To the Dog lover,the ability of man's best friend to bark at the postman and fetch a stick is proof of his intelligence.But they may be even brighter.
Scientists have welcomed dogs into a select club of species capable of using abstract concepts.The research showed that dogs are able to mentally sort objects into categories,a talent for abstract thought that has only been shown in birds and primates before.
They trained four dogs with a touch screen test to choose between two images of a dog and a landscape,which appeared simultaneously.The animal indicated preference with a prod of there noses.
When they choose the dog they were rewarded with food if they choose the landscape they had to wait a few seconds before the same two images appeared again.
They also tested two border collies,an Australian Shepherd and a mongrel with an unfamiliar set of dog pictures and landscapes.To pass they would need to realise that "dog" is a category of object that unfamiliar objects also fall into.There success dropped from 80 to 72 per cent.
"Dogs are able to use more or less abstract concepts," said Friederike Range of the University of Vienna.The research has appeare in the journal Animal Cognition and New scientist.