Q: "Do ferrets learn things different than dogs?"
 
A: Who said dogs learn?
 
Actually, there is a great deal of research in learning taking place right
now, and some of the stuff is quite interesting.  Without going into the
type of detail someone working in the field may demand, lets just say there
are two basic types of learning we should think about.  One is learning by
trial and error (that is, by making mistakes, but continuing until you
randomly find the answer), and the other is by association (that is, you
associate the problem with previous problems and attempt to solve through
non-random acts).
 
All mammals, including humans, learn both ways.  However, you need lots of
higher brain functions to be able to solve problems by association, and that
is the difference between lots of mammals.  Most mammals, dogs included, do
not use much association to solve problems.  Most of a dog's learning is
clearly by trial and error (just ask a dog trainer), which means they make a
lot of mistakes.  However, once they get the right answer, they have this
powerful ability for remembering it, which, in conjunction with their
deep-bred desire to please the alpha human, makes them especially trainable.
 
I don't think ferrets have such well developed memory functions as a dog;
I'm not saying they can't remember things, not at all.  All I'm saying is,
if the dog has a PhD in memory, ferrets are in grad school.  But the ferret
is much better at associative learning, and attempts to solve a current
problem by figuring it out using past experiences as a model.
 
Think of a lock as a problem, and specific solutions are keys.  The dog
takes out a keyring and randomly tries each key until one fits and opens
the lock.  Sometimes they might try the same key several times, even though
it clearly won't fit.  When they chance upon a solution, they remember the
key AND the lock together.  On the other hand, the ferret takes out the
keyring, and looks to see which keys *might* fit before trying them out,
then randomly tries only those keys.  When they come up with a solution,
like the dog, they also remember the key and the lock, but they also
associate similar keys with similar locks.
 
This makes good evolutionary sense if you think about how the two animals
evolved (as wolves and polecats; forget the domestic stuff for now).
Polecats shuffle around, sniffing out prey, and have to problem solved in
order to get prey out of holes, under immobile rock, etc.  Excluding moments
of predation, either those in which they are chasing or being chased, the
polecat can often take its time making deliberate decisions.  Wolves, on the
other hand, hunt quite differently, and often only have a split second to
decide what to do.  It is therefore much better for them to store each key
with each lock, so their immediate response is better.  Sort of like in
many sports, where specific countermoves are memorized to offset specific
offensive moves so you can react without thinking; you have stored the key
with the lock.
 
Both animals use both types of learning responses, but because they have
different evolutionary histories, they have different ways of handling the
problems.  Because of this, it is unfair to compare a ferret to a dog (in
terms of inteligence).  To borrow anthropological theory for a moment
(thanks Dr. Boas), because intelligence is relative to the specific
evolutionary history of the animal, and that history is unique to each
species, then raw comparisons are meaningless.  Yes, you can compare the
basic universals, like reproductive strategies, feeding methods, etc., but
because the specifics are relative to the specific evolutionary history,
only those comparisons *WITHIN* that species are relevant.  So it is fair
to compare the intelligence of one ferret to another, but it is useless and
unfair to compare the ferret to the dog.  They are not comparable because
of a lack of common evolutionary history.
 
One final thought.  I have only been talking about the wild kin of domestic
animals.  In domestication, intelligence is usually markedly reduced; the
animals are dumber.  The brains of domestic animals are between 20-25%
SMALLER than in their wild kin.  Think of *that* the next time you think
your ferret is too smart for their own good.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Brainy Buddies
[Posted in FML issue 2328]