I have often heard people say that their dog is stupid. Usually they are referring to their bird dog breed and often jokingly label them as “bird brained,” and not in a good way. But are bird dogs actually stupid? Are any dogs stupid? I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts on this topic, especially after having seen the NOVA show called “Bird Brain.” If you have not seen this show, I highly recommend it. It explores our understanding of bird smarts and exposes the fact that birds are not as “bird brained” as we might think. Could dogs be the same way? While this is not a scientific study, here are my thoughts on the topic of “bird brained” dogs and what makes them seem that way.
The Power of Observation
Are some dogs just not smart or are we missing something? In my experience, we are missing something. Any time I run into a dog who seems to not be very smart, I start from the point of view that I have missed a key detail about that dog. To find that detail, the first thing I do is observe the dog. Observation is the key to understanding our dogs and how they learn. When I observe a dog, I watch how they interact with objects, people, animals, and spaces, and I look for patterns in their behavior. Unless the dog has an actual mental handicap (which should be investigated by an experienced behavioral vet) then the dog most likely is performing (or not performing) behaviors for a specific reason. For example, if you have a bird dog who is ignoring your cues and running around pointing at things while you are trying to train, your dog is most likely simply not interested in training. When I observe a pattern of lack of interest in training, I usually find that it is due to an environment that is more interesting and more stimulating than the training itself.
A Better Term Than Bird Brain
So, if “bird brained” is not actually what your dog is, then maybe a better term would be “breed brained.” Many problems that people run into with dogs can be attributed to lack of socialization and breed specific behaviors. People who own beagles (a dog bred with the ability to “bay” which is similar to a howl), Jack Russell Terriers (a dog bred with great tunneling and digging skills), or Pointers (there are many types of pointers but they are bird dogs bred for their ability to identify the location of pray) probably know exactly what I am talking about! Though these are great breeds, they all tend to regularly, and sometimes intensely, engage in their breed specific behaviors. Other breed specific behaviors that might be connected to learning issues in dogs can be the driving behaviors of herding dogs (they want to interact with their environment in a specific way and this can make positioning behaviors a little tricky, depending on the specific dog), the high-strung tendencies of most terriers (they might seem like they can’t concentrate), and the constant sniffing and searching of scent hounds (which is often accompanied by not hearing the handler’s cues), and many more. These dogs have all been bred for very specific traits that each have a purpose and can sometimes seem like the only thing your dog is good at. Dogs with intense or underused breed specific behaviors will often seem to ignore their owners or seem like they simply cannot figure out what is happening in training. But it is up to us, the teachers, to find out how to communicate the lesson topics to the animal. We must find out what the animal needs in order to learn and enjoy the process. If you have a dog who is having trouble learning obedience because of some breed specific behaviors getting in the way, send me an email at happyats@outlook.com! Your dog is probably not a “bird brain” but it might have a “breed brain.”
Keep an eye out for “Breed Brain” posts to find out about different breeds and their behaviors!
Comments