Smart Dogs! Thinkers and Problem Solvers

Ghst · 10-01-2010

This thread is for people to tell about their dogs showing their intelligence
I'll start by telling ya about "Bailey" a chocolate lab male. Bailey was a large 130 pound dog, that loved his feeding time. There was one problem with him being able to just run up to the food dish and eat at feeding time, that was Molly, a chow-lab mixed female. She was older and the dominate one on our "hill". She always ate first. Even when she wasn't hungry she would stand guard over the food dish, until she was ready to let Bailey eat. Well one day when I placed the food in the dish, Molly assumed her position and started to eat while Bailey paced back and forth, as if to say "hurry up" "I'm Starved" (Although he definitely wasn't). Then Bailey did something I couldn't believe, He took off towards the woods behind the house, running past the feeding Molly a "growl-barkin" up a storm, I looked to see what he was after, and Molly not to be left out, charged past Bailey and into the woods. Bailey stopped and hurried back to the food dish, and commenced chowing down. A minute later, Molly returned from the woods. and went strait to the food dish, Bailey backed off, and let her resume eating. Guess what? He did it again, leading a fake charge after some unknown "bugger-in-the-woods" I thought that was pretty smart of Bailey, and old Molly was pretty smart herself, she didn't even look up when Bailey tried the "trick" a second time.

Lunareclipse · 10-02-2010

That's pretty funny. I wish I had a smart dog.

CorkyMax · 10-02-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunareclipse

That's pretty funny. I wish I had a smart dog.

Sorry Luna!! I think you do--maybe too smart! Still think you need a video camera and make some money off of Buster. Make him a star--He'll get plenty of attention that way too. And help pay for the damages he causes!

lange · 10-02-2010

LOL That is a very smart dog! I guess he feels if you can't beat them with dominance you have to beat them with smarts!

I don't feel like any of my dogs have been exceptionally smart. But I guess the smartest would be my Lhasa-x.

My favorite thing he does is the way he barks to warn us when someone is in the alley. We'll be inside. He'll be in the yard & hear someone and, run towards the gate which is out of site from the house. Then he will bark, bark, bark! Then he will run back to LOOK at the house as if saying, "HEY did anyone hear me??..stranger alert!" Then run back to the alley and repeat the cycle until the threat has left. Most dogs I've known just bark, keeping their focus on the stranger but I think its pretty smart for him to want to verify that his pack actually heard the warning.

CorkyMax · 10-02-2010

Just thought of something my Corky use to do.
He use to get in the wastebasket a lot and figured I'd pay attention to him and run after him--Which I did a lot until I got tired of it. One day he grabbed a piece of paper out of the wastebasket, looked at me, waiting for me to chase after him. He had set the paper on the floor in front of him so he could grab it again when I got up to go after it. Instead I said Corky, (in a soft calm voice)"Put it back in the wastebasket" He actually picked it up and brought it back and dropped it in the wastebasket. Of course he got a lot of attention (praise, etc) that way too because I couldn't believe he did that. It happened a few more times too. Must of been the Retriever part of him showing. Golden Retrievers are also noted for being intelligent according to my breeds book.

harley_quinn · 10-04-2010

I would like to think that my pug is smart, she knows the difference between people at the door. Then again that might just be a thing all dogs do. If it's my boyfriend, she'll go to the door and just wag her tail, until she got used to my friend, she'd bark. If it's someone we don't know, she'll bark. There are three people including myself that she knows not to bark at when they knock on the door. I think it's a dog thing, my mom's dog would bark to let us know my mom was home while she was still driving up. Her car would be next to the driveway and he'd go crazy, but ONLY when she was in the car. My German Shepard would turn on the water hose and flood our backyard one summer, we had to break the faucet because he just kept on at it.

Ghst · 10-04-2010

Ok here is one that happened today. Thisin involved my JackR -Murphy. I love that dog! Any way Murph is 6 months old and I have been workin with him in the afternoons to catch a frisbee. Any way... today when I got home from work Murphy came to greet me at the drive way. When I got out of the truck and looked at him I could see that he had something in his mouth. Then I saw the things tail and recognized that this was a mouse! Now I wanted to take it away from him but-----Nooooooo! He was content to dance around just outta reach, even dropping it almost at my feet a couple of times, makin sure I had seen his prize. Then, as if to say, "watch this" with mouse dandling by his head from Murphy's mouth, Murphy kinda flipipped it up into the air and..... yep, down the hatch. I went into the house and told the wife, That Murphy done eat a mouse. A couple eweees and yuks later the wife said she was going to the store, went to the truck and drove off. I thought, well, time for Murph to learn "catch the frisbee". So now I'm out side a workin with Murphy and things were progressin right nicely. Then I heard the truck pullin in (the wife) and thought it was time to show her the progress I had made with Murphy. when I looked down Murph was gone runnin up the hill. He stopped, staring towards the truck that was coming to a stop in the driveway, then proceeded to tear-out up the hill. I was a callin, and a callin him, would he come back? Nooooo. He run up that hill then stopped, and was lookin around. Then picked up something and come heading my direction. The wife had done gotten outta the truck and was there, standing on the walkway behind me. Murphy had a big ball of something furry in his mouth when he ran past me, headin towards the wife. when he got on the sidewalk in front of the wife, I noticed him doin his "Look at me" dance-a-wiggle. Then he plopped down his prize, a big ole mole. But this time he acted different.The mole was a gift for the wife, didn't care to show it off to me, (cause I done saw him eat the mouse) Nooooo... He had to give it to the wife. And she started goin "eeekk" and "yuck" and such and kept a walkin, past Murph and his mole. He promptly, picks up the mole and ran past her to the doorsteps. And plops the mole down again in front of her. When she gets up to him this time she bends over and rubbs Murphys head and said "Good Murphy" "Thank You" then opens the door and she goes inside and closes the door. Murph starred at the door a few seconds then he turns and looks at me. Then he looks at the dead mole, then he gets the mole, a picking it up by the head with the body a dangling from his mouth, and kinda flipped it up into the air.....and ...off the porch and into the bushes in the flower bed. Then turned and lay down on his bed on the porch. Training session over......

Ghst · 01-12-2011

The other day it started Snowing hard here in Mississippi. It was about 3:00PM here and let me tell ya It was a com-min down. I thought about Murphy, he ain't ever seen it snow before let alone witnessed the snowballs a fallin outside. So I dressed warm and grabbed his Frisbee called him to come-on and went outside. The wind was a blowin and snowflakes a blowin around and It was something! I got his attention and flung the Frisbee, and he ran and got it and bring it to me.........Murph ... bring it .... Murph ... bring...and he took the Frisbee under the house where it was dry and warm, and left me standing out in the snow storm. I felt kinda stupid stand there, thinking what I just did. Even Murph knew better than be out in that weather. But I did convince, Murph to bring the Frisbee, from under the house and back to me. Which he did. He brought it back to me, dropped it at my feet, and looked at me for a second, then ran back under the dry warm house. Game over.

lange · 01-14-2011

LOL Who says dogs can't communicate with us.

Wrigley hates rain. Kuma hates heat & loves the rain, cold & snow. I don't like heat, rain, cold or snow, in that order.

Meanwhile we all probably think the others are crazy.

Ghst · 02-12-2011

Murph done killed another mouse! Yep, letftit layin on the front door step! Mustaa been what he been up to a runnin around and pokin his head down into the snow. Dang.. my Murph thinks he's a cat!

WorriedMom · 02-13-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Just thought of something my Corky use to do.
He use to get in the wastebasket a lot and figured I'd pay attention to him and run after him--Which I did a lot until I got tired of it. One day he grabbed a piece of paper out of the wastebasket, looked at me, waiting for me to chase after him. He had set the paper on the floor in front of him so he could grab it again when I got up to go after it. Instead I said Corky, (in a soft calm voice)"Put it back in the wastebasket" He actually picked it up and brought it back and dropped it in the wastebasket. Of course he got a lot of attention (praise, etc) that way too because I couldn't believe he did that. It happened a few more times too. Must of been the Retriever part of him showing. Golden Retrievers are also noted for being intelligent according to my breeds book.

This sounds too familiar. I have a GSD mix (boxer they think maybe dane because he's reached 102 lbs at 1 year already?).
When hes playing with other dogs, hell take the toy he knows the other dog wants, run around and drop it in front of them. Take it as soon as they go for it. If the dog tries playing with another toy, he'll drop his toy, take that toy, and repeat. He will do ANYTHING to get some play time action.

He also used to play with this little dog that was way faster than him. Once we let them out in the yard not fenced in, so we left the leashes on. Hed grab the leash wit his mouth, step on it, so the little guy couldn't go anywhere!!! He could never figure out how to actually get closer than leash distance but that didn't stop him from trying.

Also, he's figured out signals for telling me when he wants something.
Does he have to go potty? He does a shake with his paw on any part of me if I'm not paying attention and we're upstairs not near the door.
Hungry? Low groan/growl.... looks straight into my eye and goes... PLEASE FEED ME!!!
Play? Grabs his toy and drops it near me and does a high pitched whine until I give in or say NO .. not now buddy!
This is more recent as he's gotten older and more adjustd to me I suppose. Or maybe I finally started realizing what he's asking for!

He also does the bark and come back up to me, whine, and bark when someones at the door... like... hey! don't you hear this! GET UP!

I also recently realized he started hiding his treat in his crate when he didn't want to eat them right away. I was curious as to how he was munching on a treat hours after I gave it to him..... I wonder if this is more instinctual though.... in relation to dogs burying bones and coming back to them later? Who knows... I think it's funny either way.

Dogs are so funny!