Full disclosure: I used to be a breedist. My family didn’t believe that little dogs were really dogs at all. “Rug rats” they called them. And then, in my second or third week of seeing clients in 1988, a Toy Poodle trotted into my office and proved to me how wrong my family had been. This little dog was as smart as any dog I’d ever met, and won my heart and admiration within five minutes. He was a good teacher too, reminding me for the rest of my life that in terms of intelligence and trainability, size doesn’t matter.
I thought of that poodle when I read a recent study that asked whether larger dogs have a higher level of cognitive ability than smaller dogs. The study, done by Daniel Horschler et. al. at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center, found that larger dogs performed better in some “measures of intelligence” than smaller dogs. In particular, bigger dogs have better short-term memory and self-control than more petite pups, according to the study published in the journal Animal Cognition. These are both aspects of what is called “executive function,” or the part of your brain that gives you the ability to think long term and turn down a piece of pie because you want to lose weight. (I am not familiar with the action of turning down a piece of pie; this example is hypothetical only.)
I have some questions and concerns about their conclusions, but before I go any further I’d like to turn it over to you. For those of you who have worked with a large variety of dog breeds, have you found that larger dogs, in general, have more self-control than smaller dogs? I’ll tell you what I think at the end of the piece.
Read on if you’d like to learn more about the study and why I have some questions about the conclusions.
Let me explain why the study was done in the first place. (Spoiler alert: It had nothing to do with large dogs being “better” than small dogs.) The question the researchers were addressing is actually related to the size of the brain, and only indirectly the size of the dog. The issue of brain size and certain types of cognition is a hot topic in neurobiology right now. As the authors explain in the introduction their article, the brains of primates are unique, in that as brain size increases, so does the number of neurons. That’s not true of other mammals, whose larger brains encase larger neurons, but not more of them. It has been speculated that the increase in the number of neurons found in primates correlates with an increase in cognitive ability. (Note: Our brains are huge, six to seven times what our body size would predict, and crammed full of about 100 million neurons.)
The correlation between the number of neurons in the brain and intelligence is just speculation, and the authors of this study thought one way to address this issue was to compare different sizes of brains within a species. If larger-brained individuals had higher levels of executive function than smaller ones, then the hypothesis that primates are smarter because they have more neurons per inch of brain would not look promising. Following me here?
First off, I should be clear that I am all in favor of comparative cognitive research, and love that the authors are trying to take advantage of our remarkable relationship with dogs to further our knowledge of brain function. But I have some concerns about the conclusions, summarized here.
One concern is about the source of the data, which came from the results of individual people testing their dogs through the “citizen science project” and retail product called Dognition that I’ve written about earlier in a not so glowing review. Although I celebrated the intent, I had lots of problems with accurate scoring, as well as their assessment of the results. Here’s what I wrote about Dognition’s assessment of Tootsie’s scores:
Tootsie was classified as a “Stargazer,” whose “unique genius lies in the mix of strategies that she uses to approach daily life… She certainly has a wild, wolf-like side that is especially useful in the environment of the rugged individual.” Labeling Tootsie, the 7-years-in-a-puppy-mill Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who wants nothing more than to eat (anything) and lie in one’s lap, as “wolf-like,” leaves me close to speechless. Her “empathy” scores were “off the charts,” even though it was Willie who yawned after I did and not Tootsie, (yawning after seeing another yawn being indicative of empathy). Tootsie’s results also indicated that she is “highly collaborative;” I’m guessing that is because she did indeed focus on the food I pointed to in some of the tests. But categorizing her as such is a stretch, I’d argue. Tootsie is pretty much all about food, while Willie is often called “Trisha’s mood ring.”
My biggest concern about the data used in the study is that there is no “inter-observer reliability”, which is critical to good research. When I did my dissertation, one study required the observers to record the number of paws steps within a set time period. If they were off by more than 1% I had them practice until they were accurate within one paw step (out of almost a thousand). But there’s no way to know how people playing the Dognition game recorded certain behaviors. I myself found it confusing to know how to record what Tootsie had done. (Example–Tootsie walking over to a cup with a treat underneath, but ignoring the cup completely, and then sniffing the other one was to be scored as “successfully retrieved the food”.
But let’s say that all the observers recorded their dog’s responses consistently, and that the data are solid. I would argue that, if true, there are other reasons beside brain size that would explain larger dogs having more self control than smaller ones. Larger dogs–think breeds like Labradors, Border Collies, Standard Poodles for example, have been selected for working with humans on tasks. All of these tasks require a certain amount of self control: Labs can’t dash after a duck until released by their owner, Border Collies have to control their desire to move sheep until asked by their handlers. Even if larger dogs didn’t tend to be working dogs, just their size alone requires us to manage their behavior in ways we don’t manage small dogs. How many people object to a 10 pound dog “jumping up” on them when “up” is only a few inches from your ankle? For example, I could teach Tootsie to stay in a few days, but I never have, because, well, I have just never needed to. Her life as a lap dog, puppy mill rescue is a totally different one than that of the Border Collies. Does she exhibit less self control than they do? Yes, but there are a lot of reasons for that beyond brain size.
This issue could have been discussed in the full article (which is not available on line without a subscription to the journal). But I would guess that if this explanation was considered, the article wouldn’t be as focused on evolutionary differences in cognitive ability based on brain size. And to be clear, I’m not arguing that the hypothesis is incorrect, just that we would need a lot more research to test it. I’ll see if I can dig into this more if you are interested.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Obviously our experience is not carefully controlled research, but still interesting. . .
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Perhaps it is because I’ve taken so many photographs, but for whatever reason I find myself increasingly attracted to photos that are unique in some way. For example, take this photo of Maggie playing with her rubber stick. Her face is blurry, but the movement within the frame kept me going back to it over and over, rather than trashing it as a failed photo.
Here’s a more traditional shot, fun in its own way too.
Vertical photos can be problematic on computers and phones, which is why I usually stay with a horizontal frame. But these flowers just begged to have a vertical taken of them.
Let us know if you too are doing looking outside of the box, it’s always inspiring.
Margaret says
Disclaimer–I have never had a dog under 30 pounds (my two Keeshonden), and most of my dog-friends who compete have medium-and-up. In the pet dogs I used to groom, I found much less control (and more aggression) in the smaller dogs, but I will require some convincing to overturn Occam’s Razor on this one; what can’t be explained by owners not bothering to train dogs whose behavior can be managed just by picking them up?
Without being able to access the study, I’m also wondering how they controlled for dogs who had been taught impulse control like Puppy Zen and the Relaxation Protocol versus those who have not?
I’ve never wanted a small dog, but that’s because I’m a klutz, and I don’t want anything fragile near my feet. I’ve had full-speed collisions with my dogs in the agility ring–my Flat-Coats bounced, but a toy dog would have been seriously injured.
So color me skeptical but interested. More research indicated.
jen_n says
I’m not your target audience Trisha, in that I haven’t had enough experience to talk about this really.
However, just on my personal experience, my big dog (GSD) has far more patience/self-control than my terrier, but they are bred for different purposes. Also, I do try and treat them the same way (to avoid spoiled small-dog syndrome), but when I think about it, when the gsd gets over-aroused and snaps in excitement or makes noise, I calm things down far quicker than when my terrier does, so I can’t say that I’m treating them the same way. And when I think back, while I try and treat jumping up or stealing in the same way, I do react far quicker to over-excitement in my GSD than I do with over-excitement in the terrier.
I do my absolute best to treat them similarly, but I know that I do slip. And that’s as someone with a small dog and a big dog in the same house. If I had just small dogs, I think I would be far more likely to let indiscretions slide, and that’s just another aspect to why small dogs as a population end up having poorer self-control than larger dogs.
Lainy says
I too would not be considered your target audience as I have always had Med to large dogs. But my experience in working with and training thru the years has led me to believe small dogs are not trained or expected to have more self control. As you said it’s really not an issue to have a 10 lb dog jumping at or on you as you walk thru the door, but if that’s a 100 lb lab, it’s a big problem. I have even said to people ‘ when you have a dog that size you need to be in control of his actions’. Meaning he is or will be a big dog.
It seems that little dogs are just meant to be cute and larger dogs cute and controlled.
Jane says
I do not have a comparison or a scientific perspective on this subject, but I am intrigued by the notion of intelligence in animals evidenced outside of training or breed purpose. I have two Labradors, 11 year old Quinn and his niece 4 yr old Cora. Both are trained in multiple sports and also in their purpose – hunting and retrieving. Quinn has gravitas – a”thoughtful” approach to his work and life. When problem solving outside of training he seems to “strategize.” For example, the other day as I sat down with my morning coffee, he came over and leaned against me for a petting/scratching session. Cora, for whom gravitas is a foreign concept, barged in and worked hard at pushing him away. Quinn turned away from the melee, left the room, found a bumper, trotted back to us and taunted her with the bumper – her very favorite object in the universe. She grabbed it from him and ran with it. He came to me and leaned against me free of his pesky intruder. Is this not thinking ahead? Maybe it was coincidence but it seemed so purposeful. This was not a learned behavior – or was it if I break it into components (yielding to more pushy dog, finding a beloved bumper, yielding to the more pushy dog who takes the bumper, and -oh – mom is free again for scratching me). The whole sequence experienced was more fluid than that.
Jodi Grzeczka says
I have to agree with you on so many levels. The fact that this is a citizen based project alone, would beg the accuracy. An individual’s attitude where a dog stands as a member of one’s household is the bottom line. People who see their dogs as pets will “see” behaviours in different light than people who consider their dog their “children”, etc. That bias alone could skew the results of the testing. For a firm conclusion, the testing would have to be under exactly the same circumstances. How much money s thrown at this study? For the record, I do have a prejudice against small dogs, but mostly because of their lack of training by their owners. And yes, I own a 100-pound yellow Lab. He is the 2nd yellow Lab I’ve had, and I believe their breeding has a lot to do with their differences. My first Lab was amazing to train, and he took self control to an astounding level – I trained him to be a Therapy Dog. My current Lab was brought up the same way, with the same intent. His enthusiasm is so over the top, I abandoned the idea of Therapy Dog training early on. He’s extremely intelligent, but the stubborn streak in him is nothing short of daunting!
Charlotte Kasner says
Have applied to the author for the text, so this may be premature, given that the abstract doesn’t give much away.
It seems that there may indeed be a huge potential for uncontrolled variables to skew the results, not least because it relies on owner assessment It is not just humans attitudes to behaviour that vary with dog size but interpretation of that behaviour (small dog is feisty, large dog is aggressive).
Is a dog exploring something presented because it is new and exciting and his past history with his handler has encouraged such interactions or does he lack self control? Neophobia may be a factor too.
McGeevy et al’s research into eye contact (McGreevy PD et al (2013) Dog Behaviour Co-Varies with Height, Bodyweight and Skull Shape, PLOSOne, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080529) which found ” …that spontaneous gaze behaviour towards humans is associated with genetic similarity to wolves rather than with recent selective pressure to create particular working breeds…” may have a bearing. I can certainly attest to that as a former owner of a Siberian husky.
When he took part in an academic study, the subsequent video showed that the student researchers completely missed the flick of eye contact and thus the chance to engage. He took their lack of reaction as a lack of invitation to continue with the experiment.
This was certainly regarded as a non-result but it had nothing to do with the dog and everything to do with the humans. His lack of eye contact was often attributed ot indifference rather than a lightening fast cost benefit analysis and also as “aloofness”.
I was pretty convinced that he was one of the Sibes that had ADHD (Wan et al (2013) DRD4 and TH gene polymorphisms are associated with activity, impulsivity and inattention in Siberian Husky dogs, Animal Genetics, V44(6), pp 717-27).
I controlled that with training to a certain extent so that would also have skewed any results in a citizen science project if not controlled for.
His self-control was magnificent when after prey (stalking champion, every move counted) but it was another matter before training and experience made him realise that he who waits gets the reward. Was this harder to train because of breed or size? Nope. How much breed or even individual difference would there have been in learning ability? Hard to assess.
Jan Berger says
I have trained Papillons and various large breeds (Dobermans, Belgian Malinois and Border collies) throughout my 45 years of training dogs. From the moment that a puppy or adult dog walks through my front door, training begins. I concentrate on “control” initially in order to insure that my dogs are safe and can accompany me in public places. The differences between my Paps and my large breeds is insignificant as they were all trained for some type of “dog sports “ and excelled for the most part. Competition obedience and agility all require control in various degrees and, of course, herding as well.
Salty Dog Farm says
I want to preface my comment by saying I have limited experience with small dogs. We live on a farm in the middle of some wild country that means larger breeds fair better. But a few years ago a Cairn Terrier showed up and lived with us for a couple of years – until she inevitably met her end in a losing battle with a feral hog. We considered keeping her penned up for her safety but she had the heart of a Great Pyr (the rest of our pack) and we failed in the few attempts to keep her contained. She wanted to run and we eventually caved.
However, this gave me some opportunity to observe and appreciate her natural attributes. Bella never stopped. I can see how small dogs are attractive to urban dwellers for their size but keeping one like her exercised and entertained would be a challenge. Her energy level dwarfed the rest of my dogs that were 10 times her size. Bella weighed 12 lbs I think. Her favorite running buddy, Wattie, a Great Pyr, weighed in at 135. He was active for a Pyr but she would wear him out. When Bella came to us, she was untrained and undisciplined. But, she was clever. She figured things out quickly and fit in.
From my observations, I would say that the difference in the sizes contributes to the difference in energy level. I’ve never met a slow, contemplative small dog. They may exist – my experience is limited. But most of my giant dogs are slow and contemplative. I need them to be. They do their best work this way.
Another observation I’ve made over the years is that many people equate trainability with intelligence. I think that’s a false connection. An animal that is willing to do my bidding is not necessarily smarter than one that won’t. My Pyrs have taught me that. They are hugely independent. It can be exasperating but sometimes (often) when given a command, they will decide “nah.” That isn’t unintelligent – it’s willful. And a desirable trait in an animal that was expected to make independent decisions for a flock or herd on a mountainside without a human shepherd. As I stand on my porch pleading with them to shut up and come inside, it’s less desirable.
But back to Bella and Wattie. They were both equally smart, in my opinion. They were well suited to perform the tasks they were bred for. Bella was a natural hunter; Wattie a guardian. Bella met her end doing what she loved. She tore out of the house early one morning to confront a herd of wild hogs at the pond. Sadly, she got out in front of Wattie too far and took on a boar. Wattie and our other pyr, Kokie came home gored and bloodied. Bella did not come home. That isn’t a battle the pyrs would have instigated. They would have pressed the hogs away with nusiance barking, etc. But Bella would have engaged and did.
Wattie lost his best friend – we called her his posse – that morning and was never the same. Where he had run the ranch, he stayed home and slept. Dogs can grieve, too. Did you know? I didn’t until then.
My adult daughter is a pet sitter. Her experience with a wide variety of breeds would provide some interesting insight into this topic. I’ll forward your article to her and see what she has to say.
I’m so glad I found your blog. How fascinating! And I totally agree about the pie. Who can say no to pie?!
Nancy says
My toy poodle is trained to be a play therapist with me in my counseling practice and she has excellent self control. Both of my children have large dogs and they do not have the self control that my dog demonstrates. Of course my experience is limited, but, I think it’s about training and your relationship with your dog. Intelligence has so many factors – like life experience.
M. Paris says
This was an interesting article. We have had only large dogs for 30 years- always Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles- both generally considered quite intelligent breeds. Then after our last Golden passed and since we were retiring and traveling we decided to try a small dog even though my husband disliked small dogs. We ended up 2 years ago with a sturdy 16 pound Goldendoodle and to our complete surprise he is the smartest dog we have ever had- no question! Also the calmest, most sociable with dogs and people and the easiest-he amazes us everyday with his understanding, intuition, and ability to understand and respond to full sentences with two directives. We are amazed by this dog’s intelligence every day. It is hard to believe he is a dog. And my husband has become completely smitten.
MaryAnn says
Just a dog lover/companion, living with a small dog (Chihuahua/Jack Russell) for the first time in my life. This excitable, hysterical little girl is smarter than me and my big dog put together . . . unfortunately.
Joan says
I did not read the rest of the post, but my theory is that first we expect more of large dogs, so we put in the training time because a great Dane who jumps on people has more downside than a toy poodle who does. I also wonder if selection has had effect because large working and hunting breeds were selected to work with people. Toy dogs not so much. Then there is the measure of intelligence. A border collie will look intelligent herding, but the not so easy to train LGD will look awfully smart when the coy wolves show up. Intelligence is just a devised criteria to measure what we think we value.
Betsy McCoy says
In my experience as a trainer of puppy classes, I noticed that owners of large breed puppies were likely to feel a need to control some behaviors like leash pulling or jumping up more than those with smaller breeds. Could it relate more to the owners and their tolerance than to the abilities of the puppies?
Adrienne K says
Throughout my life I have had six poodles all 13 lbs. or under, one Lhasa/Yorkie mix about 15 lbs., one French Bulldog 35 lbs. and now our moyen size poodle who is 35 lbs. The mental capabilities among 13 pound poodles differed; some being what I would say was average to a little above average. But the moyen 35 pound poodle we now have is by far the most intelligent, expressive, thinking dog I have had. I have often wondered why she is so smart and intuitive and if it had anything to do with her being somewhat bigger than my other poodles. Our 35 lb. French Bulldog was stubborn but always figured out how to get what she wanted. The Lhasa/Yorkie was not special when it came to intelligence. They were all loved very much.
Paula says
We’ve had a Doberman and a Westie combo for most of our married lives. (30 years)
I’ve always felt the Dobe’s minded much better than the terrier’s, mostly because as other’s have pointed out, we DON’T let our big dogs get away with stuff that we – sadly- let the little ones get away with. Besides size, these 2 breeds couldn’t be more different! The Westies truly have a mind of their own, especially when critter hunting. My Dobes lived to please and be near us. With our first combo, the 17 lb Westie would lay in front of the food bowl, while the 90 lb Dobe would stand in the hall whining to get to the food. Now we have a senior Westie, a 2yr Westie and a 1 yr Cairn….the youngsters get away with far worse behavior than any of my Dobe’s ever would have. It seems I’ve turned into one of “those” dog owners, and just pick up the offender instead of trying to change the behavior. As for intelligence, its hard to say – both terrier and Dobe are intelligent, but the well-mannered Dobe makes it seem smarter; one can’t discount the puzzle-solving, memory-like-an-elephant terrier, however.
Anne says
My first thought is the larger dogs naturally receive more training in self control than smaller dogs in a normal home environment. For example, my friend has an Aussie, a lab mix, a chihuahua/ yorkie mix and a Papillion. The two larger dogs were either already trained, or receive tons of lessons in how not to be obnoxious/knock over guests/furniture etc by being wild. In other words, how to be chilled out and self controlled. The two smaller dogs just were taught sit/down/come/stay.
widogmom says
I cringe when I hear the words “citizen” and “science” together in a sentence. There are many things that it pays to crowd source, but anything scientific should be passed through an enormous filter first.
I honestly believe that intelligence (or not ) is a very indiviudal thing, and not related to breed. Our little Dachshuahua (he is way too serious to be a Chiweenie) was the smartest guy in obedience class, in with some very big dogs. My soul dog was an 85 lb. Doberman (RIP, my sweet boy) and the day I brought him home I told him “sweet is more important than smart.” He took that concept and elevated it to an art form. Our Cockalier/Sheltie mix is brilliant, but has poor impulse control (we’re working on it in obedience class now), and she’s what I would call a “smedium.” Our late American Water Spaniel (42 lbs) was a brilliant gun dog, and frighteningly smart, but lacked much of the usual spaniel empathy (or had a difficult time expressing it; she was one to lie on your feet when you were home with the flu). As far as impulse control being an indication of intelligence…dude, it’s PIE. You just missed out on PIE.
Lynn Haughwout says
My experience is based on 40ish years of training and exibiting different breeds. I was also a pro trainer and groomer. So while I think studies are good, hands on with dogs teaches us so very much. I have worked with dogs from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. “Intelligence” to me is a possibilty at birth (depending on genetics) and then developed from the enviroment that the dog is exposed to as it ages. Also, I am not sure how you compare “intelligence” levels in differnet size dogs, when the breeds have traits that they were bred for that would hard wire them to be better at certain behaviors. For example in the classes I would teach, Terrier people would think their dogs were stupid because they wouldn’t learn loose leash walking as quickly as the Goldens did. My grandkids have had several Chihuahuas who have been wonderful and intelligent. While I have friends who now hate it when a Lab shows up in a class as they as so wild. All to say that there is way more to size of brain that goes into intelligence. IMO
Chris Johnson says
I recently adopted a 6 year old 14 lb Pomeranian, my first small dog (I’ve had various rescues, smallest one being a 30lb terrier mix and my breed of choice is Springers). She’s very different than any dog I’ve ever had, no big surprise, and not a breed I would have normally chosen, but she was headed from her 2nd home to the Humane Society, through no fault of her own, and I just didn’t want to see that happen. She is incredibly smart. She had little to no training before coming to me, and since coming to me. I’ve concentrated more on just training her with the basics to fit into our life here at this point. She’s been with me for about 3 1/2 months and is now able to walk off leash (where appropriate), be loose on my property, wait at the door when cued (I’m working on getting her to wait without a cue, going out the door only when released), she waits to be released to get her food (without a wait cue), automatically goes into her crate after the last potty time at night, etc. My older dog gets grumpy with her at certain times, though usually in the same context it’s not consistent (one time when I was going to my desk carrying my breakfast, which I do every day; a couple of times when I was coming in the door). I’m working on this with management and training, but in the meantime Ellie has learned to be cautious. If I’m carrying my food and heading down the stairs to my office, she waits at the top of the stairs and once I’m settled and my other dog is settled I call her and she runs down to her bed. I didn’t train this, she learned it on her own after one experience with my older dog in that context. She came to me as an excessive alarm barker (she was also under socialized, so part of this is a fear issue), and my dog services business is run out of my home, in a separate building. My staff is in and out of my office all day long and at first each entry was accompanied by a barrage of barking. I started by training her to go to her bed, located under the wing of my desk. She got this down within a couple of days with regular reinforcement. At first I would feed a fairly steady stream of treats to keep her from barking once she was in place, but then slowed the stream and went to random reinforcement while quiet and on her bed. It’s now to the point that about 90% of the time, as someone enters I can just look at her and ask her to stay and she remains quite. In addition, that behavior is now only being randomly reinforced. Talk about learning self control! When in the house, I’m working on having her run to me instead of barking non stop at someone coming in or at something she hears outside. She is so smart and learning self control now that she is with someone who is taking the time and initiative to work with her. I agree that too many small dogs don’t exercise self control because people find it easier to physically control them rather than to teach them.
Honey Loring says
What an interesting discussion. I’d had only large dogs for most of my dog-owning life — English Setter, Airedales, Ex-racing Greyhound and Standard Poodles for the last 30 years. Then I adopted a small terrier-poodle mix from a hoarder and the wonders of small dogs hit me. The way I put it…there is a spot in your heart that only a small dog can fit into. Now I have a maltese/toy poodle mix who is the most social, smartest and most conniving dog I’ve ever had and completely lovable. Also crazy for Agility, but so social that he runs off course to say “hi” to the judge (not a good move for a ribbon, but I find it so entertaining to have such a social dog.) How’s this for a theory…the different dog breads were developed to fulfill certain functions – hunting, herding, guarding, etc. What were these little guys bred for? I think of the word to describe this group—”Toy.” What is a toy…something that entertains humans. My experience has certainly turned me on to the wonder of small dogs – as a group they seem to live for people, though not necessarily the greatest for obedience or control. That, I think, has to do with the actual breed, the individual’s genetic temperament and the training it receives from its owner. Well….that’s my theory, anyway.
Lisa Ziomkowski says
This is far from a scientific study of intelligence, but we have 3 border collies and a toy aussie. We moved into a new house with a dog door into the mud room. I showed all of the dogs, the dog door and made sure they could push the double flap open. At one time later that day all four were outside and wanted back in. They barked and I ignored them, wanting to see how long it would take them to use the dog door. While the three border collies stared at me through the sliding glass door, the toy aussie ran around to the back of the house and came bouncing through the dog door. Within a couple of minutes all of the border collies had managed to go around to the back of the house to use the dog door as well. Was it a sign of superior intelligence in the 14lb toy aussie? Or just stubborn border collies trying to bend me to their will? All I know is the little dog is every bit as smart as the border collies when she wants to be.
Summer says
I read this study a couple of months ago, and actually came to the same conclusion. Training impulse control for a big dog is more urgent than it is for a small dog – just like potty training – you’re going to be more worried about a dog peeing on the floor if it takes a bath towel to clean it up. I’ve had small and large dogs, and always tried to be consistent with the way they are trained. With the exception of individual personality differences, I have not experience big or small having more or less impulse control. As a vet tech with 20 years in the industry, I can give you anecdotal evidence of dozens of “working” breed dogs, that are individually pets with ZERO impulse control. Labs that will bowl you over and nearly remove your hand trying to get a treat. I’ve also known amazingly well trained pugs and pomeranians that are agility champs.
I looked at Dognition when it first came out, kind of intrigued by it – but at the end of the day, the cost was too high for games that we already played, just for someone to interpret them for me!
Christina says
I have had small, medium, and large dogs throughout my life. Each was an indivudual with their own strengths and weaknesses. Examples: My little 8lb therapy dog was a fearless hunter of critters, yet an amazing empathetic being with humans of all sizes. My mid-sized mutt was gentle and patient but hopelessly dense – he never failed to be surprised when the rose bush snagged his feathery tail when he walked by it each summer day of his long life. My chihuahua is an excellent trick dog and lives for learning something new with clicker training. My childhood shepherd mix was a savvy beast around the farm animals and would have excelled at the short-term memory test but was a sensitive soul terrified of odd things like shadows. And so on. If “intelligence” is measured by self control (as reflected by this research) then I would not pass with flying colors if my most recent trip to the all-you-can-eat buffet is any indication 😀
Barb Stanek says
I am always a bit taken back that humans tend to compare “smartness” as though it’s a contest. It seems that we can’t keep ourselves from comparing and attributing better or worse qualities to the being as a result of its “smartness.” I’m always interested in the definition of “smartness” and the context in which the “smartness is determined. I’m also interested in the assumptions that we make about the being after we’ve decided it is “smart.” “Well, he’s smart enough. I shouldn’t have to explain . . . .” Guess it’s my teaching background that brings up these questions and concerns in my mind.
That said, I’m glad research is being done and we’re discussing it. I have “big” dogs — Portuguese Water Dogs. My current boy is amazingly smart — smartest dog I’ve ever had. I do think of your quote often, Trish. “You have a smart dog? I’m so sorry for you!”
Having said that, I have known whip smart little dogs! I just haven’t lived with one. However, after this next PWD puppy (which I’m picking up in an hour), I’ll be moving to miniature poodles. I’ll let you know how that works out. I suspect my little dog won’t be wanting in the smarts department.
Thanks for the discussion.
Jan says
I think separating degrees of self-control by small versus large is too simplistic, I might attempt this by AKC group segretation. I grew up with Boston Terriers, graduated to Boxers, but since have had only giant breeds. My neighbor has only toys/terriers, Yorkshire, Kerry blue, and Chihuahua’s. All of our dogs have excellent self-control. But we frequently discussed the differences and our opinion is that it’s more tied to owner expectations. She never wanted an obnoxious, or busy small dog, so she trains from day one, expecting and rewarding self-control. I don’t want my giant breeds to rule the house or shove or knock me or my belongings over. So, I too train my dogs in self-control from day one. As a result, we both can enjoy each others choice of breed as the behavior is very similar.
But absent owner deliberate conditioning, I think the groups expectation of the breeding will have sway. Working & sporting dogs tend to be more biddable and self-controlled than toys.
Trisha says
Ha, I hear you there re buffets and self control! Speaking theoretically of course.(Pie? Did someone say pie?)
Stacey says
Thank you for calling attention to the limitations of citizen science sourced data. In the age of the internet, the temptation for (underfunded) researchers to crowd source data is great but the reliability of the data is suspect. As for whether large dogs or small dogs are smarter, I have had many of both and inevitably they ALL outsmart me at one time or another!
Jan says
I have a Mini schnauzer. At 16#. I would gladly test him side by side with any big dog you have including a GSD or Malinois who are so famous for their intelligence and trainability. In 6 years, my dog has earned 53 titles in 6 different dog sports including an Obedience title in Mondioring, a sport mainly for GSD and Malinois. Wicked smart, learns at an amazing speed!
karen rush says
Have we gone backwards scientifically 200 years?? In 1819 Franz Joseph Gall’s book was published resulting in what we know as Phrenology!
[“The Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System, and the Brain in Particular, with Observation upon the Possibility of Ascertaining the Severe Intellectual and Moral Dispositions of Man and Animal, by the Configuration of their Heads”]
As soon as I started reading your post I thought, “sounds like a variation of phrenology” and muttered the highly scientific, “a bunch of hooey” being at the forefront.
OK, I jumped to a conclusion very quickly, but as a math major, immediately saw my atmosphere littered with countless variables and assumptions, some of which other people have posted.
Maybe I’m just an “other mammal” that only has a few but FAT neurons. GIVE ME THE PIE!
Susan says
I had medium sized mutts all my life and then a series of Jack Russells and now my last dogs, 2 standard poodles. The difference between the terriers and the poodles is amazing but that difference makes it impossible to say one is more intelligent than the other. If you compare humans, one could have a high IQ and another could be very practical and streetwise and their level or type of intelligence would depend on the situation they find themselves in. I absolutely loved my Jacks because they were crafty, stubborn and had a Napoleonic complex. They could learn anything but only if they wanted to, there was some benefit to them and there wasn’t a squirrel around. One of them became a medic alert dog for my paralyzed, aphasic husband, alerting the home care if he needed something. But that was his choice, not training. The poodles have a different kind of intelligence. I was going to say more like the smart kid in school but they seem to have a sense of humour. No dog in my 70 years has ever made me laugh, every day, like these two do. They both do agility and learn much faster than I do. But the youngest reminds me of the Jack Russells because he gets very bored with repetition and I have to be careful to keep him stimulated. So my conclusion is that there are different types of intelligence and anybody with a dog is far too biased to make an impartial observation about how smart their own dog is.
Louise Peacock says
First, I don’t think the results of any such study can be accurate unless the observers are trained to the same accuracy level in the same scoring rubric. Second, I think “intelligence” should be very carefully defined and described before the study begins, and I can’t tell if that happened here.
Then there’s Alexander the Great, the long-haired Chihuahua I knew in my teens. His owner got a UD with him, continued to compete, and won dozens of High Combined awards. (This was long before so many different kinds of organized activities were available.) I think Xandy’s average qualifying score was 195 or 196, and I once saw him get a 200. So, very highly trained (intelligent?) small dog, yes? Then, every once in a while, he’d mix things up — not defiant, not out of control, but varying the routine. He might get his dumbbell and carry it back and forth over the jump several times before coming in for a perfect front and finish, or get sent to one jump and happily circle the ring, jumping every obstacle, before completing the exercise perfectly. Even now, it seems to me that the ability to introduce variation within a standard form is a really intelligent response to boredom!
Andy says
As a layperson who’s been delving into behavioral sciences for a while now, I have to say it’s just nutty how certain themes in research seem to keep recurring. Are bigger brains better? Is group X smarter than group Y (which I know wasn’t the explicit goal of the research, but the University of Arizona headline sure made it seem that way)? Which breed is smartest? Lots of comparative claims that don’t allow for much nuance or context.
Erin says
I have limited experience with large dogs as I’ve never owned one over 15lbs. I think too we need to look at what we deem intelligence. My terrier mix Gumdrop (Fox/Cairn) picked up on new things quickly, too quickly sometimes. My current dog Chloe (Chinese Crested) doesn’t pick up on things as quickly. However, does she really need to? When your that small and cute and can use it to manipulate humans into giving you what you want isn’t that just a sign of intelligence of the social variety?
I think it’s an interesting idea to study but in the long run I’m not sure that it matters all that much. It’s pretty obvious that most all breeds can do all jobs though some jobs may be less advisable for certain breeds/sizes. But the fact that individuals can and have says to me there isn’t that much of a difference based on size of dog alone.
And you’re quite right we can’t ignore the nurture side of the argument.
Pat says
Hi Trisha,
This is a very interesting topic. It is something I have thought about a lot since getting my first ever small dog (Kona the toy poodle). All of my previous experience had been with larger dogs (GSD, BC etc). Initially my reaction was as you describe in the beginning of your article – this is an intelligence little dog that is independent and empathetic – proved over and over again by his interactions at nursing homes and with troubled kids.
However, as smart as he is, there was something different about him compared to his predecessors. I’ve wondered if it can be explained by his personality, his size, his breed, his environment or my changed lifestyle and concluded it is probably a little bit of all of the above. That said the issue the study raised about self-control particularly resonated. Kona has a very limited capability for restraint, he does try but often fails.
I agree with Salty Farm Dog that the other vast difference I found is the energy levels. A great example is watching a dog go from sit to drop – large dogs gracefully lower themselves to the ground looking serene and calm – Kona….not so much! He flings his paws into the air above his head and throws himself to the ground where he waits, coiled like a spring, watching me intently for the release to run around again.
I look forward to reading more on these sorts of interesting topics from you and the community here – now where was that pie…?
Gayla says
Great post and discussion!
So Trisha, are you saying that the number of neurons in a large dog are the same as in a small dog, but the size of those neurons is directly proportionate to the dog’s body size? If so, is that a mathematical formula that holds true across all (non primate) mammals?
Nancy says
I have 3 papillons and I would be surprised if big dogs are generally smarter than they are!
Heidrun says
About the study, I can’t say much as I am not a huge fan of measuring “intelligence” by any test. And it leaves me wondering how a bigger brain (in a larger body) should create a more intelligent being? I believe that what we see as intelligence is the result of a free and fearless mind, educated by a benevolent teacher.
My “smallest” dog is an ACD, who is (after three GSDs from working lines) also the most clever dog I ever had. Which doesn’t say much because he is also the first dog that came to me as a puppy and I loved to observe him having his own ideas about problem-solving. I actually encouraged that while teaching him “every day obedience” (come, sit, stay etc.) simultaneously. He surely has his own ideas about that, too – but I love to have a good laugh several times a day.
The GSDs were adults when adopted and all of them had a history of either being abused, trained with force or not trained at all. In retrospective, the shepherds only became clever when they discovered that they were allowed to actually HAVE ideas and how to solve a problem by themselves.
The smallest dog in our household right now is a terrier-mix (20 pounds) my partner was left with by his ex-wife. She (the terrierX, not the ex) had been bought and raised as a toy, learning early on that things were done to her and she didn’t have much to say about herself while at the same time she was free to do what pleased her. Leash-pulling? No problem, just drag that little dog away. Jumping on people? Doesn’t matter, she is so cute. Barking at bigger dogs? Well, she is feisty. And so on.
So on the one side she was allowed to do whatever she liked, on the other side she could be forced easily (physically) to stop what she was doing because she is small. She was never taught how to actually learn – how are you supposed to become clever that way?
In my opinion, this is the biggest problem most small dogs have to deal with. They can easily be MADE to stop something rather than teaching them an appropriate behaviour. And this lack of teaching makes them look less smart and neglects their real potential.
The best counterexample I can think of is Emily Larlham (kikopup) and her dogs: she does a brilliant training and teaching with any dog, no matter if Chihuahua or Border Collie. She makes every dog look (be) smart because with a good teacher they simply are.
Frances says
Yet another tiny sample of two toy dogs. They are similar ages (both 10 years old, with about 7 months between them), both came to me when they were about 12 weeks old, and were raised in a similar way, with socialisation, puppy classes, fun agility when they were young, and a focus on good manners rather than obedience.
Sophy (papillon) has excellent self control. She is a planner and a thinker – I would swear she keeps a mental list of things to do when my attention is sufficiently distracted for her to get away with them; she is a self taught cat-and-family tracker; she discovered when young that lying down and fluttering her ears while gazing into a human’s face usually works and uses the knowledge shamelessly; her “best” cue is Wait!.
Poppy (toy poodle) is more easily trained as she is completely focussed on me, but is a pogo-poodle – when she is excited she boings. She boings at meal times, she boings when it is time for a walk, she double-boings when I come home after an hour or two away. She is not naturally a very energetic dog, but once excited simply cannot contain herself. Her “best” cue is Come!, so much so that she has invented a game that enables her to come flying for a cuddle.
But both dogs are more than capable of learning new tricks, including those involving self control. Neighbours who are reliable dispensers of treats recently moved in across our shared courtyard – the dogs soon barked joyously every time they heard the neighbour come out of his house. In a few days I taught them that I would only go to the door with them if they first came to me and sat to ask politely – still a bit of a work in progress if I am in the wrong room, but getting there!
My suspicion is that a great deal of the variation between large and small dogs is down to training and expectations, plus a big chunk of individuality!
lak says
I am a novice dog owner who has enjoyed this post and discussion immensely. Learned so much from just the comments
rita penner says
Jane brings up an interesting topic: examples of dogs managing/manipulating each other. I dogsit my daughter’s medium sized dog bc my medium sized dog gets along with any other dog so well. They do actually love each other. When daughter’s dog comes, her favourite bed usually comes too. My dog likes this bed and when it’s unoccupied often chooses to lie in it. Daughter’s dog sees this and after lying on the other bed or floor for a while, will stand up to look out the window and woof, even if there’s absolutely nothing happening. This makes my dog get up to see what’s what. As soon as this wonderful bed is empty, daughter’s dog will quickly lie down in it. This happens so often, that it cannot be but planned.
rita penner says
sorry to not comment on your actual topic but this factor of people treating small dogs’ behaviours differently than if a large dog were doing the same thing, makes this study impossible to yield accurate results. You’re never going to have people treating large and small dogs exactly the same.
Cheryl Croft says
Having both had both large and small dogs I have seen what I consider high levels of intelligence in both sizes. I do agree with those who have said that many times (there are always exceptions) we don’t enrich or train smaller dogs to the degree we train/enrich the smaller breeds. There are so many variables when measuring intelligence but I do not believe (totally unscientific) one of the variables is the size of the brain.
Jerilyn Mackey says
It seems that many people equate trainability with intelligence. I’d argue those are two very different things. I’m not willing to say a biddable dog who wants only to please a human is smarter than one who is able to go off and figure stuff out for themselves.
Diane Mattson says
This study does seem a little loose. As many have pointed out, small dogs are often treated differently. And just using general public? In my experience, small dogs who are trained and socialized properly appear just as smart as larger dogs. Also, how do we measure intelligence? My aunt had two border collies years ago. The female was much more adept at handling the cattle. But outside herding, she could appear kind of dense. The male was more slipshod about herding, but had broader knowledge. Which one was smarter? Herding takes brains, so the female definitely was smart, but just not into other activities. The male had more “hobbies.” One of which was figuring out how to avoid work!
I had two cats. One was super smart about people things. She could be very calculating and clever about getting what she wanted in our world, but was kind of clueless about “cat things.” Our other cat was very smart at being a cat, but wasn’t too good about people stuff. Which cat was smarter? It would totally depend on what measurements were used. I have a feeling my people cat would have scored higher, but is that fair?
My cousin has trained her toy poodle really well. He travels with her everywhere. When they go to restaurants, he is trained to lie quietly at the bottom of her bag, so no one knows he’s there. They’ve never been caught. There’s food everywhere but this little poodle is showing great self control, although he’s a high energy dog.
The brain is complex and fascinating, and we are learning many things about it, but there have also been a lot of unexpected revelations. It’s also really hard to tease out intelligence from instinct. Where’s the line? At what point does behaviour shift from instinct to more deliberate planning? I love reading about this stuff. So yes, I would love to read more about your investigations, Trish!
Vicki in Michigan says
My first thought was — an out-of-control big dog is a much bigger problem than an out-of-control little dog. Ergo the big ones are much more assiduously taught to exhibit some self-control. I’m seeing self-control as way more about training than about intelligence.
Still thinking about big vs small — the biggest dog we’ve had in the house on a regular basis was a friend’s collie. Not that big, but bigger than all the others (ours, and other friends’ dogs). He was also the dumbest. He was legendary for his lack of brains. He was a perfectly nice dog, but … wow.
Jann Becker says
I don’t think of my dogs’ differences from their sizes as much as there general personalities! Kira (62-lb goldendoodle, just turned 10) has always been golden-retriever easy going, everyone’s new best friend (canine or human) and trusts that I would never put her in any danger (except for that “hippo on a spring” thing at the park.) She got trained through her CGC and enjoyed it.
Dooley (18-lb miniature poodle, 2 1/2 years old) is, well, intense. Before he follows a cue he has to analyze why we want him to do it: are we calling him to take him into the bedroom to sleep, or just getting him away from the Deck Monsters? He’d guard the house, and bark, and wake everybody else up, all night if we let him.
He’s been trained in fundamental manners classes, and they’re both doing rapid rocket recall: we set up a situation where they are surprised by one of us calling for rescue and lavishly rewarding them when they show up–but Dooley hears us open the fridge for cheese and glues himself to that person’s elbow. In a sit with human attention he practically vibrates, but if we might be having him sit so we can pick him up to go to bed, no way. We wanted poodle intelligence but Dools seems to use it against us. We wish he trusted us like she does, but it just isn’t his style. Size doesn’t explain it.
Helenandthehounds says
OK, so thank you Patricia and everyone for distracting me for a very long time while I tuned out everything else to read the article and then most of the comments. (I had been going to finish watching a Webinar on Adding Another Dog to Your Pack. . . very important stuff!)
If this was done on humans you’d have to control for well, everything, background, previous learning experience, whether socialised, to what degree socialised etc etc. So I don’t get how they can draw any conclusions.
I loved all the comments and the different attitudes/experiences/talents of the different dogs, especially different sizes and breeds and individuals.
What an interesting article!
BTW not sure what the obsession with pie is (is it a Northern hemisphere thing maybe?0. . .I can turn down pie. . . now cheese? We’re talking a different ball game! Do not get between me and a cheese platter.
Gayla says
To Rita Penner: My friend had a Catahoula and a smaller mix. The Catahoula ate dinner faster than her ‘little sister.’ The Catahoula would finish hers, turn and woof at the window, the smaller mix would leave her dinner, bolt out the dog door, and tear around the yard looking for an intruder. No one there. But the ‘little sister’ took her job so seriously, that she fell for it every…single…night. :>)
Bonita Sitter says
Tootsie is about as much like wolf as a sock monkey is to a gorilla.
Trisha says
Well, that’s about the best comparison I’ve ever heard!
Rachel says
First, executive function is one measure of cognitive function, but high executive function skills does not necessarily equal high intelligence. For instance, a dog who waits to be told to eat may have good self control, but that’s measuring obedience. A small dog who ignores the command and can accurately predict the response, or lack of consequences, from their human would be showing a higher order cognitive skill than self-control. The small dogs who “don’t have to listen” are aware of commands and use their experience to accurately predict that they do not need to listen. I also completely agree that the way behaviors in general are managed by owners is completely different in small dogs and big dogs. A big dog has to reliably come when called because I can’t pick up and carry a dog over 25 pounds. I have basically never called my toy sized dog, I pick her up constantly. I don’t know if she would come when called, she’s never more than 3 feet from me! I do not think the skills they measured in the study are accurate predictors of dog intelligence. They would need to do a standardized blind test where they teach dogs a new problem solving skill or puzzle and measure how quickly they pick up the skill, how reliably the dog demonstrates the skill, and can they apply the problem solving skill to a novel puzzle.
LisaW says
As we’ve gotten older, our dogs have gotten smaller (~33 lbs now the smallest). I think we are opting for size almost unconsciously and smarts seem to be disproportionately in abundance. Given the high content of intelligence with the reduction in size, I’d say “phooey” to the study’s initial hypothesis. (But, I’m sure there are exceptions 🙂 We’ve been amply rewarded by the small but mighty. Pie? What Pie?
Minnesota Mary says
I fully agree with the speculation on small dogs not being trained to have impulse control, mostly because it’s not viewed as necessary. Large dogs can do a lot of damage if they don’t develop a sense of self control. Most people recognize this and train their larger dogs to think before acting, or at least wait for direction before acting. So many people with little dogs think their dog’s behavior is “cute”. I have had heated discussions with a neighbor who allows his little dog to run loose (against city code that all dogs must be leashed). Their little dog attacks my large dogs and I get in the way, yelling and kicking at the small dog. When the owner asks why I’m being such a bit@#, I try to explain that an attack is an attack to my dogs, regardless of the size of the dog. I’m actually trying to prevent damage to the little dog when mine suddenly reach the end of their patience. My neighbor continues his dangerous actions of allowing his little dog off-leash, and he still argues with me that his dog’s behavior is appropriate. He’ll never understand that, if one of my dogs kills his little monster, my dog will be declared dangerous and will be put down.
Emma says
I, too, wonder if the difference in small dogs versus big dogs in this study has anything to do with the type and amount of training each dog received at a young age. I’ve owned Papillons, Labs, and various mixes of all sizes, and have not noticed a significant difference, except that we didn’t mind when the 6 pound Papillon jumped on us in greeting, but did not allow the 65 pound Lab to do so. Most small dogs are allowed to get away with behaviors that big dogs aren’t, and are not taught the self control needed to accomplish a calm greeting, loose leash walking, no jumping up on the kitchen counters, etc. the same way big dogs are. In my experience, most small dog owners will circumvent any training required to prevent unwanted behaviors by simply picking the dog up, which is much harder to do if your dog weighs more than about 15 pounds.
Petique says
My petique Corgi defies such opinion. He’s smart and funny as well 🙂 All petique pets are gifted with intelligence similar to large pets I must say 🙂 Training is what I think matters.
Karina says
I am a 51 year old female who never had a dog as an adult until I met my boy at 16 weeks old. He is now a happy and healthy 87 lb German Shepherd Dog of pure breeding and purer heart! He turned one year old on July 16.
Before Andreas (my GSD) came into my life, I was extremely impressed with the intuitive behavior and “smarts” of my Aunt’s Bichon and a friend’s Boston Terrier. Both dogs are extremely well socialized and heavily bonded with their single female “mommies”.
We are having heat indexes of 110° here in DC now. Today, I took Andreas into an auto parts store to buy a windshield heat deflector. He was very excited & full of energy, having just come from daycare, and the auto parts store happened to be next door to a “Natural Pet Food” store where we often go and they spoil him (treat him like a rockstar).
I decided we were going to try to pass him off as a “Service Dog” in the store (hey–it’s hot as Mars here right now). I calmed him down before we went in. He has not had ANY “professional” training–just me, my research on how to train–which has been very inconsistent–and a whole lot of time bonding, learning to communicate with my boy.
After a couple quick corrections inside the door and small treats, I had him “look” me in the eye several times (treated/”Good Boy” immediately). We are working on automatic “sit” just now. We got in line behind a couple arguing with the manager about an expensive alternator for 20 minutes. They had an adorable daughter who enquired about my dog–her Mother said, “that’s a Therapy Dog, don’t touch him”. I answered “It’s okay, he likes children, he’s learning to not get too distracted, she can pet if she likes”. Somewhat true, somewhat a fib.
The mother surprised me by telling me her daughter has autism AND epilepsy, and that they have a TOY YORKIE Seizure Dog at home!
I was super surprised. The little girl ran circles around my dog clutching her big bag of M&Ms. I continued to treat with crumbs of jerky and praise him quietly. We HAVE had a couple jumping incidents with kids due to over excitement in the past, but we’ve been practicing “gentle” with kids, puppies, & smaller anxious dogs.
Andreas lay in a beautiful down for at least twenty full minutes while they tried to resolve their alternator problem. He was clearly aware of the little girl but didn’t get excited. He was completely happy & peaceful.
I was completely amazed at how good my boy was behaving! And grateful for hand signals.
On the way home, a friend invited us to a little dog park. I was rushing to get him there before sunset–no “calming him down” first. He ran full speed down a hill from my car to the dog park–causing me to fall, lose my phone, glasses, his ball bag & water, my drink–and skin my knee.
Jekyll & Hyde. But another “light bulb” went off for me–probably 100% obvious to you & anyone who reads this–but he doesn’t control his impulses when I’m rushing (much of the time). And this isn’t the first time he’s been a perfect gentleman when I take the time to get us both in right mind frames before doing something/going somewhere. But the cute little girl running circles around him without any reaction or excitement–that was exceptional in my experience so far.
Obviously–I know what I need to focus on now for a lot of impulse control issues.
Also–he’s SUPER empathetic like Willie is. Yawns after I yawn. Learns pretty easily by direct mimicking of me showing him certain behaviors I want. Super affectionate after meals, seems extremely “aware” that they come from me. He often “smiles” at me when excited by scrunching his cheeks in a funny looking way and baring his lower teeth–he has no undergone–I’ve read some dogs learn that by “copying” their people’s smiles–it’s not a “normal” expression for dogs.
The kicker–he’s super affectionate in the mornings. He used to try to pick my face in the morning. When he was 5 months old, we had a bedtime ritual of pets and “good nite sweethearts”. For three days in a row, I rubbed my forehead on his forehead (it’s just so soft at that spot!) and said “I love you” at bedtime. On the fourth morning, he woke me by RUBBING HIS FOREHEAD on mine!! He still does that every once in a long while.
Also–we walked around the neighborhood and enjoyed the fireworks on the Fourth–with lots of treats, pets, praise & massages–he “passed” with flying colors–I hadn’t really acclimated him, but had a strong feeling he’d tolerate well. He was chill on the deck when neighbors were setting off Roman Candles & fountain fireworks three houses down in direct line of sight before sunset–so I thought “why not”. He is an EXTREMELY confident dog, not afraid of anything really–and generally not “reactive” in a negative way except to rabbits, deer & foxes (which is normal prey drive–but where I need to help him develop impulse control). I’d like to try Search & Rescue or hospital Therapy Dog with him in the future, so I have been exposing him to as much as possible since the day I got him & working to make new experiences positive. So I thought fireworks wouldn’t hurt if he tolerated them well.
Here’s part of my “take”. We talk about “Human IQ” vs “EQ” sometimes. Willie sounds like his IQ is crazy high (I’m pretty positive any dog that can herd sheep or cattle is brilliant), but he also demonstrates a high “Emotional Quotient”.
I know my boy has a high “EQ” if there is such a thing. Any “obedience” deficiencies are my fault, not his. But I know I have done an excellent job teaching him basic life skills, socialization, confidence & trust.
I know some extremely “obedient” dogs that demonstrate FAST & SHARP responses to commands–and a large number of commands at that–who are still poorly socialized. Will attack other dogs or kids given the chance, for example.
The breeder and I tried to reintroduce Andreas and his sire a few weeks ago for possible vacation boarding together–they’ve had no problems boarding female siblings from the litter.
Andreas plays beautifully with a lot of large males, many breeds, different play styles & temperaments. We’ve never had a problem with boys.
Andreas sire managed to bite Andreas on his head. Despite both being on leash, walking dogs around slowly in a 1/2 acre + yard for almost two hours, trying many things to calm his sire down. His sire had the teeth fully exposed, looked “ready to kill” from the moment he saw his son and every time he looked his way afterward.
Andreas had never encountered a male that aggressive before. And THAT dog follows a broad menu of commands, sharp as a soldier, for his master.
Both dogs are smart. Andreas may never learn to be as clean/sharp/obedient with commands as his father is. He may always drop the ball upon retrieve a few feet or more from me…but he often manages to do it in a way that it rolls most of the way to me (he often drops it just uphill from me at one of our dog parks). And he sometimes doesn’t just bring me a ball when he wants to play–he actually tosses it to me. Witnessed by others.
The other night, he was playing with his favorite playmate, a long haired male GSD. His “BFF” was tired, Andreas wanted to continue playing–he tossed his friend’s favorite soccer sized ball directly at his friend.
I think my dude is very smart.
Final, final thought–a TOY YORKIE Service Dog?? There you go–the little epileptic girl I met today–her Service Dog fits in a regular sized handbag!!!
Trisha says
Thanks for the oxytocin rush Karina, I beamed while reading your article. However, I do have to mention that pretending your dog is a service dog really, really and truly is not a good idea. It can cause serious problem for real, certified service dogs, so I’d take that out of your repertoire. That said, Andreas sounds like a wonderful dog, and a lucky one indeed.
petique says
Dogs petique or huge are all fur babies requiring human love, care and attention. There’s no argument about who’s smarter because much studies have been done as well about cat and dog cognition. Some would say dogs are smarter than cats while other researches would say that the Feline actually outsmarts the Fido. But these are all futile because all of these petique creatures provides us pet parents happiness and life meaning. That is what I think that matters 🙂
J. Christine says
I grew up with all sizes of dogs (dachshund, pomeranian, pitbullXboxer, american akita, labXsherpei), and my mom was a breeder of Scotties for several years (when I was older). There was a bad experience with an ill bred corgi from a “reputable” show breeder, (and I truly thought I’d never have dogs again because of him).
I now have… tiny dogs. A pomeranian, a maltese, and a maltese-pomeranian. That’s about all my energy can handle while I’m in the thick of raising kids.
My pom is a fox faced type, not the show type, 10lbs. He’s very chill and very smart, but in a more independent way. The maltese, 9lbs, is extremely people focused. She will do WHATEVER you say and picks stuff up quickly, but at the same time is a little dumb? She can’t tie her own shoes unless you tell her to, if you get me? The cross (10lbs) is kind of in the middle, but in a dangerous way. He knows what you’re thinking because of the people focus, and uses that for his independent streak – he knows how to manipulate people, sneak around them. I can handle him but other people have a time. He almost seems like there’s a human in his skull, sometimes. He’s a good boy, but he plots, he *knows things*. It’s my mission in life to out think him and foil his plans.
Really I have enjoyed having toy dogs. They’ve been bred to be people focused above any other job (and if they’re well bred and you treat them like they’ll grow up to be great dane sized from puppyhood they never get a big head). With herding dogs and hounds and terriers you’re fighting against instinct so much of the time. I mean they’re great if you have a specific job for them to do, that they were bred to do, but no, size didn’t matter for the smarts. It was all about their breeding for a task, and that their breeder wasn’t breeding just for looks or for money.