unintelligent dogs

Just a note that this thread is from MAY...lol. Always like dejavu when these old posts pop back again.

Feels like GroundHog Day!

LOL!  Alright, smarty pants!  LOL

EvericBC

Honestly, I don't believe that there's any such thing as a dog that's not smart. All things are smart in their own ways. They might not be the ways that we think they are smart, but they sure do and other animals might as well.

     I think that most dogs are more intelligent than your average person, lol, but "dummies" do crop up. One of my Beagles is a nitwit. He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer ... normally Beagles are outrageously intelligent, you can actually see the little gears in their mind working! Rusty (a.k.a. Mr. Woo) is a bit slow on the uptake. He knows almost no commands, not because he is choosing to disobey, but because he simply doesn't understand them. Its difficult to explain, but is very obvious if you meet the dog in person ...   

 Oh!  I remember this thread!  It was a good one back in the day!  LOL

I agree about hounds often seeming dumb,when in reality they are very intelligent.

 Hounds were bred to be independent and make their own decisions. "Ok, the raccoon crossed the river, how am I going to cross it. Ok the scent diverges here, which way is the real way...ok which tree did the squirrel go up, which is the most likely....ok, now I need to find my way back to my hunter..."

 They had to make these decisions on their own, and over the generations I believe that the smartest and most creative dogs were chosen to keep the breed well-stocked. H owever, this mode of thinking does not translate well into obedience. Ginny is 4 and she only knows Sit. I have tried and tired to teach her others, but to now avail - because she does not see the "usefulness " of it. "Why do I have to go down? What use is that? Why are you asking me to do this? I am going to go do something else more useful...."

So she can't remember commands...but let me tell you, she knows where every dog lives on every street she has ever walked down, and she checks for them. Even at my parents house, where she only visits twice a year. she *remembers* where *everyone* is - because to her, remembering that is *useful* and she can make subsequent decisions based on that, ie where to walk, how close to walk...as opposed to "Sit. Good girl. Er, ok, what do I do now?"