SMART DOG vs DUMB DOG

This is post 300. There was a time when I thought that would be a big deal till I looked around and learned just how many posts the rest of you have put up. Some of you have topped the thousand plus mark. To brag about 300 would be like bragging that I was now a 2nd grader. So I ain't bragging, just amazed that I have made it this far. Wasn't sure I had a month in me. While looking for subject matter is more of a challenge these days, I will keep plugging away til I just dry up and blow away. Thanks so much for hanging in there and making this a fun journey.








SMART vs DUMB

When prospective owners came to my rescue in search of the perfect dog, generally the third question after whether the dog was housebroken and good with children would be, "Is the dog smart?"

My answer would be to ask them just how they liked their lives. Full of peace or full of interest?

Most people think they want a smart dog but what they really want is one that can do tricks and housebreak easily. Housebreaking aside, about that trick part. Dogs who are eager to please make good tricksters. It doesn't necessarily mean they are smart, they just have a decent memory and really, really want that cookie and your approval.


People with good memories like me are not necessarily smart either. They can easily recall old stuff but might not be able to initiate new thought. I can tell you what I thought about at three years old, but don't ask me to look anything other than glazed over when you ask "If a train were going from Boston to New York, traveling at 60 miles per hour........." There are degrees of smartness in us all. Dogs are like that also. The dog you should fear is a smart, independent thinker type of dog.

A smart dog can problem solve. Gates and fences can be over come by the smart dog. They can be tunneled under or as a Chihuahua I had was able to do, climb over. Fence is not an insurmountable barrier, just a problem to be solved. The very smart dogs will watch you unlatch a gate and if tall enough, can replicate the action with nose or paw. They can get into cabinets in the house and help them selves to pantry foods.

The smart dog is constantly looking for something to entertain itself. They are forever bugging you for something to exercise their minds. Yes, tricks are easy for them. They figure them out after just a few showings. However, do not keep them stimulated and you will have a problem dog on your hands.

Search and rescue dogs are smart. They are independent thinkers. If you crave a smart dog, be ready to match and exceed its intelligence. Left without stimulus the dogs often resort to destructive behavior to keep from going bonkers.

One prime example of a smart dog was a Chihuahua mix I had named Lady. I had installed electric fencing about 6 inches from the ground to reinforce my welded wire fencing. This deterred the dogs from digging under or climbing over the regular fence. This was necessary to keep them from becoming silhouettes on the nearby highway.

Because the wire was so close to the ground, I had to patrol the perimeter frequently to make sure no weeds had grown into the wire shorting out the whole fence. The dogs would all walk with me but stayed clear of the fence line.

The majority of my dogs only had to be shocked by the fence one time to never try again. Lady however had discovered that sometimes the fence would not shock. She was my main reason for the constant patrol. She did not know why (she wasn't that smart) but she did know that if that were the case, she could squeeze through the fence safely to explore the woods that surrounded us. I never knew how she could tell whether the fence was working. I just couldn't imagine she was testing it herself. Then one day I caught her in the act.

She was walking with two puppies that were slightly bigger than she was. She slowly edged them near the fence, then my eyes popped as I saw her bump one of the pups with her shoulder sending it kind of drunkenly against the wire. The puppy naturally yelped and I realized that she was using them as test dummies. If they didn't squeal, she was good to go.

Good thing I had lots of dogs or she would have run out of test dummies. Even poor old Dorka learned electric fences bit and that poor dog was off the scales on the low side. That is problem solving folks. I used to say that if I had the time , I could have taught Lady to play Monopoly, making her the banker.

So unless you want life to be a constant challenge, I highly recommend seeking a good ole average intelligence dog if you like peace in your life. Leave the intelligent dogs to those with a lot of time on their hands. I adore Mighty but he really isn't a mental giant. He is pretty much average,maybe even a bit on the low side. Sightly dim dogs will give you all the love and devotion you could possible want with none of the problems.

They housebreak, walk on a leash, come when they are called and look adoringly into your eyes. They just can't figure out how your cabinet doors open. Truthfully, I love all degrees of intelligence preferring Fido average. I appreciate them like a box of chocolates as Forrest Gump would say. Just enjoying what ever comes up knowing some will require more attention than the others but just like that box of chocolates, they all please.

Which would you prefer and have you ever owned a too smart animal?