More on Dog Intelligence & Testing

Intelligence is an elusive quality. Animals, including humans, learn to solve problems through interaction with their environments. Through trial and error or observation, an intelligent individual learns to predict outcomes of his actions accurately. Measuring problem solving skills helps us assess the intelligence quotient or IQ of an individual. Persistent individuals make several attempts before giving up, creating more opportunities to learn. For this reason, intelligence and persistence are complimentary traits in evaluating an IQ. IQ is just an estimate of an animal's ability to successfully solve the problems that life presents compared to other animals in similar situations.

Someday, perhaps we will devise 50 specific test problems for dogs, score 5 million dogs of various ages and breeds, and come up with an IQ score for the average dog. Until then, you can test your dog's IQ with home made problems.

Test problems should be scored pass or fail. Any solution to a problem, other than giving up, is a correct solution. For example, failure to retrieve food by a dog that is not hungry is not an indication of lack of intelligence. The problems you develop for the test must provide interest for your particular dog. Your creativity and knowledge of your dog will help you design appropriate problems.

Unique solutions are acceptable. For example, if you encourage your dog to reach you through a barrier but he goes around through another room instead, the goal of reaching you has been achieved and he has solved the problem. Also, note the number of times the dog approaches the problem before he succeeds in reaching the goal or loses interest.

Remember, persistence is part of IQ.

The greater the ratio of problems passed to failed, the greater the dog's intelligence quotient. The greater number of attempts at each new problem, the greater your dog's persistence. The greater the dog's intelligence/persistence the more quickly he can learn to solve the problems of life including understanding new commands. Don't forget to consider your dog's breeding as part of the testing selection. Dogs that are bred to herd are more likely to follow moving objects than to pick them up. Dogs bred to retrieve readily pick up objects but are most likely to bring them to you rather than manipulate them on their own. With encouragement, dogs can learn new behaviors. But you should expect different breeds to solve problems differently with better solutions to problems that encourage their natural talents.

Before you worry what to tell the grandkids about your dog's IQ remember, a dog with a high IQ will learn how to open the refrigerator when no one else is home so there is something to be said in favor of living with a dog of average intelligence.

To many people, dogs are like surrogate children and, just as we can measure our kids' IQ, there are a number of tests to measure a dogs' brainpower.

The Early Show resident veterinarian Debbye Turner shows how you can tell if your dog is a canine Einstein.

Assessing your pet's IQ:
Turner says, the best way to measure intelligence in dogs is to assess their "problem-solving" skills; this method is also true of humans. Obedience is another way, the more tricks you can teach a dog, the smarter he is. This may not necessarily be true, but it will definitely impress people. And persistence is also a measure of smarts. A dog that keeps trying to solve a problem until he succeeds is considered sharp.

Smart breeds:
Owners and breeders of Border Collies have long proclaimed the superior intelligence of this energetic, loyal breed. They are natural "herders." Without any training, they will instinctively herd cattle, sheep, and children.  Poodles, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Shetland Sheepdogs, Labrador Retrievers, Papillon, Rottweiler, and Australian Cattle Dogs are also reputed to be quite smart. The fact is, almost all dogs can be trained (even old dogs). And almost all dogs are territorial which makes them good "watch dogs". Unfortunately, Basenjis, Bulldogs, and Afghan Hounds have the dubious distinction as the "dumbest breed." But they can be great pets in the right home.

The tests:

Here are some "tests" that Turner will demonstrate:

• Take a large towel or blanket and gently throw it over your dog's head. If he frees himself from the towel in less than 15 seconds, give him 3 points. If it takes 15-30 seconds, 2 points. If it takes him longer than 30 seconds, give him 1 point. This test measures disposition and problem solving.
• Place a treat (or his favorite toy) under one of three buckets that are lined up in a row. Show your dog which bucket the treat is under. Turn the dog away for 10 seconds. Then let the dog go.
• If he goes straight to the right bucket (the one with the treat under it), give him 3 points. If it takes two tries to find the treat, 2 points. If he checks the wrong two first before finding the treat, give him 1 point. This test measures memory.
• Place a treat in a square of aluminum foil and fold it twice to close it. If the dog uses his paws to get the foil open, give him 3 points. If he uses his mouth and paws to open the foil, give him 2 points. If he can't get the foil open and just starts playing with it, give him 1 point. This test measures problem solving.
• If your dogs scores 6 points or higher he is sharp as a tack. If he scores 4-5 points, he is average (and cute!). If he scores 3 points or less, well.... let's just remember that he is your best friend!

Here are other tests that are done:

• On a day you normally don't walk the dog, quietly pick up your keys, and his leash (and whatever else you usually take with you) while he's watching. If he gets excited, score 3. If you have to walk to the door before he knows it is time to go out, score 2. If he sits there with a confused look on his face, give him 1 point. Bonus points: If your dog typically lets YOU know when he has to go to the bathroom by bringing you his leash, for instance, score 2 extra points for a total of 5 points. If he's mastered the toilet, stop the test. Your dog is a canine version of a brain surgeon.
• With your dog out of the room, rearrange the furniture. If he goes directly to his favorite spot on the couch, the one with his impression in the cushion, give him 3 points. If he investigates the room and finds his favorite spot within 30 seconds, give him 2 points. If he settles for a less comfortable place because he's just too lazy to make the effort, score 1 point.
• Another problem-solving test: Construct a barrier from cardboard. The barrier should be higher than your dog when he's on two legs. Attach two boxes to either side as support structures. The entire barrier should be about 5 feet wide. Cut a 3-inch-wide rectangular aperture in the center of the barrier. The aperture should run from about 4-inches from the top to about 4-inches from the bottom. Give yourself 10 points - those were pretty complicated directions! As for the dog, show him a treat from the other side of the barrier. If he walks around the barrier within 30 seconds, give him 3 points. If he goes around the barrier between 30 seconds and a minute, give him 2 points. If he gets his head stuck in the aperture, give him 1 point for trying. Bonus points: If he goes to someone else in the house and gets a treat, give him 3 points - he knows how to get the goodies.

More about the intelligence of dogs:

There are two kinds of dog intelligence: instinctive intelligence and adoptive intelligence. While the instinctive intelligence of a dog reveals which behaviors and skills are programmed in the animal's genetic code, adaptive intelligence relates to the knowledge, skills and general competence a dog can acquire during its lifetime. In a dog, adaptive intelligence has two main components: learning ability (which observes the rate at which a dog can learn new relationships) and observational learning (which is natural learning that allows certain associations between conditions and outcomes to form, but does not require direct involvement on the part of the observer). There is also environmental learning, social learning, language comprehension and task learning. Within this, there's short-term memory and long-term memory and problem-solving ability. Sometimes, intelligence tests tell a lot about the smarts of the tester as well as the tested. Fortunately for all of us, intelligence is not a prerequisite for love. It shouldn't be for a dog either - if he doesn't do well, just remember that anyone can be too smart for their own good. Do you really want a dog that can open the refrigerator, operate machinery or run up the credit cards?

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