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Clever Dog By Juliet Abrahamson
My dog has a very cute way of making me understand that he would very much like a treat. He sits on his hind-legs and looks up at me pathetically then he sticks his tongue out a few times and makes a little noise. I think he is super-intelligent. Actually he just knows how to press my buttons and often gets his reward for doing so. I swear that once he even said “sausages”, but since he never did it again and no-one else heard him it doesn’t count for much.
“Intelligent dog!” It is true that all dogs have some level of intelligence–some more than others depending on the breed – and that man’s best friend does his or her best to get in our good books. Many dogs understand a lot of words or commands, and dogs have been trained and bred over hundreds of years to assist humans in many ways: to hunt, to fish, to herd animals, to track scents, and to
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28 MAY – 28 JUNE 2019 RESCUE AND ANIMAL CARE
be guide dogs or working dogs as well as to be companions. So a dog that can be easily trained to excel in these skills, has good concentration and likes working, is loyal and friendly and talkative is perceived to be an intelligent dog. As well as being man’s best friend, the dog is able to be a support animal in everincreasing fields. I find it amazing that some dogs can detect cancer and other illnesses with their sense of smell, and the fact that dogs have been used to protect an owner who has a disability such as epilepsy. In this country dogs are used by over 7,000 disabled people to help them: hearing dogs, guide dogs, assistance with mobility, children with autism or people with severe depression. The list is ever-increasing. Specialist dogs for these kinds of disabilities are trained by professionals, but do you know that if your dog has the right temperament he or she could become a Pets as Therapy (PAT dog)? Dogs (or cats) can be assessed by this wonderful scheme to enable you to visit care homes or hospitals, special needs schools or hos-
pices in order to give companionship and improve the lives of people.
The Smart List There are certain breeds of dogs that are the most intelligent, or the best for a certain purpose. Highest on a list is the border collie who is excellent at herding and is used extensively by farmers, but also is extremely agile and very enthusiastic about learning. But they are also family dogs, and if given enough to do and think about can be brilliant in an environment that has children. Second place on the smartest dog list is the poodle, which surprisingly was once used to find and fetch water. Poodles are energetic, bright little dogs that can easily be trained. The third dog on the list is the German Shepherd dog as they are also easy to train being very loyal and hard-working. German Shepherds are often used as guard dogs or police dogs, but they are also wonderful as family dogs and very protective of children. The favourite Golden Retriever is next in the intelligence stakes, and are easily trained to be rescue dogs, or seeing eye dogs because they are devoted to their owners. The Doberman, fifth on the list, matches the Retrievers’ ability for training, and are used as police dogs or guard dogs
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