Lady Shiraz is at it again!  Reading up on how to "handle" me better. 

Her current book is called "The Culture Clash", by Jean Donaldson.  A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs.  Controversial but still hard to ignore. 

The Culture Clash barks on about how us dogs are inherently different to the human species, and should therefore be treated like animals, and not children - or something like that.

The first chapter really got Lady thinking.  The hard facts and truth about the psychological makeup of us canines was unfolding right before her very eyes.  It challenged her every belief that dogs (in particular the Border Collie variety like me) was considered intelligent.

Bitter Truth #1:  Apparently dogs are not all that intelligent after all.

Jean says that humans are setting unrealistic behavioural standards on us canines which represents the first  "Culture Clash". 

Sure we can catch a ball or sit on command, but Jean sees right through this - there is just no fooling her.  Jean explores intelligence from the canine's perspective.  You see, like our 2 legged counterparts, we too can learn through operant and classical conditioning (just a fancy way of saying "to learn by association").  We are "smart" in that we are able to discriminate extremely fine differences in our environment and we can deal with complex social environments.  But it stops right there.  Whilst 2-leggeds are able to learn through observation and insight, dog's cannot. 

So what does all this gibberish mean?

In short, it means that humans have learned to place unrealistic behavioural standards on dogs which are based on the "Disney" myth of intelligence.  Somewhere along the line,  humans have somehow managed to link the value of a dog to their level of apparent intelligence.    The smart dogs are praised - everyone wants to have one.   This "Hollywood fluff"  about dogs creates great media interest which in turn provides misleading education for both pet owners, breeders and trainers. 

Jean just wants everyone to see us for what we really are, and not for what you want us to be.   To let dogs be dogs, whether they are "smart" or not.

Have to go herd the birds now, stay tuned for Bitter Truth #2 in my next blog.

X Brando