How intelligent is your dog?
Just how do we test the intelligence of a dog and does it matter?
Well, regarding does it matter, quite frankly the answer is no. You can be the owner of the dopiest dogs on the planet but if they are your much-loved pets it’s irrelevant. What’s more, a lack of intelligence can be a distinct advantage. I will return to this later.
For those who want to know how to find out theirs dogs intelligence level read on.
I have owned some amazingly intelligent working dogs over the years and loved them all but by contrast, I also acquired Taz, a Cretan mutt who could not be described as anything other than a little slow on the uptake but I loved him no less. Taz did everything slowly, he walked slowly, he laid down slowly, he got up slowly he even ate his dinner slowly. He followed me faithfully wherever I went, showed enthusiasm for going out in the car but he was one of those dogs that if you wanted to go for a walk he was happy to go but if you didn’t then that was equally ok. Despite his very self contained persona Taz showed me the same loyal companionship of his predecessors. In retrospect, though maybe he wasn’t as daft as it appeared. When I threw a stick for him to retrieve he would look at me as much to say “you threw it, you go and get it.” Maybe he was brighter than he first appeared!!
In years gone by intelligence was measured only by a dogs ability to perform basic obedience tests.
Stanley Coren
In 1994 Stanley Coren a Professor of Canine Psychology at the University of British Columbia published his book The intelligence of Dogs which theorized about the intelligence levels in each breed. Coren then attempted to take this to another level by listing breeds in order of intelligence
He indicated that there are three categories of intelligence.
- Instinctive intelligence, this refers to the task that the particular dog was bred for: guarding, herding, pointing or fetching plus companionship.
- Adaptive intelligence, this refers to the ability to solve problems on its own.
- Working intelligence, this refers to the ability to learn from humans.
138 breeds were accessed and the top four breeds were as follows:
- Border Collie
- Poodle*
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
*This may surprise some but the Standard Poodle is German in origin not French, the Standard was an exceptional hunting dog and as anybody with any experience in dog training will know the poodle is very trainable and that includes both the miniature and toy variety. They don’t have to be snappy, spoilt, lap dogs. They are highly intelligent, don’t shed hair and easy to train.
For those who always want to know who came last, at number 138 was the Afghan hound!
It should be pointed out that much of Coren’s research included evaluation by competition obedience judges and accepted assessment by dog owners themselves. Many have been sceptical of the results and have dismissed survey findings as unreliable.
For me, the leading authority on this subject whilst I was working was Dr. Bruce Fogle MBE DVM MRCVS a Canadian Veterinary Surgeon who wrote the book The Dogs Mind (Pelham books/Stephen Greene press 1990) often referred to as the Dog Trainers Bible. This book in the beginning goes into anatomy, physiology and the genetics of the dog’s mind plus the workings of the brain. The opening chapters can be a bit heavy going as it is primarily aimed at those professionally involved with dogs, but it is done in a style that can be understood by the seriously interested dog owner.
In his book, he explains a system of separating breeds into groups using the three main attributes that affect the ability of the dog to respond to stimulus.
These are:
Trainability Obedience training.
Reactivity. Excitability, Excessive barking, General activity.
Aggression. Territorial defence, Dominance.
Then dividing into Low, Medium and High.
If you apply all of the separate breeds with these three attributes then a set of statistics emerge although Fogle doesn’t list 1-138 in the same way as Coren but puts breeds into clusters or groups.
Using this system for instance a Golden Retriever would be graded as High Trainability – Low Aggression – Low reactivity
As a former professional dog trainer and behaviourist, I must admit that Fogle’s book was an excellent reference tool that I still have today. Fogle relies on his own experience of the various breeds, books that he has read, many by distinguished veterinarians and scientists and refers to papers published in scientific journals from as far afield as North America, Europe and Scandinavia.
At the beginning, I said I would return to the advantage of having a dog with a lower level of intelligence.
Think on this, a day in the life of a pet dog.
Woken up, around 7 am and for the next hour and a half being ignored as everybody rushes around going to the bathroom, finding clothes, having breakfast and rushing off to work and school. Lucky if someone might think to take a dog for a brief walk. For the next 8 hours look out of the window and watch the grass grow, leaves blowing in the wind and the most exciting part of the day watching the clouds move across the sky. The family come home, have dinner, watch tv, kids do their homework and then spend the rest of the time on their mobile phones or tablets. A short walk again and the highlight of the day dinner! Another 8 hours of sleep and the ritual starts all over again.
If the dog is lucky the weekends are a little better.
Sadly this can be the life of a pet dog, not all but for some, totally lacking in stimulation, a boring existence with no way to use that brain. It’s no wonder that some dogs choose to be destructive. It’s their way to overcome boredom and to get any attention. Better to be punished than ignored.
This is the reason why having a dog like Taz is sometimes a good thing as the stimulation required is minimal. Ideal in a busy pet home.
For those who would like to test their dogs intelligence for a bit of fun try typing into your toolbar.
How to test your dog’s intelligence
Whatever the result please don’t take this seriously!!
I tried this with Taz, bless him, and when I did the towel routine he thought that when everything went dark he would have an early night and fell asleep!! So whether your dog is a genius or a complete dumbo it makes no difference, he is still your dog. In fact, it could be argued that your dog is so intelligent that he considers such tests as demeaning and declines to take the event seriously. The whole thing being an insult to his intelligence and beneath him!!!
Finally, if you think it is ok to find the level of your dog’s intelligence then first maybe you should be willing to take the intelligence test for humans.
Type into your toolbar. Mensa test. Good luck!!
There are now so many activities for dogs there is no excuse for a bored dog. Some activities are organised and others can be done by yourself using a bit of imagination. There is now so much information on the internet. Obedience, Working Trials, Working Tests, Flyball, Agility, Frisby, Orienteering, Rallying, Hide and Seek, Rambling, even Dancing with Dogs!!
Finally, some wonderful activity toys are available for the family pet that is left on its own. They won’t be cheap but if they provide your pet with the stimulus that prevents mind-numbing boredom which in turn can prevent destruction in the house then they are worth every penny.
“The love of a dog is a pure thing. He gives you a trust that is total. You must not betray it.”
Michel Houellebecq