We have a joke in our house that our dog, Greta, isn’t the brightest bulb because she often does silly things. But is that her personality, or is she really a bit of an airhead?

According to Stanley Coren, psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and a best-selling author of The Intelligence of Dogs, dogs display intelligence by reading social cues, learning new tasks, understanding language and solving problems.

Here’s what the experts say you can do if you’re curious about your dog’s IQ.

Problem Solving:
Hide something your dog loves underneath a sofa, and see if it can figure out how to retrieve the object. Score five points for getting the item with its paws in less than 30 seconds; four points if it uses paws and takes more than 30 seconds; three if it uses paws but fails; two if it uses its head but doesn’t try paws, and one point for dogs that try to use their head but then give up. It gets no points if it does nothing.

Learning Rate:
How many times do you have to repeat a task with your dog before he/she masters it? Try the detour-taking test. Find a fence that your dog can see through with a gate open at one end. With you on the other side of the fence, call your dog and see whether it can figure out how to get around to the other side. Score five points if it goes around the fence in a minute or less; four points if it succeeds right away after you take a few steps in that direction and gesture; three if it succeeds in 30 seconds after the prompts; two if it succeeds between 30-60 seconds after prompts, and one if it succeeds but requires even more prompting and time than that.

Social Cues:
Try the smile test to see how smart your dog is at picking up social cues from humans. Start with your pet sitting a few yards away from you. Stare at your pet’s face. Once you make eye contact, count to three and then smile very broadly. Score five points for coming to you with its tail wagging; four points for coming part way; three points for standing or rising; two points for moving; and one if he/she pays no attention at all.

Inference Challenge:
In this version of the shell game, with your dog on a leash or in the stay position, use treats and two different bowls set a few feet apart. Smear the treat on both bowls. Then very dramatically put the treat underneath one bowl. Release your pet and see what happens. Repeat this 10 times changing which bowl you put the treat under. Repeat another 10 times without letting your dog see where you’re stashing the treat, but DO let the pup see you enthusiastically lift the other bowl up each time. Score five points if the dog goes to the correct bowl and gets the treat each time; four points if it masters the first 10 and improves over the course of the second 10; three if the first set is perfect but not the second set; two if the dog improves during the first and second rounds; and one if the dog is initially not very good but improves over the first round and completes the second round by going to the bowl you lifted.

Language Comprehension:
Start with your dog sitting in front of you. Using the tone of voice you use to call your dog’s name, call “refrigerator.” Try this again, calling “movies.” Score five points if the dog doesn’t respond to those words but comes after you call its name; four points if the dog comes the second time you call its name; three if the dog starts to come; two if the dog comes to “movies” but not “refrigerator”; and one if the dog simply doesn’t come to any of the calls.

Your Dog’s Score
Gifted and Talented (25-31)
Clever Canine (18-25)
Sharp, But Slow (10-18)
Doggie Dropout (Less than 10)

Greta scored in the (low) “clever” range. How smart is your dog?

Tags: Dog IQ Test

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