Is It Possible To Stimulate The Dogs’ Intelligence?
We know that dogs are animals capable of learning and memorizing certain things – like their names or certain orders – as well as solving simple mental puzzles. However, would it be possible to stimulate the dogs’ intelligence?
Yes, it is possible. You might be asking yourself: how to do this? Don’t worry, we’ll explain below.
How smart can a dog be?
Thanks to several studies carried out with specimens of different breeds, it was possible to prove that the average intelligence of a dog is similar to that of a two-year-old child.
Dogs can learn signs, gestures and an average of 165 words. It is worth noting that the smartest dogs have learned 250 words in total.
Types of canine intelligence
Stanley Coren is a famous researcher known for classifying dog breeds by their IQ on different tests that measure different types of canine intelligence. The list is headed by the Border Collie breed.
According to Coren, dogs have a very basic understanding of arithmetic and can count to four or five.
In one of the arithmetic tests, researchers show the dog a portion of food, and then show a second portion. If the dog understands the concept of 1 + 1, when released, it will look for two servings of food. Sums of up to four or five were tested.
Another type of intelligence is space resolution. Dogs are able to study their surroundings and locate valuables like food, toys, favorite place to sleep. They also do this by finding the fastest path and solving obstacles along the way, like opening a door or finding a space to move from one place to another.
However, the most outstanding ability of dogs is to recognize and understand human expressions and communicate accordingly.
All these cognitive abilities make the dog an intelligent and social animal.
How to stimulate a dog’s intelligence?
By stimulating the dogs’ intelligence, we can reduce stress levels, avoid boredom and improve the bond between owner and pet. Some activities that can stimulate intelligence are:
- Brain games for dogs. The most typical consist of a kind of board with shapes and spaces to hide food. The shapes are arranged in a kind of puzzle that the dog must solve to receive his prize. There are also others in which the animal needs to open a kind of lock, move some pieces sequentially, lift a lid, activate a lever…. These toys stimulate the animal’s intelligence and memory.
- Toys to hide food. There are many types of toys to hide food or treats: in the form of UFO, ball, Kong type … they are designed for the dog to use its mouth or paws to remove food from the interior. Also, it’s a good way to feed anxious dogs food as they will take longer to get and eat more slowly.
- Hide and seek games. We can hide snacks around the house or in the park, without him seeing us, and give him the order to “search” when everything is ready. These games improve the sense of smell and the capacity for self-control, as the dog must be quiet and calm until he hears the command.
- Training. Through positive reinforcement, it is possible to train a dog with basic commands and even try to perform obstacle circuits and other activities that require the resolution of spaces.
In short, to stimulate the dogs’ intelligence, it is advisable to play with them and include them in interactive activities. As owners, we should try to take this into account and not let too much time pass between game sessions.
A dog that regularly plays with its owner can be much smarter than a dog that rarely has company to play with.
