Like many people on here DH and I are well aware of how much we dote on Harley and our two cats. Besides our careers (which are important to pay for the three of them) we spend most of our spare energy and time on our furkids. I am the first to admit that, especially our older cat, is incredibly indulged. But the degree of brat-ishness is limited to us, we have to put up with him, not any teachers or other people or cats/dogs. Harley is an incredibly pleasant dog to other people but she is used to a certain level of attention. But why I am labelling myself as "that" parent is because I really think that she is super bright. And this is a difficult concept for me to rationalise because I don't know other dogs. We have her friends over to play and visa versa but they are pitties and staffies so the type of dog is different and they are clever but it is different. I just constantly find myself being amazed at how quickly she makes associations between our actions and her behaviour and the other way around. She communicates in her own dog like way and we are regularly finding ourselves "coerced" if we are not careful. Don't get me wrong, she can be resistant and she LOVES fun beahviour so she will very very quickly pick up on something that leads to her getting to do something fun and playful. And obedience training means a lot more work from my side to keep her going. Maybe it really is that dogs are so much easier and therefore easier to see intelligence in, our cats are very clever but it is ALL self serving. And I know labradors are an intelligent breed. But still, you know what I mean...
The genius of dogs by Brian hare and Vanessa Woods is a good book that discusses their unique intelligence and their Love of us and us of them. I really enjoyed it and it made me live my dogs and appreciate them even more. It's worth a go if you're interested in how they think. It's seems like our ancestors and dogs made a bargain a long time ago.
Oh, yes. Homer is super bright, and I'm "that" parent too. I have a theory... Anecdotal, but my theory. There are just dogs then there are Dogs. We had various family dogs and cats as I was grow up, mostly Airedales and the odd staffie cross. One of the Airedale dogs we had, Paddy, was a Dog. He cought a mange skin desease when he was about 2 years old and wax very ill. Spent ages at the vet university hospital and needed lots of care until he got better and then needed a lot of obedience training as he's become quite reactionary. He became such a super Dog, a one in a thousand. My Dad's Dog Bobby, a cattle dog cross, had a severe grass allergy, and needed a lot of treatment and care, and is also a special character who us super intelligent, especially, when it comes to my two young nieces. Then there are Labradors, they as many of us know are challenging puppies and teenagers and need, demand, a lot of training and effort, but the more effort we put in the more we become in tune with them and the more they become in tune with us. The more Dog they become. So, my theory roughly goes along the lines of, the more effort a dog demands of its human carers, the more the dog is able to show its true potential (or the more we are able to see the dog's true potential).
I gave the pleasure of meeting and working with many different dogs and so far the vast majority have had a similar level of 'intelligence' although a 7 month old staffie cross I met and worked with on Friday on a training course was super bright and challenging to work with. Working in general with dogs and their owners I think the big difference is the relationship between the dog and the owner. Nothing better than seeing a dog and owner 'in tune' with each other. So @Harley Quinn be 'that owner', you know and undrrstand your dog but more importantly your girl is relaxed and confident in you
