I'm a cat person myself so I liked this bit from an
article about the evolution of dogs
Studies of animal intelligence, and human prejudices about animal intelligence, have long suggested that we take a remarkably self-centered view of the matter: people tend to think animals are smart if they respond to things the same way humans do.
Yet comparative psychologists who study animal behavior and intelligence have shown that disparities in how well a particular species learns or solves problems often turn out to have more to do with eyesight, motivation and species-specific ecological adaptations than with underlying intelligence. Cats, for example, do poorly on many animal I.Q. tests simply because it's almost impossible to devise a reward that cats care enough about to work for. Cats could be the original underachievers. Dogs, by comparison, are the animal equivalent of the teacher's pet: they may not be any smarter, but they always pay attention in class and are so eager to please