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To test the intelligence of your dog try the old joke trick: Can your dog count? Place 3 treats in your pocket, tell him you have three. Give him 2 and walk away. He will know you have one more!

All dogs are smarter than we give them credit for, however some breeds are definitely born and bred for certain tasks. Working dogs prove that a canine can be taught to undertake a very large scale of different tasks, from giving aid to the disabled to drug and bomb sniffing.

A dog can be like a human, some are smarter than others! What makes one person want to run in a marathon (like a greyhound) or someone else who spends their life overweight and asleep?

The brain of a dog needs to be developed; we start that training when they are small puppies through games and playing. Even a very young dog can learn several words or commands, but as your pet grows every family will experience the feeling that their dog understands them. In fact what the animal learns is the owner's tone of voice, it does not matter what is being said, they learn to react to each situation and whether someone is angry or sad.

But does that then mean that intelligence is then taught? In a way yes, if you kept a dog, never took it out for a walk, were away all day at work and never played with it. Apart from being cruel, you would probably describe your dog as dumb. An animal does not know how to play if it has never been shown how to.

There are many thousands of families around the world who have spent countless hours working with their pets, teaching tricks and competing in agility classes. "You Tube" is full of video's of family pets performing the most adoring tricks. But does this mean the dogs are smart or the owners are smarter for devoting hours of their time to spend with their animals?

However there are average pets living in ordinary households who are capable of performing extraordinary feats, when they have not been trained for anything special. This trusted companion who relies on human contact for food, exercise and shelter, will defend his families territory. The newspapers and media often cover a local story where the family pet has either disturbed burglars or saved the life of their owner by raising the alarm to get help. For no reason a pet will often sense that an owner is about to arrive home.

The only problem that can occur when you train your dog to be extra smart is how do you open a chocolate candy bar in the house for just yourself to eat?

Learn more about this author, Lucy May.
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