Dogs are naturally intelligent creatures. They have a base level of intellectual ability that develops over time. This is why it is possible to get your pup to learn new words, understand hand signals, and obey new commands.
Just like humans, a dog’s intelligence can be improved with education and training. Smart dogs are the ones who are so well trained that most of their actions become second nature.
So, if you want to get your pooch’s IQ even higher, here are four tips that can help:
- Start Training Early
Starting to train your pup early in life is an almost certain guarantee of impressive results.
Remember that it isn’t a military camp, so you’re looking to keep it fun and informal. Bits of training spread over the course of the day are advised.
Training daily or as often as possible is a great idea too. This is because frequent handling would make your pup adjust to the idea of accepting changes.
Also, he would be more inclined to learn new commands. Similarly, if your pooch is older, you could try too. It’s really never too late to start.
- Use the Power of Association
Pups typically understand certain words that imply pleasure for them even without you consciously training.
They would typically cock their ears in your direction when they hear words like ‘treat’, ‘walk’, or ‘toy’ because they derive pleasure from these things.
You can teach your dog to link words to actions or activities by applying the same technique. The use of positive reinforcement in training is a great way to expand your pup’s vocabulary.
Daisy would easily respond to words and signals based on the anticipated reward of treats.
- Constantly Stimulate Their Intelligence
One practical way to stimulate your pup’s intelligence constantly is with the use of food. Pups love food, so why not make them work for it?
You can opt for food bowls that require his intelligence to figure out how to eat. This would aid mental stimulation significantly.
Also, you could set up a treasure hunt with kibble as the reward, or hide treats and let him sniff it out with all the barriers in the way.
You could also help make use of food-dispensing toys. Practicing any of these on a daily basis would keep your pooch entertained and their brains in top shape.
- Use Lots of Hand Signals
By their nature, dogs are more biased to visual cues and seem more inclined to understanding them. For instance, pointing in the direction of an object or toy almost guarantees that your pup would pick it up.
In addition to voice commands, include hand signals as well. A combination of these two would make for the powerful force that makes your dog respond fast and excitedly.
Dogs are also able to note the tone of voice, so keep this in mind when you embark on your training.
