The Eyes have it –intelligence linked to the size of dogs eyes
August 31, 2010 | 0 Responses
There have, in the past, been many theories that large dogs are more intelligent, some theories focus on the brain size while others use genetic theories to support the claims. However, a recent study has found that dogs ability to follow directions is linked to how wide their eyes are set.
Research has suggested that wider eyes give dogs better depth perception. Better depth perception in turn means that they are better at following pointing cues than smaller dogs, which makes them appear more intelligent.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The team tested the hypothesis by directing large and small dogs towards food bowls.
Two bowls were placed side by side and the researches would point at the bowl they wanted the individual dogs to go to.
The experiment showed that larger dogs were better at going to the correct bowl than the smaller dogs.
Interestingly both mid sized dogs and larger were good at making the correct choice, suggesting that the distance between the eyes has less of a bearing on ability beyond a certain size.
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