Do you know what dog breed is the samartest?
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Hey, I want my dogs in on this bet! *LOL*
But in all honesty, all we'd be doing is showing how competent we are as trainers, not how smart our dogs are. I think most dogs are very capable of learning an amazing number of behaviors on cue and it's only our limitations as "teachers" that stops them from learning more.
Maybe it shouldn't have been "how intelligent is your dog" but instead "how capable is the trainer" .. *L*
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
But in all honesty, all we'd be doing is showing how competent we are as trainers, not how smart our dogs are. I think most dogs are very capable of learning an amazing number of behaviors on cue and it's only our limitations as "teachers" that stops them from learning more.
Maybe it shouldn't have been "how intelligent is your dog" but instead "how capable is the trainer" .. *L*
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
There are different kinds of intelligence 
You cant measure it by just doing 1 single exam.
For example, throw a herder in front of a wofl it will be torn apart.
Throw a LGD in front of a wolf it will tear a wolf a new one.
Now switch sides, throw a herder near a cow, it will herd
Throw a LGD in front of a cow, it'll run off looking for a wolf.
You cant measure it by just doing 1 single exam.
For example, throw a herder in front of a wofl it will be torn apart.
Throw a LGD in front of a wolf it will tear a wolf a new one.
Now switch sides, throw a herder near a cow, it will herd
Throw a LGD in front of a cow, it'll run off looking for a wolf.
I have to say that the things my bunch does on their own, with no appreciable training at all, astounds me. I am a LOUSY trainer . . . and a lazy one, lol. I like for my dogs to listen to me - or even better, just read my mind and act accordingly, and in large part, my Shepherds and Filas have done just that.
Oh, and they understand cause and effect very well - well enough to initiate it, not just respond to it
Oh, and they understand cause and effect very well - well enough to initiate it, not just respond to it
You cannot measure a dogs intelligence just by breed accurately, it relys on so many variables; that it is rediculas to think you can pinpoint it.
Every dog has a different use, and different areas of intelligence, and varyables. like
- Quality of training
- Problem solving skills
- Trainability
- Obedience
- Drive
- Instinct
- Training methods used
- Environment
- Socialization
- Consistancy
- Synchronization
and on and on and on and on
Dont try to say "this breed is the best"
come to terms with the fact that intelligence depends on how well the dog understands itself, its uses, and its owners.
As far as the poodle thing goes, yes they are very trainable dogs, but they are NOT by any means "the smartest dogs"
given a crap owner, any dogs potential can be lost.
If ou want a smart dog, breeds dont matter. You mix 3 things for a smart dog
1. Quality training
2. Sound health and temperment
3. Time
Bickering over something like this is retarded cause to tell you the truth, there is no "smartest" breed
Every dog has a different use, and different areas of intelligence, and varyables. like
- Quality of training
- Problem solving skills
- Trainability
- Obedience
- Drive
- Instinct
- Training methods used
- Environment
- Socialization
- Consistancy
- Synchronization
and on and on and on and on
Dont try to say "this breed is the best"
come to terms with the fact that intelligence depends on how well the dog understands itself, its uses, and its owners.
As far as the poodle thing goes, yes they are very trainable dogs, but they are NOT by any means "the smartest dogs"
given a crap owner, any dogs potential can be lost.
If ou want a smart dog, breeds dont matter. You mix 3 things for a smart dog
1. Quality training
2. Sound health and temperment
3. Time
Bickering over something like this is retarded cause to tell you the truth, there is no "smartest" breed
lol! I love you all... hey, if we are on, then we are on....
We need some judges! Some people here who are not picking favorites. We can either put together a tape, as fun.. I want it fun no matter what, every dog deserves their day. Do we disclose what our dog(s) know at the moment? What I mean is training wise, should we discuss what our dogs know before we "enter." I will say, that I trained my dog, and so that I am honest, he has been in shows all over the country, doing tricks, so I don't want to be unfair to someone else. But I would love to show what a mutt can do.... and love doing it! Regardless of the outcome, I would like this to be postive and fun, not mean or hateful.
I will do most of mine on just hand signals, but the harder stuff I have props and vocal and hand comands. Sounds like fun, and I bet we can even learn a lot from each other.
My mutt also is trained to do math problems....and bomb sniffing....
We need some judges! Some people here who are not picking favorites. We can either put together a tape, as fun.. I want it fun no matter what, every dog deserves their day. Do we disclose what our dog(s) know at the moment? What I mean is training wise, should we discuss what our dogs know before we "enter." I will say, that I trained my dog, and so that I am honest, he has been in shows all over the country, doing tricks, so I don't want to be unfair to someone else. But I would love to show what a mutt can do.... and love doing it! Regardless of the outcome, I would like this to be postive and fun, not mean or hateful.
I will do most of mine on just hand signals, but the harder stuff I have props and vocal and hand comands. Sounds like fun, and I bet we can even learn a lot from each other.
My mutt also is trained to do math problems....and bomb sniffing....
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I don't know how we could do this - and again, it would only judge us as trainers, not the intelligence of our dogs .. *L*
But we can certainly share some of the things our dogs do .. among various other things, Trick fetches a beer from the fridge.
She also tosses a toy to me (we play fetch, back and forth), can back up 40' across a parking lot and then spin circles, wave goodbye, cover her nose when I ask her "what stinks?" .. *LOL* .. and of course, is fully trained through open obedience and is working on scent discrimination (not her fault she isn't doing it yet, I just haven't taught her).
Give me another year or so with my youngest chow .. she's a spitfire! So much fun to work with!
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
.. loves training ..
But we can certainly share some of the things our dogs do .. among various other things, Trick fetches a beer from the fridge.
She also tosses a toy to me (we play fetch, back and forth), can back up 40' across a parking lot and then spin circles, wave goodbye, cover her nose when I ask her "what stinks?" .. *LOL* .. and of course, is fully trained through open obedience and is working on scent discrimination (not her fault she isn't doing it yet, I just haven't taught her).
Give me another year or so with my youngest chow .. she's a spitfire! So much fun to work with!
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
.. loves training ..
Melanie, getting the drink such a fun trick. Everything went smoothly with my pup learning to do that, until we got to the cold cans. He will get one out, but since it's so cold on his teeth he winds up pushing it across the floor to me... By that time, the soda is usually all ready to explode in my face when I open it. LOL, I love him for trying.
You know, a "trainer's challenge" would be neat.. Deciding on some obscure trick and seeing how long it took different trainers (who obviously have quite a bit of time on their hands) to teach it. As with the intelligence thing, I'm not sure how it could be done. Would be neat, though.
You know, a "trainer's challenge" would be neat.. Deciding on some obscure trick and seeing how long it took different trainers (who obviously have quite a bit of time on their hands
) to teach it. As with the intelligence thing, I'm not sure how it could be done. Would be neat, though.- Joined
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I didn't have any problems with the cold drink, but shepherds tend to have a pretty hard grip and Trick found that she could puncture the can and she LOVES beer! *LOL* So I use those foam "sleeves" which also allow the dog to get a better grip on the can (or bottle).
I don't see how we can prove intelligence. I think with the right trainer, most dogs can learn a lot of behaviors. Some are definitely easier to train than others, of course. My chows can be a challenge but I start young and I teach them to learn .. give them the joy of learning and it makes things much easier. Different breeds/different dogs have different ways of thinking through problems. I know my shepherd doesn't think the same way as my chow. And each dog has particular things that come easy to them. My shepherd is a natural at retrieving, but I've had to shape that in my young chow from day one. She will never retrieve like Trick, but at least she WILL retrieve .. *L*
Maybe we need to start a new thread with trainers just discussing how they teach their dogs different behaviors? Not basic obedience, but other "fun" stuff. We'd probably have to do that down in the training section though.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
I don't see how we can prove intelligence. I think with the right trainer, most dogs can learn a lot of behaviors. Some are definitely easier to train than others, of course. My chows can be a challenge but I start young and I teach them to learn .. give them the joy of learning and it makes things much easier. Different breeds/different dogs have different ways of thinking through problems. I know my shepherd doesn't think the same way as my chow. And each dog has particular things that come easy to them. My shepherd is a natural at retrieving, but I've had to shape that in my young chow from day one. She will never retrieve like Trick, but at least she WILL retrieve .. *L*
Maybe we need to start a new thread with trainers just discussing how they teach their dogs different behaviors? Not basic obedience, but other "fun" stuff. We'd probably have to do that down in the training section though.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
Personally I don't think intelligence is measured by how fast a dog learns a command or what tricks a dog can perform. I also don't think it's also shown by what a dog is naturally bred to do such as a herding breed that herds or a guarding breed that guards. In my opinion a smart dog is one that is an independent thinker and is able to resolve problems on his own and how fast he's able to do so. Example, here's a neat little brain exercise for the dogs that are food motivated. I place a treat in a plastic bottle, show the dog that I do so, then place the bottle on the grown and let the dog figure himself how to get it out. Again this can only show his thinking process IF he is food motiviated.
Here are pictures of my dog Boomer I took a whilte ago trying to figure out how to get the treat out of the bottle. He figure the only way for him to get it out is to hold the bottle, like a baby would hold his bottle of milk, and put it upside down. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get in the right position in order for the treat to fall out.
You can see the treat in the middle of the bottle. Of all things he goes nuts over are cat treats.
Got the treat...
Here are pictures of my dog Boomer I took a whilte ago trying to figure out how to get the treat out of the bottle. He figure the only way for him to get it out is to hold the bottle, like a baby would hold his bottle of milk, and put it upside down. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get in the right position in order for the treat to fall out.
You can see the treat in the middle of the bottle. Of all things he goes nuts over are cat treats.
Got the treat...
Would you all consider this smart?
Took Kiara to my sister's house for the first time. Walked in the front door, let her out the back to potty. My sister doesn't have fencing completely around her yard, only on one side and the back. I was joking with Kiara and said "Bye Kiara" and walked in (No worries, she wasn't alone, my sister was still out there with her.) She ran full speed to the front of the house and barked at the door we came in.
She also has a process of elimination in which I've been able to teach her how to pick up and bring me things. I think that process is a pretty smart thing for a dog to do. I ask her to bring me something and she brings me one thing - I tell her that's not it - and then she brings me something else until she gets the right object - never brings the same wrong object twice.
IMO, some of the things she is capable of doing proves she is a very smart dog.
BTW, she's on the mutt team and I'm not sure what breeds she's mixed with.
Took Kiara to my sister's house for the first time. Walked in the front door, let her out the back to potty. My sister doesn't have fencing completely around her yard, only on one side and the back. I was joking with Kiara and said "Bye Kiara" and walked in (No worries, she wasn't alone, my sister was still out there with her.) She ran full speed to the front of the house and barked at the door we came in.
She also has a process of elimination in which I've been able to teach her how to pick up and bring me things. I think that process is a pretty smart thing for a dog to do. I ask her to bring me something and she brings me one thing - I tell her that's not it - and then she brings me something else until she gets the right object - never brings the same wrong object twice.
IMO, some of the things she is capable of doing proves she is a very smart dog.
BTW, she's on the mutt team and I'm not sure what breeds she's mixed with.
I was not implying that other breeds of dogs are not smart but it has been found that the Poodle is the best at problem solving (ex: solving a maze) I agree that what ever breed you own you are going to think is the smartest and I for one think that the Doberman Pinscher is a very intelligent breed who is quick and easy to train and very obedient along with the other amazing breeds whom I admire every dog is smart in their own sense and yes the owner(s) have alot to do with the training but not the intelligence I am sorry to say there are some dogs (not breeds) that just don't get it
And I for one DO NOT own a Poodle (nothing against them I think they are a great breed of dog) just look at the pic below that is my baby
And for you who own a mix breed dog I feel they too are a great "breed" (if you want to call it that) I have owned many mixes in my time (and as a matter of fact I do right now) and have found that they are just as intelligent as any purbred registered dog
And I for one DO NOT own a Poodle (nothing against them I think they are a great breed of dog) just look at the pic below
that is my babyAnd for you who own a mix breed dog I feel they too are a great "breed" (if you want to call it that
) I have owned many mixes in my time (and as a matter of fact I do right now) and have found that they are just as intelligent as any purbred registered dogK, just to show some of my dogs "tricks", and I can do either voice or hand command.... sit, speak, lay down, crawl, walk forwards, walk backwards, turn left, turn right, do a "hurt" let, lay on the left side and stay, lay on the right side and stay, get on "your seat", bomb sniffing, opening up doors, closing doors, do math problems and many others that I don't want to "tell." Again, 99% is hand signals.....still wanna play....lol!!!! (in a fun manner) Also, on attack, that's a different field altogether. Oh, he can also bow!
Amy
Amy
I'm sorry but anyone who believes this has not spent very much time with a basenji. They are extremely smart. They may not learn commands as quickly as most Americans would like but as far as what makes a an animal intelligent, basenji's are up there. You can see when they are deep in thought and problem solving. When my basenji Corky was a pup, he had a thing for my shoes and only my shoes. I figured I could put my slip ons on the table so they would be handy for me on the first floor of our house. At that time he wasn't quite tall enough to get his feet on the table. Well, he got them by pulling down the table cloth. Then I put them on the desk, he got them by climbing a combination of the chair and the drawer handles. I finally gave up and put them in the closet. What he wants, he gets and what he wants to do he does no matter how much thought he has to put into it. Also, Corky learned sit faster than my other two dogs.
Here's a very interesting article that explains a little bit more about why basenjis are considered difficult to Americans and how intelligent and loyal they really are. http://www.basenjirescue.org/REALITY%20STORIES/ok-higgins.htm
Here's a very interesting article that explains a little bit more about why basenjis are considered difficult to Americans and how intelligent and loyal they really are. http://www.basenjirescue.org/REALITY%20STORIES/ok-higgins.htm