Hold on to your leashes, folks, because we’ve got some pawsitively mind-boggling news about our four-legged friends.

Dogs Have Larger Brains Now Than Before

Recent research reveals that dogs are evolving and now have larger brains than their ancestors.

Hungarian and Swedish scientists have unleashed a surprising finding: our beloved canines are becoming brainier. 

It is not clear from research if dogs are getting smarter or dumber, but it is clear from the research that they now have bigger brains.  

Usually, when animals become domesticated, their brain size shrinks. 

But for some reason, dogs are bucking the trend, and as they become more and more domesticated, they are getting larger brains.  

So, let’s put our paws on the table and address the elephant in the room—some of our dogs can be, well, not the sharpest tools in the shed. 

I can’t figure out how dogs could survive in the wild since our family dogs barely survive in a domestic environment.  And if ancestral dogs had smaller brains…?  

Adorable and Loving But Not Always Smart

Our family is a dog family, and I am always amazed at how dumb the dogs are (but adorable and loving).  

No matter what we do, our dogs continue to make the same mistakes and never learn from experience.  They are not self-aware and do not get smarter with age or attempt self-improvement.  

Little Dogs Never Learn

For example, my little dogs refuse to learn that it is a bad idea for a 10-pound pup to pick a fight with a 60-pound dog. Every day we go for a walk, my wife and I protect our little dogs from trying to be eaten by big dogs that they can’t resist barking at.   

And, our dogs bark at anyone walking by our house (as if barking will do anything).  They get yelled at and put in the “dog house” (which they don’t like).  The dogs look remorseful for a moment, but the next time a man or dog walks by, they forget their lesson and bark. 

Chewie (he is the cutest but dumbest of our dogs) can’t learn not to throw himself in front of every bicycle that rides by.  Despite sometimes getting a bloody nose, Chewie won’t learn from experience.  By the way, we never let Chewie off the leash because we are convinced he commit dog Seppeku by throwing himself in front of a 6-year-old on a bicycle with training wheels.  

What Dog Hasn’t Tried Toilet Paper?

And, what dog owner hasn’t seen their furry friends gobbling down the most peculiar things, like cat poop, toilet paper, or even attempting to devour an entire couch (or an entire chicken that was recently taken from the oven)?  And let’s not even begin to discuss why mud puddles are an irresistible draw for every dog, no matter how often they have been told not to roll around in the mud.  

So, I don’t understand….if dogs got any dumber, how could they survive in the wild?  Maybe their increased brain size isn’t resulting in higher IQ?    

Despite Their Questionable Decisions…..

But fear not, my fellow dog lovers, these lovable goofballs have evolved uniquely despite their occasional questionable decisions.

I am guessing that modern dogs are better than their ancestors in loyalty, love, and being cute.  After all, aren’t those skills domestic dogs need to master and that we value?  On the other hand, pack hunting is a skill that isn’t in demand among America’s dogs and, therefore not evolving.  

So, the next time your furry friend does something hilariously dumb, remember that while their brains might be growing, their true talent lies in making us smile, even if it means sacrificing a roll of toilet paper or turning our couch into a chew toy.

Today’s dogs may not be the brightest bulbs in the animal kingdom, but they’ve mastered the art of unconditional love, which is the wisdom we could all learn from.