Any practical demonstrations of your dogs intelligence?

Alfasudcrazy

While my dogs spend most of their time doing silly things like following birds and shredding rags I recently was amazed at my female dobie who had just caught a nice fresh fat eel on the beach. She obviously had to do battle with the others before doing any munching so it got all covered in sand.

She then walked out with it in her mouth and threw it into the sea to wash all the sand off it - even stirring it around with her paw to ensure all the sand washed off then grabbed it again in her mouth and ran to the nearest grass area to eat it being careful not to let any sand on it. I always knew she was the smartest of the three but this amazed me. I wonder would she wash my cars for me if I asked nicely.:)

peasant

Our little terrier is the most intelligent of them all.

She just looks at us in that certain way that only dogs know how ...and we do everything for her :D:D

iguana

Dougal worked out how to open our living room door at 3 months.

coisaille

Usually get my dog to go round to the back door if she's mucky when we get back from a walk - this evening while I was fumbling at the door for my keys she dashed round to the back door, let herself in (forgot to lock it) ran thru the kitchen, opened the door to the room where the big bag of her food is kept and was stuffing her face, This all happened so fast I didnt even realise what was going on - walked past her to go and open the back door for her! Not sure if this is classed as intelligent or just devilishly opportunistic - now when she learns how to lock me outside then I'll be impressed hee hee

echosound

Your dobie sounds smart alright, washing the eel free of sand!!

hmm, not sure if this qualifies them as exceptionally smart or not, but they're things I get a great kick out of watching - our cat will sit with nose pressed against window at night looking out, and when his breath steams up the window, leans back and wipes the fog clear with his paw so he can look out again, just like any human would.

our pup will try to entice me to play with her ball with her, and if I'm not going for it as much as she'd like, she puts it in my handbag, closes the top over (crosses the straps) drags it over to me and puts it on my feet and opens the strap again for me to "see" what she's given me? Thinks she has come to the conclusion that stuff that is in my handbag is important stuff that I will pay attention to, as she sees me gathering stuff like keys and mobile into it, and thinks her ball will assume the same importance to me if it's in there...

our cat has also gotten in the habit of going over to the heater when it's cold and pawing at the switch to try to turn it on, then looks over at me and bawls his head off for me to turn it on for him. oh and the pup is making the connection between the phrase "turn on the light" and going over to our lamp (switch is a button thing that sits on the floor) and standing on it with her paw. Think I have technologically savvy animals.

And one final thing, that is more imitation than anything else. Pup sees my DH ruffling my hair when he passes, so she jumps up to the arm of the chair and tries to ruffle my head with her paw (but more often than not due to her short stature ends up being a claw in the ear).

michelleans

Our pets are way more intelligent than we give them credit for...

My boy Jake opens the door

I have it on video here and here

He also will wash his toys in his water if they get dirty. When the water gets dirty (from him washing his toys in it) he will spill it out and bring the dish over to me to refill it.

If the phone goes off in another room and I don't hear it, he will run to me, bark at me, and run back to the phone...

When I get ready to go outside, he will bring me my shoes.

When he wakes me up in the morning, and I ignore him, he will grab the covers and pull them off me :rolleyes:

Note: I did not teach him any of these things. (though I have put the door opening thing to good use when my hands are full )

macshadow

A dog i had previously (setter labx) who would get his dish when i tapped twice in quick succession on the kitchen table and often with guests over would land his dish on their lap. He could open doors with his mouth but usually to get up to no good. When the word walk was used he would bring his lead to you,in the end we had to spell the word walk if not really going for one. He could be told to give something like the tv remote to a named person and would always get the right person.
He could do loads of stuff but a greedier dog you could not meet,there had to be something in it for him.
There is a photo of him on the marley and me website,if only i knew how to post pics.

Padjo1981

One of the most basic tests to soo if your dog is intelegent or just copying things, is to tell them to sit and just put a towel or sth like that over their head, the faster he/she gets it off the smarter they are. On the other hand if they sit there for 20mins it is a good indacation that the dog is as thick as a post. This is not a test to see how well trained the dog is but how much they want to solve problems on there own

iguana

Padjo1981 wrote: »

One of the most basic tests to soo if your dog is intelegent or just copying things, is to tell them to sit and just put a towel or sth like that over their head, the faster he/she gets it off the smarter they are. On the other hand if they sit there for 20mins it is a good indacation that the dog is as thick as a post. This is not a test to see how well trained the dog is but how much they want to solve problems on there own

I've heard this, and I've tried it on my dogs, but Dougal really loves it under the blanket. When I throw it on his head he starts wagging his tail like mad and nestles in further. Sometimes he throws it in the air and steps under it before it falls so he can be under it.

He is actually very intelligent though, because he taught himself how to open the door. It is a concertina door and he worked out that pressing on the left section would make the right section open. He just sat down at the door and pressed his paw all over until he got a result. Then he kept pressing it in that spot until it opened all the way.

Padjo1981

iguana wrote: »

I've heard this, and I've tried it on my dogs, but Dougal really loves it under the blanket. When I throw it on his head he starts wagging his tail like mad and nestles in further. Sometimes he throws it in the air and steps under it before it falls so he can be under it.

He is actually very intelligent though, because he taught himself how to open the door. It is a concertina door and he worked out that pressing on the left section would make the right section open. He just sat down at the door and pressed his paw all over until he got a result. Then he kept pressing it in that spot until it opened all the way.

Wow sounds like one smart dog.

sebastianv

First I blame the wife for calling him baby, Thor or a slightly more masculine name was my first choice, our OES baby is lets face it a bit thick and does not seem to comprehend that he is the size of a small pony, while he attempts to sit on your knee or climb in the cat bed, our little terrier Molly RIP, was the brains of the operation, she could open any fridge or cupboard and sniff out her favorite morsel, the big eejit of an OES just sat looking at at as if to say "You've had it now" and she looked back with that "Do I look like I care" face.
Wish I could say my dog amazes and entertains with his grasp of canine intellect but no, he sometimes gets over excited when he gives you a paw, offering two at the same time then toppling over.
Seb

popecatapetal

We've taught our cocker spaniel a good few tricks, such as the difference between right and left, to crawl along the floor, to bark quietly if he is told to say woof, and to give the Nazi salute when someone says Sieg Heil

However all these tricks only work if you have food. Even telling him to sit causes him to bounce his bottom off the floor and then run out to the garage and stand whining looking up at the treats.

He also walks into sliding doors, lamposts, walls and fridges... Dopey animal

Leeby

echosound wrote: »

our pup will try to entice me to play with her ball with her, and if I'm not going for it as much as she'd like, she puts it in my handbag, closes the top over (crosses the straps) drags it over to me and puts it on my feet and opens the strap again for me to "see" what she's given me? Thinks she has come to the conclusion that stuff that is in my handbag is important stuff that I will pay attention to, as she sees me gathering stuff like keys and mobile into it, and thinks her ball will assume the same importance to me if it's in there...
And one final thing, that is more imitation than anything else. Pup sees my DH ruffling my hair when he passes, so she jumps up to the arm of the chair and tries to ruffle my head with her paw (but more often than not due to her short stature ends up being a claw in the ear).

Your puppy sounds like the most adorable dog ever!!

Mawg

Alot of those doggies sound very smart indeed! My lab learned to open the back door by herself, and to fetch the lead if she heard the word "walk", but other than that all the tricks she knows have been taught to her (the usual, sit, beg, give the paw)

I have a two new cats, they're siblings, a male tuxedo and a female pure black. Now the male -despite being a lovely cat- is a bit stupid, he relies more on his strength than his intellect to get his way. I think the female has had to develop intelligence to earn her food in the house. One thing I'e noticed her doing is trying to open doors around the house. She's never actually managed to get one opened (that I've seen anyway) but she always jumps up and grabs the handles if she wants to get somewhere (even if there's noone in the room, so it's not that she's trying to get someone else to open the door for her) I think the fact that she knows how to open the door, and the fact that she keeps trying even though she's never had a result, shows that she's got a keen enough mind.

palaver

Reading all these touching and enjoyable stories about highly intelligent pets, I have to admit, and sadly so, that my sweet, adorable, loving, lovable and beloved dog is as thick as a brick




But I make up for it

michelleans

popecatapetal wrote: »

and to give the Nazi salute when someone says Sieg Heil

Im A Hotmail

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/how-smart-is-your-dog-iq-test/index.html

Haven't tried this myself but it was written and designed by a very qualified man, might be worth a look if you're that interested.

lucozader

my dog learned to open gates by himself

he learned how to open the latch

he was incredibly skillful at it

wazzoraybelle

Woof woof...

woof!:D

crazy_dude6662

one of my dogs, jessie, is uber smart.
the other, dougal, is thick as two short planks (although he is sweeter)

jessie has learned all the tricks we try to teach her with in a day, she learned how to open doors, but luckily we got rid of that quickly. she knows what tuborg is.
we have had dougal for about three months now and he has only mastererd sit.


yea...


but he is soooo sweet, so it makes up for his lack of brain cells

padi89

I think my lab is fairly smart.......well more obedient
I can put a cooked steak in right in front of him in his bowl and he wont eat it until i say so:p
Its funny at times because for the few seconds that i tell him wait the drool that flows is crazy:D

Bluefrog

Ye probably won't believe this but years ago my brother, a vet, had a cocker spaniel that would go to the newsagents and pick up the paper. Granted it was a bit slobbery by the time you got it but hey....

Now I'm not claiming the dog actually read it but as it was the Indo, I'm taking that as another sign of intelligence.

wazzoraybelle

there was(is) a dog in cork city that used to take the bus into town from the northside in the morning and would wait at the bus stop in the evening to be taken back!!
Read this in the examiner last year!

Alfasudcrazy

I recall the terrier we had when I was a nipper arrived home from town one day with a leg of lamb/beef or whatever. We lived about two miles from the town center. :eek:

KTRIC

The most my cat has managed is to get all excited when I ask him where the birdies are

Oh and when he comes in wet we put a towel on the kitchen floor and he lays on it so we can dry him.