Is Your Dog Secretly a Genius?

When Randy and I adopted our Yorkie eight years ago, we thought we were just getting a cute dog to offset our empty nest. What we didn’t know was we were taking on a pint-size Einstein-level savant. Wondering how smart your pooch is? I Googled the question and learned that intelligent canines have the following traits…

They love to play with toys – Libby lives for her plush “cuddlies” which we keep in an old cat bed at the foot of our mattress. Toys are an all-day affair for Libby. At dawn, while Randy’s sleeping, she pushes one into his hand and keeps pushing until he blearily throws it. She fetches, and then satisfied, goes back to bed. All through the day, we find her playthings scattered around the house, like we live with a toddler. At dinner, she often brings a toy to have handy (haven’t you heard of BYOT?) She’s mad for fetching. If toys are an indicator of dog intelligence, Libby has earned a PhD.

They’re cuddlers– I wanted a lapdog, but this is ridiculous. Libby must have skin to fur contact… always. As I’m writing this, she’s sitting directly behind me on the back of my chair. If I sit on the sofa to read, she must also “read” on my lap. When I watch TV, she leans against me. At night, in bed, I gently push her away several times so I can get some air. When she’s not touching me, she’s touching Randy or my mom, Marilyn, who lives with us. If Fido’s intelligence can be measured by cuddling, Libby has earned a “summa cum laude” degree. She can never be alone.

They solve problems – Once in a while, a “Fetch dilemma” arises. A toy gets thrown and lands way under a chair, in a hard-to-reach zone. Libby must solve this riddle. She’ll stand there and study the situation as if assessing her approach. I almost picture her wondering: What’s the square root of the trajectory if approached by an inversion angle? Should I use an upward or downward thrust? Finally, she scurries to the back, where she can get under the chair easier and collects her prize. Problem solved. She trots out proudly, toy in mouth, another “easy A” for Madame Yorkie.

They need (and need and need) constant attention – Sometimes Libby has recently eaten, had her playtime, gone for a walk and done her business. All the bases have been covered. Yet she’ll sit and stare at me, (and stare and stare) until I gaze back at her. As you can imagine, by now I’m “Libby’d-out,” but she doesn’t care. Libby needs me to look at her. Sometimes everything must be dropped so she can be touched and patted… again. If needing attention is a sign of canine intelligence, Libby should work for NASA.

They notice everything about you—Libby can tell by my footwear what I’m about to do. If I’m barefoot, no problem. But if I slip on my shoes or God forbid, high heels, she’s on full alert. I could be going out for a while—or longer! She even knows what stage of Jeopardy the family is at, depending on the music. Right before Final Jeopardy, there’s a bong I never noticed until Randy pointed it out. When she hears it, Libby gets up, tail wagging, ready to go. She knows the game is over soon and I can get back to… what else, paying attention to her. If “noticing” makes a dog smart, Libby puts Stephen Hawking to shame.

How did your dog stack up? Although limited in human terms, animals see and understand so much more than we realize. It’s all about communicating their needs, which to be honest, are endless.

Even Albert Einstein would agree.

Is your dog an unheralded genius? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here. Thank you!