A clever dog – often this is forgotten

When we humans try to judge the mental abilities of dogs or other animals, we quickly fall prey to a huge fallacy. We assess them solely by human standards and ideas. It is often treated as though only forms of human intelligence existed. Every single species – be it dolphins, butterflies or indeed our dogs – has developed its own form of intelligence. This arose under the pressure of evolution as a process of adaptation. In this way a species secures its survival. So if we encourage dogs and also observe them during tests, we ourselves will get to know a new world. In doing so we also better understand how the world and the perception of dogs work, and why they decide as they do in certain situations.

Not only dogs learn something from us

Dogs can by no means only learn something from us. I am firmly convinced that we ourselves are constantly learning something from our dogs, namely from their way of thinking and making decisions. Almost all dogs love being confronted again and again with new tasks and challenges.

A little test for your four-legged friend

You take at least three to four laundry baskets of different sizes or something similar. You nest them inside one another and, before the dog's eyes, place various reward treats at different spots. It is also important that the baskets have numerous small openings, so they do not have a closed tub shape. The baskets should also be nested at right angles to one another. Then they are set up in the garden or on a meadow. It is important that the dog has to try a different approach each time to get to the food.

• Promoting cognitive abilities and problem-solving strategies
• Strengthening creativity through varied search tasks
• Building self-confidence through independent moments of success
• Improving observational skills and the ability to concentrate

Previous trials revealed something interesting to observe. While some dogs grabbed the baskets, or pulled the smaller ones out of the larger baskets to get to the food, others went about it completely differently. They pushed the nested baskets along in front of them and even tilted them at an angle, so that the treats fell out of the inside of the basket through the small openings to the outside all by themselves without any trouble. Dogs that had this moment of success did exactly the same in further trials, while other animals continued to struggle with their previous attempts at solving the problem.

The conclusion from this intelligence test

A dog's observational skill is closely connected to its successes in such tests. Particularly important here is how much time is needed for each task. At the same time, this is good training for developing one's own creative strategies. Such tests are also an important contribution to dogs' learning behaviour through trial and error. Every success or failure will help the animal throughout its life to cope better with new situations. The dog stores all its experiences in its brain and has lifelong access to them.