How Smart is Your Dog?

We’ve all heard that Border Collies are the smartest breed of dog. I say it’s about the relationship, not the breed. A Border Collie says “Hey show me once, I don’t need a leash, let’s just get on with it.” A Labrador says “I need to read the entire book, digest it completely, need constant direction and then I’m ready to roll.”I call this street smart and book smart and they are both valid.Having two highly gifted children in their 30’s now I know all too well, it’s not so much that they are smarter than most it’s mostly about HOW they learn and the environment in which they learn.

Any dog can be trained. I think dogs are pretty similar. If pup’s have a trusting and respectful bond early on, with a vert attentive owner anything is possible. Every dog has something that motivates them and when we figure out what that is they can be taught just about anything.

In these pictures, each dog has something particular that makes them want to engage and if we look and listen very carefully to their body language and energy we will see exactly what that is. Knowing this, we can mold, modify and teach all sorts of things. Captions tell the story.

Look at all the different breeds we see on youtube today doing things like, putting laundry in the washing machine and closing the door (Jack Russel), Chase the Border Collie knowing the names of hundreds of toys, a little Yorkie puppy doing 30 tricks in 5 minutes from praying, weaving, pushing a doll sized cart after she puts a toy in it…Amazing things dogs can do.

Dog Decoder is an app that teaches you how dogs communicate. Knowing this critical information makes teaching dogs easy and fun, for both of you.