Smart Dog

[mothwing]

Ever since we read this comic Crocky and I wanted to see how Dax would do on an intelligence test. We both never even knew that there was such a thing as intelligence tests for animals, and I'm still agog. What's the point? o.O I can sort of see it for service dogs, but for pets? Who cares?

Meet Dax, my mother's hunting dog.



He is a Pudelpointer, and we already know that he passed the German character test required to allow him in public without a muzzle or a leash in designated areas with flying colours, so I was not too worried about his performance.

But I was still curious how well this goofy, goofy dog:









would do on an intelligente test. In four cases out of five, he did really well.

1. He responds only to his name and not to the cat's or the name of my mother or food.
2. He can figure out how to get at hidden treats and how to get around objects.
3. He knows several commands. (edit: and while I don't think that the ability to be trained says a lot about canine intelligence, I'm impressed by how many words he understands, so I give him props for that).
4. If I pretend to throw something, he doesn't think I really have.
5. The only thing he really didn't do well on was the blanket test.



He stayed like this for over ten seconds, for aaages and I was getting worried about his well-being. Fine, my dog had not been standing at the beginning of the test as required, mostly because he apparently didn't think that I am anyone to tell him to "stay" and lay down.

So after i put the blanket on him he turned his head under the blanket to face me with all but raised eyebrows, but stayed under the blanket. I suppose it was because he knew that something was up and that I had intended him to stay where he was, so it's probably my fault.

After I patted him lightly to let him know he could do what he wants he got up and lo and behold: 







Not too surprising, seeing as how the breed is supposed to be smart, and PPs are only sold to people who are going to train and use them as hunting dogs, so Dax has already completed his dog degree and is even used to testing shenanigans and humans doing strange things.

So he is still the smartest. ♥


My cat probably isn't. He forgets his name occasionally or at least doesn't react to it, he always believes we've really thrown something if we pretend to, and he could never figure out the treat-under-the-glass trick in a hundred years, but who cares.





I don't mind. ♥

Comments

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

LOL it really doesn't. It's almost embarrassing just how smarter than our cat Dax is when it comes to problem solving or figuring out how stuff works. That really surprised me; even having grown up with dogs I always assumed cats were smarter than dogs, I don't know why. Well, kitty debunked the myth pretty quickly, though I suppose he's about average.