How to: Increase your dog’s IQ

You’re probably underestimating how much your dog can learn. Stanley Coren, an expert in canine intelligence, said the average dog can understand about 165 words, and a border collie named chaser holds the record at 1,022 words.

Melody Jackson PhD, heads Georgia tech’s animal computer interaction lab and understands dog training.

“I’ve been training dogs my whole life, pretty much 45 years, and I have been astonished at what these dogs are capable of,” Jackson stated.

Don’t believe the saying: “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Teaching a new trick increases a dog’s confidence, improves concentration, and strengthens the bond between pet and owner … at any age. More ways to boost their mental health including switching up your walk routine, or going to a friend’s house or dog park. This will stimulate them with new sights, smells, and people.

“I think dogs are really really smart. I think we’re actually saying that there’s been more research in the past 10 years than the past 100 combined when it comes to the capabilities of dogs,” said Joelle Alcaidinho, a grad student at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Challenge your dog with a puzzle toy or play hide and seek with treats.  And don’t hold back on the affection and play time.

In a survey of 1,800 dog owners, 39 percent said their dog knew three to six commands, and only five percent said their pet didn’t know a single command. The easiest command to teach was ‘sit’ and the most difficult ones were ‘quiet’ and ‘roll over’.

Contributors to this news report include: Hayley Hudson, Producer; Jesse Draus, Videographer and Editor.