resemble those of toddlers. The average dog understands approximately 165 words and signals, with exceptional cases, like Chaser the border collie, reportedly recognizing over 1,000 words.
However, the similarities end there. While a dog processes language as a signal system, young children grasp it as a symbolic system, enabling abstract thought. A dog may understand commands, but it will never engage in a discussion about complex topics like the origins of the universe—something many children begin contemplating by age seven.
Do Dogs Have Math Skills?
Can dogs count? Coren suggests that most can “count” up to three. For instance, if an owner presents three treats but only gives the dog two, the animal often recognizes that one is missing and searches for it.
Retrievers, bred for hunting, are also known to keep track of multiple fallen birds, sometimes up to five. While these behaviors suggest a form of numerical awareness, they do not indicate true counting. Unlike humans, who rely on numbers as abstract concepts when memory fails, dogs operate within a concrete framework of perception rather than numerical reasoning.
The Limits of “Mental Age” Comparisons
Coren estimates that the average dog has a mental age equivalent to that of a 2-to-3-year-old human child, particularly in areas such as vocabulary, counting, and emotional awareness.
However, this comparison is misleading. A toddler is in the early stages of developing abstract thinking and problem-solving skills—capabilities that will continue to grow throughout life. In contrast, an adult dog has already reached the peak of its cognitive potential. While highly intelligent in its own right, a dog’s intelligence remains rooted in the concrete, not the abstract.
The Broader Implication
Comparing human and animal intelligence, while fascinating, can sometimes obscure the fundamental differences between them. Such comparisons often subtly reinforce the idea that human intelligence is merely another variant of animal cognition—an assumption that is more ideological than evidence-based.
Ultimately, while dogs exhibit remarkable cognitive abilities, their intelligence is fundamentally distinct from that of humans, shaped by different evolutionary pressures and neurological structures.
Related topics:
‘Staggeringly High’ Need for Dog Food After Shelter Intakes
Link Revealed Between Owner Demographics and Canine Nutrition
Keeping Dogs Safe and Entertained on Cold Days
