5 minute read
CLEVER DOG
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
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 hospices
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 as they also have amazing strength and speed.
Sixth on the intelligent list is the Shetland Sheepdog, and seventh the family-friendly Labrador, with one of the smallest dogs, the happy little Papillon, being eighth. The scenting ability of the Bloodhound gives it the ninth place, and the hard-working Rottweiler comes tenth.
Training the smart dog
All these dogs can be recognized as being animals that respond to training, but even if your dog is not one of these he will most certainly have trainable traits that you can develop.
We all try to get our dogs to sit, give a paw, lie down, or fetch on command, and so long as we’re willing to be patient, to give plenty of treats, and to recognize which tricks or abilities your dog masters more easily, your dog will reward you because he loves you and wants to please.
Or you give him a reward or a ‘good boy’ which makes him want to please you more. Dogs see their owners as the ‘boss’ who is the pack-leader and must be obeyed. We don’t growl or bark, but they learn through repetition of words and actions what we want from them.
When you first start teaching your dog, you may need a pocketful of treats to reinforce your message, or you may find it useful to attend dog-training classes to get ideas and help in training your pup.
It is a lot of fun to teach a dog new tricks, and agility training can be a brilliant way to expand your dog’s repertoire if you are looking for new ways to increase his or her abilities. Agility training is a sport that entails negotiating an obstacle course including weave poles, a dog walk, jumps, a table where a dog pauses, a tunnel, tire jump and a teeterboard.
But home training can be made from all kinds of obstacles – a low bench to jump or to walk along, and an agility tunnel to run through. All of this can be great fun for a smart and happy dog that loves his owner – why not give it a go!
At Mayhew, we know that the companionship offered by an animal or pet goes a long way in reducing anxiety and stress, and boosting mood
During Mental Health Awareness Week and all year round, our TheraPaws initiative raises awareness of the positive effects that interactions with a dog can have on a person, and promotes a two way process of respect and compassion between animals and humans.
Spending time with a dog is known to:
• Improve general wellbeing
• Invoke a sense of safety and security, and
• Offer reassurance to those struggling with their mental health and related conditions
These are all benefits that our TheraPaws volunteers see first-hand during our ongoing visits to multiple venues in London. At the Lavender Walk, an acute inpatient mental health ward for adolescents, Francesca and her Portuguese Water Dog Tilly have been visiting young people for almost two months. Their presence has already had a positive impact on the teenagers, with patients saying:
“Tilly helps me because you just can’t be upset around dogs.”
– Amber*, 13
“Tilly being here forces you to live in the moment and forget your sadness.” – Jake*, 16
“We wish Tilly could come in every day.” - Milly*, 15
TheraPaws volunteers also visit numerous other mental health care units and service providers across London, including the St Mungo’s Rapid Assessment Hub, St John’s Hospice, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, and the Stacey Street Nursing Home. At St John’s Hospice, one
Tilly with teenager patients’ mental health has seen a poignant difference from TheraPaws volunteer Hugo the Havanese. Even though she now lays comatose from an unrelated illness, the staff still ask for Hugo to sit by her bed. They are convinced that she knows Hugo is there and will be comforted by his presence.
Currently, we have just over 60 teams of TheraPaws volunteers and their dogs, spreading happiness and comfort across 14 London boroughs. Regular visits from a therapy dog make a real difference to those suffering from loneliness, isolation and mental health problems, and we are determined to continue helping as many people as we can.
Go to https://themayhew.org/therapaws/ to find out more about the type of locations we visit and request a TheraPaws visit of your own. *all names have been changed to protect patient anonymity
To find out more about Mayhew’s work, visit www.themayhew.org
www.rescueandanimalcare.com RESCUE AND ANIMAL CARE 28 MAY – 28 JUNE 2019 19
