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Is this dog smarter than a toddler? Clever canine can solve mathematical problems

Is this dog smarter than a toddler? Clever canine can solve mathematical problems

Is this dog smarter than a toddler? Clever canine can solve mathematical problems


Mangalore Today News Network

July 07, 2015: A dog has been dubbed ’smarter than a toddler’ because he can recognise shapes, sort colours and even count.

Owner Kirsty Forrester, 28, noticed her two-year-old shih tzu dog Cooper’s natural aptitude for learning skills after she taught him to stick his tongue out on command at just three months old.

 

dog 1Smart: Cooper can solve the same mathematical problems as a toddler

She took him to a dog training school and staff were so impressed they gave him “extra homework”.

Now, Cooper has been signed up to a talent agency where he impresses people with his ability to solve simple mathematical problems.

His skill levels have been estimated as being equivalent to an 18-month-old human child.

Miss Forrester, from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, said: “He loves being challenged, so as well as physical exercise I give him mental exercise.

“People call him a genius. I take that as a compliment.

“He can do challenges aimed at a two-year-old. He’s very intelligent.”

Miss Forrester has trained her dog to perform tasks such as sorting toys by colour and shape with his mouth.


dog

Top of the class: Kirsty first noticed Cooper’s abilities at a puppy obedience class


He can also count treats and recognise numbers.

Even more surprisingly, a psycho neurological researcher who ranked the intelligence of all dog breeds placed shih tzus at number 70 out of 80 breeds.

The web developer said: “They’re usually seen as being really stupid.

“They have a reputation as a handbag dog. That’s why dog trainers are so surprised by his intelligence.”

Miss Forrester, who is dating Nick White, 26, has owned Cooper since August 2013 when she bought him from a shih tzu breeder in Blackpool.

“I Named him Cooper because I lived in the US for several years. It’s a common name for dogs there.”

Miss Forrester started training her pup immediately to make sure he was well behaved.

She said: “I took him to puppy training for him to learn the basics. It was teaching him to sit, lie down and stay.

“I noticed immediately he was special as he was able to do them so quickly. Cooper was so intelligent he was given extra homework.”


dog
Clever: His skill levels have been estimated as being equivalent to an 18-month-old human child


Miss Forrester noticed Cooper like to stick his tongue out.

She said: “I taught him to stick it out on command using treats. When we showed them at the class everyone was amazed.

“He was only four months old. The trainers even asked to video him. They sent it to their friends.

“It was unheard of. He is doing similar exercises to children at playschool.”

In November 2013, Miss Forrester bought a shape sorter for Cooper to play with from Early Learning Centre, usually used to help toddlers to learn to recognise shapes.

She said: “He loved putting treats in my shoes.

“So I taught him to put his toys in the box. I just wondered what else he could do.

“I started with a shape sorter with only two shapes.

“He cracked it within days. I gave him a treat after he put the correct shape in the hole.”

She then decided to see if he would be able to count.

She said: “I’ve managed to get him to count to three. He can count out three treats and even recognise numbers.

“I say the number and he goes and sits on that numbered tile on the floor.”

As well as sorting objects into colour, Cooper can also now use a shape sorter with six different shapes and “shoot hoops” with a ball through a basketball net.

Miss Forrester shows other people how to train their dogs to perform her tasks.

She said: “It really depends on the dog. Cooper is so curious and he just loves being challenged.”

Cooper’s videos of his tricks are a hit on Youtube with his shape-sorting videos getting more than 350,000 views and has led to him signing to canine talent agency Urban Paws.

But Miss Forrester has received negative comments.

She said: “Some people tell me, ‘He shouldn’t be doing this.”

“They think I’m making him do it. But this is just mental exercise for him.

“And he loves it.”

 

Courtesy: London Mirror


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