TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Dog Smarts Have Lot To Do With Owner

ADVERTISEMENT

By KAREN DEER

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Published: August 27, 2008

Updated:

ST. LOUIS - If you think Fido's I.Q. is all natural aptitude, think again. A lot depends on you.

How well a dog learns to do what's expected, one common way of defining intelligence, is as much a function of time, patience, practice and environment as it is of canine I.Q., says Debra Horwitz, a veterinarian and board certified animal behaviorist from Creve Coeur, Mo.

If a dog is physically and neurologically healthy, it can learn new tasks at any age, she says. Starting with early training helps, as does using positive reinforcement (as opposed to negative.)

Horwitz spends much of her time training pet owners to retrain their four-legged friends to correct behavior problems. Recently, she worked with Neela, a 1-year-old Siberian Husky, and Baley, a 20-month-old Labrador mix, to measure their "intelligence." After a few minutes to get acquainted, they got down to business.

The first test required learning to walk on a Gentle Leader head collar. Instead of a traditional collar around the dog's neck, the Gentle Leader has a nylon loop around the dog's muzzle and behind its ears. (In canine families, applying pressure on the muzzle is a gesture of dominance - mothers do it to calm rambunctious pups - prompting a submissive response.)

Baley, who was focused on the test, passed with flying colors. He went from pulling and darting on his leash to walking calmly with only a little instruction.

But Neela just wasn't into it. She didn't want to go for a walk, not even for a treat.

That doesn't mean that Neela isn't as smart as Baley, Horwitz says. It means that Neela wasn't comfortable with the environment.

Dogs are like humans, Horwitz says. Some will never gain their highest potential of intelligence. And they don't have to have a certain breeding to be intelligent.

Of course, some dogs have been bred over centuries for their talents in specific areas. The border collie is the ideal breed for herding livestock. The breed is classified as intelligent for work. But because of its excitability and need for a job to do, the border collie wouldn't be considered "intelligent" in a home environment without plenty of exercise time.

Professional dog trainers and judges have found that even the "duller" breeds are capable of achieving high marks when it comes to learning. But findings also suggest that some brighter dogs show no interest in learning what we want them to.

Instead of thinking of your dog as "smart" or "dumb," try to understand what your dog likes to do, and why she might not understand the lessons you're trying to teach.

Altering your training technique may yield amazing benefits. For dogs that like to jump up and down, for example, try teaching them to "dance." This channels their energy in a more appropriate way.

Keep in mind that some tasks are more prevalent in certain breeds. Any dog can be taught to follow a scent, but it's easier to teach that skill to a hound or a hunting dog, Horwitz says.

Personality and temperament also have a huge effect on how well a dog adapts. A shy dog may find strong physical techniques overwhelming and be intimidated. A quick, energetic dog may find too much repetition boring.

Training techniques that focus on positive reinforcement as well as different ways to teach the same task will usually bring out the best in any dog, Horwitz says. Punitive training methods are less effective, and produce frightened, unhappy - and unpredictable - animals.

When you are clear in the response that you want, you are more likely to get it from your pet, she says.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT