How to Test a Dog's Intelligence

Think your dog is a genius? Or maybe Spot seems a little slow. You can test your dog to find out for sure if she's is a smarty paws or a dunce. Here is a simple quiz to help you determine your dog's intelligence (or lack of).

Things You'll Need

• Plenty of tasty dog treats
• Stopwatch
• 1 Can, cup, or bowl
• Towel
• Large piece of cardboard or other "barricade" with a slit cut in it

Instructions

1. Tell your dog to sit and then place a treat on the floor about three feet away from him. Place a can, cup or bowl over the treat and start timing for the first part of this intelligence test. Encourage your dog to get the treat. Make a note of how long it takes your dog to get the treat from under the can.

2. Make your dog sit down again and this time, throw a towel over her head, covering her eyes. Start timing and note how long it takes for your dog to remove the towel from her head. Give your dog a treat when she gets out.

3. Set up the barricade and place your dog on one side and the treat on the other for this part of the test. The slit should be small enough that the dog can't reach through it or see the treat on the other side. Start your timer and encourage him to find the treat. Write down how long it takes for your dog to go around the barricade to get to the treat.

4. Grab your time sheet and find out if you have a K-9 genius. If your dog completed each test in under five seconds, give her another treat because she's a genius. Ten seconds and Fido is a smarty, 20 and she's about average, 30 seconds to 50 seconds means she's a little slow. More than 50 seconds means your dog is probably the slowest in the park.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure your dog is at least a year old, free from distractions, well-rested and calm before you begin the test.

• Many factors determine dog intelligence, so don't be too upset or too elated after you see your canine intelligence test results. Maybe your dog didn't like those treats or is too smart to fall for the old, "towel-on-the-head" trick.

Resources

• Great five-step dog test with video clips
• Doggie intelligence test