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The following is a guest post by my dog-trainer friend, Amanda.
"What a smart dog!" "She looks like she knows everything." "She understands English, doesn't she?" Random strangers make comments like this about my beagle mix, Louie, on a regular basis. Louie knows lots of words and phrases. She's very alert and aware of her surroundings. She takes time to listen, learn, and figure things out. She's even a music snob (if you're curious, she enjoys Loesser and Sondheim but does not care for Weber, thank you very much). She's a smart cookie. But, while her intelligence might make her stand out from the pack, it doesn't make her better or more special than any other dog, in my opinion.
The finest articulation of an idea that I've long held dear comes from Dr. Michael W. Fox's 1974 book Understanding Your Dog. Perhaps the geniuses that we have seen throughout history and the superdogs of legend and myth are really everyday, "average" people and dogs with the same innate intelligence, the same basic capacities as we and our dogs have. But they have been raised in and constantly exposed to an environment conducive to the fullest flowering of their genius, which lies dormant in the majority of the members of their species.
I realize that this may be a somewhat unpleasant revelation for some who would rather think that their dogs are stupid than address their own inadequacies as guardians. But it needs to be said: Within every dog lies the ability to be a "super-genius." If you think that Bowser (or any animal you live with) is on the not-so-smart side, please ask yourself what you're doing to encourage his growth. If the answer is nothing, I hope you'll strive to spend more time engaging and socializing him.
Find out what Bowser likes and what he's good at, and nurture those things. Pick up a couple of dog-activity books or magazines and figure out how to provide interactive mental stimulation on his terms. There are plenty of activities that most dogs enjoy, such as tracking, swimming, retrieving, or playing Frisbee, that also require concentration. I once knew a terrier mix who could even solve basic math problems. Pretty much anything that involves you and your undivided attention will get you off to a good start. So get off the computer and start figuring out how to give Bowser the types of activities that he needs in order to live up to his full potential.
