By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

How smart do you think you are? And how smart are you really? I bet you’re smart enough to get away with just about anything you really, really want — right? Or are you possibly the kind of dog that does every single thing exactly as and when you’re told? That may make you just about perfect in the eyes of your VIPeople, but chances are you have just conned them into believing it. We’ll look into your brain-power further to find out how smart you dogs really are. Your people will be surprised, even if you aren’t.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

There’s no getting around it — dogs are smart. Sometimes they are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. They con us into thinking they don’t understand what we’ve told them to do (or, more likely, what not to do) when in fact they are more apt just to be testing us to see our reaction. You give a hand signal and Rufus pretends not to see it. You call him and he doesn’t “hear” you. The list goes on and on. If you’ve ever owned even one dog, you know exactly how frustrating it can be. Then what makes it worse is when you see dogs on TV or in competition performing every detail of what they are told to do. You can only sigh in amazement and disbelief.

A large part of success in getting a dog to work with you is to limit the number of corrections. It’s not always possible to prevent the unwanted behavior, but if you find yourself making one correction after another, your dog is telling you (the only way he knows how) that it’s time to quit. Your smart dog is just plain bored with whatever you’re asking him to do, so switch to a request that will bring a positive response and you and Rufus can smile again.

We’ve discussed how breed specific “smarts” work, with some breeds using their sense of smell, others their sight; some adapting to water, others to digging into the earth, and so forth. Well, here’s a story I came across about a Welsh terrier that was written in 1885. The author, the Reverend J. G. Wood, was discussing the considerable mental powers of dogs and included this one to prove his point. Here’s the tale:

It seems a well-known black and tan terrier named Prince was accustomed to making his own purchases of biscuits as often as he could obtain the gift of a penny for that purpose. The baker apparently started giving him a burnt biscuit in exchange for the penny, thus getting rid of biscuits he couldn’t otherwise sell. The dog was very much upset by this inequitable treatment, and it didn’t take him long to come up with a way to show his resentment. When Prince received the next charitable penny, he wended his way to the baker’s as usual, with the coin between his teeth, and waited to be served. As soon as the baker proffered him a biscuit, Prince drew back his lips, so as to exhibit the penny, and walked coolly out of the shop with his head held high and took his business to another baker whose shop was across the street.

This is a fun story, but it’s one of many that just go to prove dogs can and do outsmart mankind. Living on the streets, dependent on charitable donations, a dog has to use his brain. Your very own dog is no less smart when he cons you into doing some (or most) things his way. Give credit where credit is due.

                                            

Until next time — BE GOOD!

—Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award last year.