If you are wondering if goats are stupid, then don’t worry, it’s quite a normal thing to wonder.
One thing that often can lead people to believe goats are stupid is that goat personalities are so varied and goat individuals can be so different that the behavior of one of your goats might lead you to make assumptions about the whole species.
But, as I say, goats are actually very intelligent for quite a few reasons!
Are goats intelligent?
There are a couple of basic ways we can look at this question before we start relating goats’ intelligence to their relationship with others.
First of all, if you own goats, you will know that they aren’t happy in a small space; they need a big area to roam around in.
This is a hallmark of a highly active brain; they need almost constant stimulation in the form not only of a space full of things to explore, but also toys to play with.
Secondly, another good metric for determining an animal’s intelligence is how social it is.
Social systems are inherently complex, and so it requires a reasonably intelligent animal to be able to navigate them.
Goats are of course herd animals and spend their whole lives surrounded by other members of their species.
With this comes a certain amount of hierarchy and social cohesion which has to be maintained by intelligent goats who can understand the needs of the rest of the herd.
As I said, goats wouldn’t have persisted for as long as they have and proliferated to virtually every corner of the world if they weren’t very smart.
The ability to form social bonds is part of what has made them such popular pets, and is based also on their memory, another important factor in judging their intelligence.
Related – Are Goats Smart?
Do goats remember you?
It has been shown that goats have excellent memory faculties.
You will probably have personal experience of this if you own a goat, as you will know the deepness of the bonds you’ve formed with your goats over the years.
Clearly, your goats know and remember you even after periods of time separated.
It has been shown that goats can learn how to solve complicated tasks quickly, and can retain the ability to complete these tasks for at least ten months and usually for more than a year.
This kind of fantastic memory is another hallmark of a very intelligent creature.
So, just like dogs, goats will remember you very clearly in their mind and will form a deep bond with you over the years.
Whether or not this makes them ‘intelligent’ in any way is probably less important to you than the simple fact that you can have this level of bonding with the animal, but it’s still fascinating to think about.
Are Nigerian dwarf goats stupid?
There isn’t a tremendous amount of variation between breeds in terms of their intelligence, but let’s look at a couple of very popular breeds.
Nigerian dwarf goats have become very popular in recent years (mostly due to their small size) as pets, and most report that their relationship with their Nigerian dwarf goat is just as strong as the bonds they’ve had with dogs.
Nigerian dwarf goats can build complex relationships with their owners and are wonderful pets to have around.
You only have to observe how much energy and fun Nigerian dwarf goats can have to jump around and explore their pasture.
Play, indeed, is not necessarily a universal feature of all animals, and usually indicates more complex cognitive functioning.
Are pygmy goats smart?
Pygmy goats have become just as popular for small homesteads due to their diminutive stature.
They are about the same size as Nigerian dwarf goats, and pack all the same energy, curiousness, and deep social cohesion that makes them so intelligent.
Pygmy owners report, again, that own a pygmy goat is like having a herd of small dogs.
They each have tremendous personality and energy and expend that energy in playing and exercising on their pasture.
One thing is for sure, a goat’s intelligence means that they are much more prone to depression if they aren’t properly socialized.
All they need is a few other members of their own species and a large area to explore and play, and you’ll have a very happy, smart goat.
So, pretty much however you look at it, goats are really very intelligent as animals go.
They are endlessly inquisitive and explorative, their highly active and intelligent brains get very bored quite easily, and they form such deep emotional connections with both you and the rest of their herd that it’s impossible to really see them as stupid.
As I said at the beginning, intelligence is not something we have a sound metric for determining, but any way we can possibly look at it, goats are far from stupid.