Can Dogs Help Us Understand the Link Between Intelligence and Health?

If you’re a dog lover, you may have heard of Chaser, the border collie who has been called a “genius” and the “smartest dog in the world.” Retired psychology professor John Pilley, Chaser’s owner and co-author of a recent book about her, says he was able to teach her 1,000 words, the largest “vocabulary” of any non-human animal on record.

Dog lovers and handlers alike tend to agree that some canines are quicker to catch-on, learn new tricks, and solve problems than other dogs. But how do we know that one dog is really smarter than another—possessing greater general intelligence—and not just more talented at specific tasks, such as learning words, or