Couple of questions
- Thread starter expoz3d
- Start date
. Maybe Kiko would be considered a "C" student for shelties and roxy an "A" for aussies? OR maybe Kiko is an A and Roxy is just an einstein?
SheepOfBlue
Premium Member
They are #5.... everyone knows poodles aren't dogs
RetiredProf
Forums Enthusiast
Did anyone actually take the canine IQ into account when they decided on a Sheltie? I know I did. Of course, I did Dobies for years and insisted I wanted a "smart dog" again.
Had an Irish Setter years ago. Gorgeous dog, but dumber than a post. Loved him dearly, but he sure wasn't in the top ten!
Had an Irish Setter years ago. Gorgeous dog, but dumber than a post. Loved him dearly, but he sure wasn't in the top ten!
danisgoat
Moderator
:sadsmile: I wouldn't go that far.
True.. there are some pretty smart posts out there..
Did anyone actually take the canine IQ into account when they decided on a Sheltie? I know I did. Of course, I did Dobies for years and insisted I wanted a "smart dog" again.
Had an Irish Setter years ago. Gorgeous dog, but dumber than a post. Loved him dearly, but he sure wasn't in the top ten!
Regsarding IQ, I did. It is one of the traits of the breed that appeals to me. I couldn't locate Jack Russell Terrier on that list.. I had heard the breed was very smart but stubburn. I have found that Darby learns as quickly as Deja but he sometines makes the choice to not obey. You can see it in his eyes. Like we will put them in a sit/stay and Darby will put his head down and lift his paw up in slow motion when he wants to move. It's so hard not to laugh at him!
Justicemom
Forums Celebrity
I love thinking dogs. It makes life so much more interesting. Some of the dogs in the top ten are quick and very responsive but they don't think. They're are input in and input out. I think a lot Goldens are like this. Now not all of them are. 
But if you train a Golden to do something one way thats what you get back.
Now with shelties, you train them and then one day they decided to put a new spin on the exercise to see if that works better or they decide to play what's wrong with this picture because something is not right in their world that day. They need a reason to do something and sometimes I said so is fine and other times it isn't. As a result, you have a partner and not a servant.
Jazz even though she was beagle/jrt was smart as a whip. Beagles are 77 on the list. I took the canine IQ test in the intelligence of dog book with her and she rated a canine genius. But she had her own agenda most days and so her response rate was not good. That is the difference I like in the shelties.
But if you train a Golden to do something one way thats what you get back. Now with shelties, you train them and then one day they decided to put a new spin on the exercise to see if that works better or they decide to play what's wrong with this picture because something is not right in their world that day. They need a reason to do something and sometimes I said so is fine and other times it isn't. As a result, you have a partner and not a servant.
Jazz even though she was beagle/jrt was smart as a whip. Beagles are 77 on the list. I took the canine IQ test in the intelligence of dog book with her and she rated a canine genius. But she had her own agenda most days and so her response rate was not good.
That is the difference I like in the shelties.RetiredProf
Forums Enthusiast
Sorry, I didn't mean to generalize. "Riley" was just one heck of a challenge to train. Boisterous and crazy, I was convinced he had certain actions "down pat," but they never quite became rote. This was 25 years ago, though. This dog-lover knows so much more today about training and motivating than I did back then.
Would I have another? Yep! Actually, thinking about another Setter (maybe English or Red and White) when I move to WV.
Silaria
Forums Sage
There are some dogs I was surprised to see so far down the list - the Finnish Spitz, Husky, and Malamute for example; those are some intelligent dog. However it does explain the "I've never seen a dog as smart as Edan" comment I've made a few times in the past few years.
I LOVE intelligent dogs but I know people that own some of the more intelligent breeds and they get frustrated because they can get destructive since they can get bored easily. Toys that challenge them, like Buster Cubes, Tug-a-Jugs and the like are fantastic for these dogs. I know I love watching Edan puzzle out a new toy.
I LOVE intelligent dogs but I know people that own some of the more intelligent breeds and they get frustrated because they can get destructive since they can get bored easily. Toys that challenge them, like Buster Cubes, Tug-a-Jugs and the like are fantastic for these dogs. I know I love watching Edan puzzle out a new toy.