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The Sixth Sense
The sights, sounds and (especially) smells of the world are always changing and always of interest to a smart dog. The smartest will always be checking out the environment, but not to the point of wasting too much energy on things that don’t much matter.
1) What does your dog do in a new environment—a safe, quiet place, such as a fenced backyard she’s never been in before?
a. She shows little interest.
b. She cautiously checks out the new sights, sounds and smells.
c. She immediately starts exploring, and covers every square inch.
2) How does your dog react to a strange noise outside?
a. He ignores it completely.
b. He raises his ears, but doesn’t move.
c. He tries to locate the sound and goes to the window to take a look.
3) What does your dog do when she sees herself in the mirror?
a. Almost every time it’s "Who’s that strange dog?"
b. She won’t recognize herself at first, but then she’ll relax once she realizes it’s not a "strange dog."
c. She pays no attention to reflections after figuring out they’re not worth exploring.
4) How does your dog respond when you get out a suitcase?
a. He doesn’t care.
b. He explores the suitcase for its unique scents.
c. He shows a distinctive behavior that suggests he has made a connection between the appearance of the suitcase and something about to happen.
5) Does your dog understand what you do differently on work days and weekends, by reacting differently to your behavior?
a. Nope.
b. She seems hopeful that I’ll take her with me even if I’m in work clothes.
c. When I’m leaving for work, she always knows she’s staying home.
Self Awareness
While some reactions are automatic in pets as well as people—if you’re frightened by something, for example, your body will react before your brain kicks in—intelligent dogs understand exactly what belongs to and relates to them.
6) Does your dog know his name?
a. Only if his name is, "Are You Hungry?"
b. Yes, but he’ll also respond if you say a different word in the same tone and inflection as you would say his name.
c. Yes. He not only knows his name, but he also knows and responds to all his nicknames.
7) What does your dog do when you tickle her ear?
a. She reacts reflexively; for example, by moving an unaffected body part.
b. She shakes her head.
c. She pulls away and gives you a look to show she is aware you’re tickling her and is not amused
.
8) How does your dog react when you scratch him?
a. He enjoys being scratched, any time, anywhere, but doesn’t really interact further.
b. He leans his body into your hand so you’ll scratch deeper.
c. He maneuvers his body to get you to hit a “sweet spot,” such as at the base of the tail.
9) If given the opportunity, will your dog try to get a bad smell on her?
a. No, she has little to no interest in smells.
b. Maybe if it’s really smelly, like cat poop, she’ll find it and sniff a little.
c. Yes, she’ll roll, roll, roll in it. Bad smells are good, and if she’s lucky, you won’t bathe her immediately.
10) Put a couple of dowels or similar objects on the ground and walk with your dog over them a couple of times. How does your dog react?
a. He shows no awareness of where his feet land.
b. He gradually adjusts so he doesn’t step on a dowel.
c. He never once steps on any of the dowels.
Logic Puzzles
When properly motivated, many dogs are able to adapt themselves or their environment to get something desirable, especially food. Try these tests with a hungry dog—the motivation won’t be as strong after a meal.
11) Get an empty soup can—make sure the edges are smooth, not sharp. Get a treat your dog really likes, show it to him and then put the can over it. How does your dog react?
a. She seems confused, "What happened to the treat?"
b. She sniffs around the can, and eventually bumps it to expose the treat.
c. She immediately goes to the can and gets the treat.
12) What happens if you hold your dog’s collar, throw two treats to opposite sides of the room, and then let him go?
a. He’ll get one treat and forget about the other.
b. He’ll get one, and look for the other unsuccessfully because he doesn’t remember where it landed.
c. He’ll get one, and then immediately and easily locate and scarf down the other.
13) Hold a squeaky toy behind your back without your dog realizing it. Start squeaking. How does your dog react?
14) Repeat each of the three previous tests. Does your dog improve?
a. Not a bit.
b. Quite a bit.
c. He slam-dunked the tests the first time.
15) Is your dog able to get you to do things, such as get a treat or go for a walk?
a. She never tries to push her desires on me.
b. She tries only one thing, such as barking or pawing, but gives up after a while.
c. She tries one thing and then another, until I give in to her demands.
Ability to Learn and Adapt
Some breeds, such as herding dogs, were developed to work closely with humans. These breeds may be more “tuned in” than those developed to work independently. (Mixes, of course, share any combination of characteristics from their parents.) Still, there are signs in any dog when he’s really using the gray matter.
16) How does your dog respond when the clocks are adjusted in the fall?
a. He hounds you for weeks about why his dinner is always late.
b. He learns within a few days that dinner time is now one hour later.
c. He successfully trains you to give him dinner an hour earlier, so that becomes the new meal time.
17) How many words has your dog attached some meaning to? (This doesn't just mean she'll sit when asked, but also knowing that "walk" means something good and "bath" means something not-so-good.)
a. Less than five.
b. More than a dozen.
c. More than two dozen.
18) Does your dog understand the same word in different contexts; for example, does he understand that "down" means both "lay down" and "get off the couch" depending on what he’s doing and where he is when you say it?
a. He barely understands words in any context.
b. He knows only one behavior with each word.
c. He understands words in context, and behaves differently depending on the context.
19) Try to teach your dog to shake hands by touching the back of his front leg, using what motivates your dog most (her favorite treat, toy or lots of praise).
a. She doesn’t realize she must do something to be rewarded.
b. She catches on relatively soon.
c. She learns the trick quickly, and offers variations on it in hopes of more rewards.
20) Does your dog know his toys by name?
a. No, every toy is the same to him.
b. Yes, and he looks at the right ones when they are mentioned.
c. Yes, and he retrieves the right ones when they are mentioned.Bonus points: Give your dog a point for every trick he has taught you; for example, to throw the ball to make him stop pestering you, or give him treats while you’re on the phone so he won’t bark.
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