Stereotypes are funny; take dogs and pigs, for example. Dogs are considered highly intelligent animals, capable of love and companionship. Humans love dogs and treat them in the highest regard. We let them sleep on our beds and enthusiastically lick our faces. Pigs, on the other hand, are widely regarded as dirty, lazy, and stupid creatures. Humans would rarely entertain the idea of sharing a bed with them.
But what if we told you that, given the opportunity, pigs can be just as sociable as dogs? Would you believe that they’re smarter than dogs, too? Apparently, it’s true! Pigs are at least as intelligent as dogs, and on some tasks they even outperform dogs. They are particularly considered more intelligent in terms of their problem-solving abilities. Read on to learn more about how the intelligence of pigs and dogs compare.
Are Pigs Smart?
Pigs are cognitively complex creatures who share many traits with animals that humans typically deem intelligent. Though they’re generally not regarded as such, pigs are highly intelligent. Studies show they’re at least just as smart as their canine counterparts, with intelligence that rivals that of a three-year-old child.
When determining intelligence, researchers look at how pigs interact with each other and animals of different species, their cognition, emotional intelligence, and natural inclination to maintain a clean living space, among other things.
Cognition
A 2009 study showed that pigs could interpret a mirror image to find a bowl of food.1 These findings suggest that pigs are capable of object-recognition and could use this information to find the food.
A 2019 study looked at the pigs’ ability to use tools.2 Researchers found the critically endangered Visayan Warty Pigs using sticks to dig and build nests. This shows that pigs can learn to manipulate their environment to impact their lives positively.
Another study shows that pigs are capable of remembering and prioritizing food sites.3 When given access to food sources—one with more food and one with less—they were able to recognize and recall which source provided the most abundant resources and seek that one out again in the future.
Emotional Intelligence
Pigs also have emotional intelligence. One study showed the animals reacting differently to different musical pieces, suggesting that they are capable of a variety of emotional responses.4 Another indicates that they can resolve conflict within their group.5
Cleanliness
As for their tendency toward cleanliness, pigs are among one of the cleanest animals. Studies show that when they are given the chance to free roam, they’ll choose where to pee and poop to keep the rest of their area clean.6 Sure, they may be dirty because they bathe in mud, but they do so as a way to regulate their body temperature. A pig mud bathing is then equal to a dog’s panting, but these activities are perceived very differently by humans, aren’t they?
Communication
Pigs are great at communicating with one another, other species, and, yes, humans. Like dogs, pigs can express their feelings through playfulness, tail wagging, nudging, and vocalizations. They can make around 20 different distinct sounds that they can then use to convey emotions. Pigs make a short grunt when responding to familiar sounds or rooting for food or a squeal when aroused.
Are Dogs Smart?
Absolutely, dogs are incredibly smart creatures. According to several behavioral measures, a dog’s mental abilities are close to that of a two-year-old child. However, intelligence differs between breeds and types.
Stanley Coren, one of the world’s leaders in the world of dog intelligence, believes that there are three types of intelligence:
- Instinctive
- Adaptive
- Working and obedience
Instinctive intelligence refers to the ability to perform tasks the dog was bred for, like herding, guarding, or fetching.
Adaptive intelligence refers to a dog’s ability to solve problems on its own. This includes the ability to learn and benefit from experiences in the environment and solving problems. Adaptive intelligence will not be the same for every dog of the same breed. So, while all Border Collies are born and bred to herd and work sheep (their instinctive intelligence), not all will have the same adaptive intelligence.
Finally, working and obedience intelligence is the equivalent of school learning for dogs. It’s based on what the individual dog can learn to do when instructed.
Pig vs Dog Intelligence
There isn’t much research concerning pig vs. dog intelligence directly. One paper from 2015 found that domestic pigs share many of the same traits and cognitive abilities as animals traditionally considered intelligent, like dogs.
In a more recent study, researchers gave puppies and miniature pigs tasks to solve. They found that pigs were more likely to persist until they solved the problem, whereas the puppies would turn to humans for help.
While there isn’t much research comparing dog and pig intelligence, what little we do have available now suggests that pigs are more intelligent. Pigs are consistently making the top ten list of the world’s smartest animals alongside chimpanzees and dolphins, while dogs don’t hold a spot in the list at all. That says something, at least to us.
Final Thoughts
So, are pigs really smarter than dogs? It really depends on your source, though it appears as if a pig’s intelligence is at least on par with that of a dog. When comparing pig and dog intelligence to that of a human, pigs operate at the level of a three-year-old, while dogs are like two-year-olds. And if you’ve ever raised children, you know how much growth can happen in those early years, so a one-year gap can make a huge difference.
It’s not up for debate that pigs are capable of far more than humans give them credit for. These animals are smart, communicative, curious, emotionally intelligent, and much more complex than most people think.
Featured Image Credit: Kuttelvaserova Stuchelova, Shutterstock
