Dogs Are Getting Even Smarter, Duke Study Finds

Researchers at Duke University set out to study dogs' intelligence and found something interesting: dogs are somehow getting even better at being our companions.

Working with 101 puppies—all potential service dogs—researchers tested the dogs' abilities in problem-solving, impulse control, socialization, and memory.

It turns out dogs exhibit different kinds of intelligence, even as puppies. And they're evolving to better fit into their owners' lives.

How Puppies Learn

Vanessa Woods, director of Duke's Puppy Kindergarten, and Hannah Salomons, a research associate in evolutionary anthropology, led the study.

Puppies learned the most from 8 to 20 weeks of age and showed multiple types of intelligence. But, like humans, they didn't learn everything at the same rate.

One of the first things the dogs picked up, at around 8 weeks, was what Woods and Salomons call "mind reading"—the ability to understand and interpret human gestures.

The puppies also hit a major milestone at around 16 weeks, when they'd mastered most of the skills they'd been taught. Whether the dogs were raised in traditional home settings or at the Puppy Kindergarten, they performed at the same level.

Why This Matters for Service Dogs

The dogs—Labrador and golden retrievers—were chosen because they're bred to be helpers and do specific tasks.

Researchers tested whether the dogs learned the same things at similar paces in two different environments: a family home with one-on-one instruction, and at the university around lots of other puppies and hundreds of people and loud noises like sporting events.

They found "some dogs are better at certain things than others," Salomons explained.

That matters because it takes two years and about $50,000 to train a service dog. Almost half of all dogs who begin training don't end up working as service dogs.

"It can help us select dogs that have the kind of intelligence for the jobs we need them to do," Salomons said. "Dogs who can work independently, like a search dog, or therapy dogs who are good at relating to people, or service dogs who can follow instructions well."

If you can figure out early which puppy will excel at what, you can start specialized training earlier and reduce washout rates.

The Third Wave of Domestication

Woods said modern dogs may be undergoing a third wave of domestication.

The first was when they initially became human companions, sitting by our campfires and becoming hunting partners. The second was during the Victorian era, when dogs were bred for more specialized looks and characteristics.

"Now we're experiencing a cultural shift again, where dogs are becoming much more a part of our families," Woods explained. "They're inside our houses, instead of wandering outside. They depend on us for socialization, food, exercise. They're on leashes, and no dog was bred for that."

"More people now want a dog that acts more like a service dog," she added. "Dogs that can sit nicely, be gentle with kids and the elderly, go everywhere that we go."

We don't want dogs barking every time someone walks by. We want them inside with us, going to restaurants and stores and events. That's completely different from what we needed from dogs 100 or 1,000 years ago.

And dogs are adapting to meet those needs.

What This Means for Your Pet

For those who don't own a Lab, German shepherd, or retriever—the typical service breeds—Woods said any dog can learn according to its own abilities.

Typical service breeds are typical, she added, because it's easier for people with disabilities to have those dogs. Another breed might present a barrier because of others' prejudices about what a service dog should look like.

"But we know there's no difference in their abilities among breeds," she said. "It's just that we believe service dogs have already undergone that third wave of domestication. We've seen that they have more oxytocin in their brains"—the hormone that reinforces bonding and connection.

Service breeds like Labs and goldens are ahead of the curve because they've been intentionally bred for this longer. But any breed can learn these skills.

What's Next

The next step is figuring out how to predict adult dogs' behavior based on how they are as puppies.

"We want to see if there's a best time to test for the characteristics we want, and to figure out what puppies will be best at what specific jobs earlier," Salomons said.

The Duke study shows puppies hit major learning milestones at predictable ages. Eight weeks for understanding human gestures. Sixteen weeks for mastering most taught skills. Knowing this helps trainers work with each dog's natural strengths.

Dogs were already pretty great companions. Now they're evolving to be even better.

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