Hi To plug a Canadian psychologist, Stanley Coren, you can also consult his Intelligence of Dogs. The ranking (based on trainer's ratings I think) is at:
http://petrix.com/dogint/ See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligence_of_Dogs I did not see Portuegese Water Dog in the list, but other sites indicate it is similar to a standard Poodle (Poodledog = Puddledog = Water Dog, according to another site). Poodle ranks 2 on the intelligence list. But Coren's own website includes an excerpt describing why an intelligent dog might not be such a good thing. See http://www.stanleycoren.com/index.htm and the Intelligence of Dogs link. The preceding could be of interest in psychological discussions of comparative psychology, intelligence, genetics, and related topics. For example, see following allusion to comprehension of language and reasoning skills by Rico, a border collie: http://www.doggienews.com/lib/technology/rico-smart-collie.htm Could also, however, raise some difficult and controversial issues related to these topics in the human context, such as those raised at following neoeugenics site: http://home.comcast.net/~neoeugenics/dogs.htm Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [email protected] >>> "William Scott" <[email protected]> 13-Apr-09 6:26:46 PM >>> see: Dog behavior: the genetic basis By John Paul Scott, John L. Fuller Published by University of Chicago Press, 1974 ISBN 0226743381, 9780226743387 Bill Scot >>> <[email protected]> 04/13/09 5:53 AM >>> Do any of you tipsters have a Portuguese water dog? Any idea as to its behavioral conditioning history particularly the amount of trials to criteria for learning new tasks? Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
