The "Genius" of Dogs

While dogs display "wild" and predatory behaviors similar to their ancestral Wolves (Canis Lupus), the domesticated behavior and close interactions with humans makes them a curious species. A wonderful confluence of predatory and domesticated activities happens where a simple being shows actions of predatory and pack, while also executing basic reward and non-verbal cues from its human counterpart.

Curious head structures

Brachycephalic (Small Skull) have a boxed structure with a focus on the objects Infront of it, guarding protocol is enabled - e.g. Boxer

Dolichocephalic (Large Skull) have a more longer skull structure where the focus is more on objects around it and is used in predatory instincts e.g. Greyhound

There is a dual hierarchy in the decision and cognitive processing of the dog's brain. Where a higher system works in towards the love and affection of the bearer, and a lower system works on the general bond that has been built with the homo sapiens. The social stimuli and likeness towards the favorite person dominate the decision-making process.

The cognitive process is built over a long period of time based on learning paradigms:

• Classical Conditioning: It's an event-based learning methodology where the genius remembers the past outcomes of events in its episodic memory - e.g. Opening of a cupboard - relating to food. A distinction of the opening of the wooden cupboard sound over the sound of plates clattering together is created based on the outcome of getting food.

• Operant Conditioning: It's a interaction based learning methodology where the genius understands relationship synergies with its human and how certain actions lead to a specific reward per say - wagging of the tail leading to love from the human, the genius understands that such human interactions are biased and vary from person to person so, the tail wagging is of different intensity towards a more likable v/s less likable person.

• Social Learning: Unlike humans, dogs are lower on the food chain and are dependent in a domesticated capacity on their human counterpart. This is where the Genius understands the societal norms and is able to imitate favorable behaviors from its own group. It is also able to replicate the actions of humans which lead to a positive reward system.

Olfaction: A sense of smell is the primary way that the genius of dogs has evolved, an ability to capture the scent of nearby objects, surroundings and remember them in a form of "episodic memory." An episodic memory could be the remembrance of how a jar lid is opened in a certain event, and then a recall leading to the replication of the same event at a different point in time and space.         

Self-Recognition

A dog cannot step out of its egocentric perspective (surroundings a dog interacts and conforms in) to find a self-image of itself, lacking the ability to form a self-reflection restricts the ability of the genius to comprehend its own majesty from its reflection, treating the image as an alter-ego or an alternate self - the dog often displays aggressive behaviors.

Different modern and scientific methodologies are used in interpreting the non-verbal cues of a dog. Some of which include:

• Eye Tracking: By monitoring the eye movement of a dog and its time of gaze on different things around it, we can understand what stimulates the genius

• EEG: Natural processing of the electrical signals of the brain can help us to understand the needs and motivations of the dog

• fMRI: Through the non-invasive brain imaging we can segment the areas of the brain responsible for certain actions in the dog.

Writer of this passage is a dog-father and a noted graduate from Kelley School of Business USA.