Testing a Pets Intelligence

One time I had a horse whom a lot of people thought was stupid. He never spooked or jumped at anything, people at the particular stable where I kept him were convinced the horse was, to put it mildly, brain-dead. His name was William, he was an Anglo Trakehner. I never thought of him as dumb, after all people don’t walk around spooking at everything.

A dog destroys the house, the owners surrender it to a shelter as a “dumb” dog. Another person adopts the same dog and within a year that dog is competing, and winning, in agility trials, an accepted test of dog intelligence. So, how do owners know if their pet is dumb or highly intelligent?

Intelligent animals love to play games according to their health and energy level. An old dog might be tired and in pain, this does not mean the dog is stupid. A young pup might be running all over the house, this does not mean it is smart.

Get some treats and two bowls, this test works for most pets, cats, dogs, horses, and even chickens. With your pet watching, overturn both bowls and place the treat under one bowl. Lift the bowl and give the pet the treat. Lift the other bowl to show no treat. Do this a few times. Put the treat under the one bowl then move the bowls both slightly. You will be aware if your pet knows which bowl the treat is under or not. You can progress this game to a shuffle of the bowls depending on their level of intelligence. Smellier treats will confuse you into thinking a pet is smart when it might just be a good sniffer, watch their eyes to see if they are following the bowl with the treat under it. Do not play the game too long, or your dog will get bored, and possibly, fat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chevyloubear/469207609/

Another game is the hiding game, this game works better with dogs than cats, but will also work for larger animals like horses, and especially for donkeys. Allow the pet to see you hide in a closet, (or in the case of horses and donkeys in a place of the barn) but do not make a big deal out of it. Stay quiet. The smart pet may try to find you, the less intelligent one might just wander off, confused by your disappearance. To follow up on my horse who was not easily spooked, if you jump out of a hiding spot where your pet saw you hide, its’ reaction may indicate an intelligence, a smarter pet, knowing that you were there, would not react with the fear of a less intelligent pet who would be wondering where you came from.

Smart pets, like the dog in the earlier story, are often destructive if left on their own and not given instruction. When given direction they are thoroughly happy and often look for more challenges. Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers are often said to be two of the most intelligent breeds of dogs, but within every breed there are smart, and less smart individuals.

Image via Wikipedia

Certainly many people see intelligence as a virtue, but in reality it can be a curse. Smart pets are far more work, and really suffer if their mental needs are not properly addressed. In birds feather plucking is often a sign of stress due to that animals mental needs not being met.  In dogs, digging and barking are signs of mental stress, and in horses this often shows up as cribbing or weaving.

Each species of animal is subject to their own level of intelligence, based on their need for survival and hunting skill, or their need to avoid being hunted. Many of our food animals have had their intelligence factor bred down because it makes them easier to house in mass numbers than if they were smart. Pigs are one of the few food animals who are noted for being as smart as an average dog, and may people find them enjoyable as pets.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteoakart/448943066/  Rat basketball.

Knowing how smart your pet is will help you understand your relationship with that animal better. Smart pets need to be challenged. For dog owners this might mean going to agility classes or spending time teaching the dog tricks, or even spending a lot of time playing catch, rather than going for walks, which a smart dog might find less challenging mentally. For horse owners it means breaking the routine, not always riding in an arena practicing the same skills over and over. For cat owners it means providing them with cat furniture and moving it around (or even tipping it over) to make things new and fun again. For bird owners it means providing them with flight space and not leaving them alone for hours on end. You get the idea.

Also Read

Smart Dogs

Dealing with Destructive Dogs

Behavior Problems and Solutions in Horses

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