Hounds in Headlines: Canine Math Whiz

They don't teach this in puppy kindergarten.

We know that Border Collies are unofficially, but almost without a fight, the smartest dog breed in the world.

See here.

But a 3-year-old white pug in Xi'an, Northwest Shaanxi Province, may be giving Collies a run for their bones.

This exceptional math whiz, named Wawa, can count up to 10 and add, subtract, multiply, and divide. And it only took six months of training by owner My. Pang.

The canine can correctly answer questions like "How many is 2 plus 2 equal to?" and "How many is 3 times 3 equal to?" Wawa answers by barking the appropriate number of times and then sitting when he is done.

The Xi'an Daily and the Sanquin Daily reported:

"Mr. Pang began tutoring Wawa in math two years ago after noticing that the pooch showed a natural sensitivity to numbers. He began with hand gestures, showing one finger and saying, 'Wawa, this is one,' and training the dog to bark once. After a few weeks, Wawa graduated to 2, 3, 4 and so on."

Think about that the next time you give Fido a treat for giving you his paw.