People tell me all the time “how intelligent” their dog is or that their dog’s breed “is one of the most intelligent breeds” or that their dog “is not as quick as others.” Others ask me if their dog is “smart” or “a bit slow.” What do these labels mean when it comes to dogs? How do you rank the natural range of intelligences that allow dogs to herd, retrieve, guard, hunt, dig, and to act as eyes, ears, strength, and guardian for people in need? Is it smarter when a dog can work with people or when they can work independent of people? It’s all very “apples and oranges” to me. Which amazing skill should we rank as the best?
Which is most intelligent? Instead of ranking and competing, I vote that we try to understand and appreciate the differences.
Boiled down, there are four kinds of dog intelligence: working, problem solving, instinctive and learning.
1) Working, or trainability, is how a dog works cooperatively with humans. A working smart dog learns cues from their handler with few repetitions. Ever seen a Border Collie herding? The Shepherd (the human kind) needs only a hand gesture or whistle to alter the movement of the dog. It is an amazing partnership to watch!
2) Problem solving requires dogs to work out a solution to a problem or obstacle. My Hakuin is a tremendous problem solver. To get in her crate, she opens the door with her nose. If it’s closed, she will grasp the latch with her teeth and pull. If it’s locked, she will grasp the latch, pull up, and then pull out to open it! I’ve seen it many times in 9 years (cupboards, fridge, Tupperware, doors, etc) but it still amazes me to this day to watch her in action!
3) Instinctive smarts are hardwired into how the dog relates to the word. Shepherds herd. Labradors retrieve. Westies dig. Bassets sniff. Dobermans guard. Greyhounds run. Huskies pull. Pointers point. Nobody needs to teach these things, the dogs are literally born to do them.
4) Learning intelligence is the ability to learn by watching other dogs. Young puppies learn how to play with toys by watching their Dam and littermates. Dogs who live, work and train with other dogs, will continue to develop their observational learning smarts. Beagle puppies run in hunting packs with the older dogs leading the way.
But what does this all mean? In our haste to define dog intelligence, we have over-simplified what dogs are capable of. In fact, dog intelligence cannot be neatly wrapped into a singular word or definition. Dogs have a range of strengths and weaknesses that make them each uniquely talented at specific tasks. Understanding the individual blends of intelligences in our dogs will help us appreciate and work with them better.
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