Breed by breed, there are behavorial differences in dogs. Some are reserved, while others do best with constant attention and a seat in the lap of someone they love. Whatever their individual nature, all dogs are social animals and most have a keen intelligence. With proper care and training, their sociability and devotion makes them ideal pets for their entire lives. When something runs amok, dogs can still act like predators, attacking other animals or even humans. The most common cause of such incidences is abuse and/or improper training.

The scale of canid intelligence

Wolves and coyotes are great observational learners; both participate in complex social structures known as packs. The hierarchies within a pack may at times seem unfair by our human standards; yet within the pack, each individual benefits from the structure. Finding and sharing food, for example, is part of the pack function.

Dogs, on the other hand, are best at instrumental conditioning. While there may be a group of feral dogs in your community, they are likely to be competitors, not pack mates. Feral dogs have been reported to hunt wild animals in different regions, although by evolution and nature they are more often scavengers.

The intelligence of dogs is expressed differently within the different breeds, and varies by different individuals within those breeds. In the working dog sector, many breeds are excellent herders. They readily learn commands and combine that knowledge with their innate herding abilities to become valued helpers on ranches and farms. Not every breed can become a sheep herder; some do much better at learning how to open the back gate while others become adept at sneaking a treat from the kitchen counter. All of those accomplishments require intelligence, just of difference types.

At our side for centuries, dogs have learned whatever we needed them to, becoming our assistants and laborers in many of our endeavors. Today, search and rescue dogs are commonplace, often seen on the evening news as they and their trainers respond to disasters around the world. Law enforcement departments make use of the different abilities and intellects in different breeds, using dogs for attack work (Rottweilers, German Shepherds and more), drug detection (German Shepherds and others) and tracking (many varieties of scent hounds). Humans would not have made it to the poles or to the Artic Circle without the sled dogs who took them there. Other breeds with entirely different forms of intelligence act as assistance dogs. Even within that category, the dog that makes an ideal guide for a blind person has different intellectual traits than the one who is best for a wheelchair bound muscular dystrophy patient.

What an individual assistance dog must learn is dictated by the needs of the human it will serve. Recognizing different sounds is vital for a dog that will aid a deaf person; identifying danger in terms of street traffic will be vital for a Seeing Eye dog. Assistance dogs have to be obedient at all times, yet ready to act outside the bounds of that obedience when the safety of their owner demands it.

Evaluation of a dog's intelligence

What is the definition of intelligence? Many believe it is the ability to learn. Others may give it more specific qualities: abstract thought, problem solving, language, reasoning — but are they are all parts of intelligence, or are they just indicators of an intelligence at work? Suffice it to say it's difficult to nail down one specific meaning, and it gets harder when we apply the term intelligence to any animal, including the dog.

We are able to assess intelligence via different tests, but when the subject is an animal, the results remain debatable. Does the dog respond to your request to fetch the newspaper because it is intelligent, or because it is a Corgi who likes to please you?

What about breeds who don't have any real interest in their owner's satisfaction? Is the Samoyed more intelligent because he ignores your request to fetch, but has learned to turn on the TV's remote?

If we define intelligence as obedience, where do hounds fit in? We have bred them for centuries to think for themselves out in the woods, where they will trail game without relying on the commands of an owner. We have bred the same independence into the animals that lead and guard our livestock herds. A dog spending the day directing cattle to and from feeding sites and corals may have no intention of sitting when you ask it to.

Hounds may ignore many owner commands as well. Like herders, these dogs are bred to have more of a "pack" mentality with other dogs and to have less reliance on a master's direct commands. Remember, your Beagle was not bred to learn and obey commands quickly, but to think for itself while trailing game in a group of other Beagles.

Human relationships

As a dog owner, have you ever stopped to think about the fact that you have an intelligent, skilled, voracious and dangerous predator living in your home?

If you're like most dog owners, probably not. Your pet has used his considerable skills to become a beloved part of your household, or a vital worker on your farm, or the best tracker of missing skiers. Sociable and trainable, even if your dog has helped you hunt dangerous wild game, you probably don't recognize him as a predator in his own right.

We anthropomorphize dogs, viewing their loyalty, geniality and devotion as traits that mirror the best of our own species. For many of us, our dogs are family members, albeit with four feet!

Globally, dogs perform all kinds of work, but it is in their role as companion that we most value them in many parts of the world. For many Americans, dogs are side-by-side with them on the sofa and sleeping with them in their beds. In other countries, dogs are considered unclean and live outside as ratters and protectors.

It must be noted here that in China, Korea, the Phillipines and Vietnam, dogs are livestock raised for human consumption. This practice is being protested by many who hope to see it finally outlawed worldwide.

Differences from other canids

Wolves, coyotes, foxes and other canids are monogamous; once puppies are born, males help raise them. Dogs share neither of these traits: they are not monogamous and do not routinely aid in bringing up the young.

On the plus side, they also differ from other canids in that they do not routinely kill the young of other dogs to ensure their own progeny's prosperity; on the minus side. Whether these similarities or differences are the result of natural evolution or from the selective breeding practices imposed by man is unknown.

Life cycle

For all but the largest breeds of dogs, sexual maturity begins between the ages of 6 and 12 months. With the slower maturing of large breeds in all respects, their sexual maturity often does not occur until they are roughly two years of age. In both cases, the dogs' sexual maturity is occurring at the onset of adolescence, 12-15 months of age for all but the largest breeds, where adolescence is between 2 and 3 years of age. This is true for both male and female dogs. The females' estrous cycles are biannual; gestation varies with breed but in general is from 56 to 72 days. The size of a litter varies directly by breed; Chihuahuas usually have only one pup, while St. Bernards often birth 12 puppies in a single litter.

The selective breeding that created the domestic dog knowingly favored animals with earlier sexual maturity and stronger libidoes than their canid forebears, along with more frequent breeding cycles.