Smarter?

We were walking through the park with some other "dog walkers". One of the topics of conversation was how smart Cinder seems. People see her and think she is so smart and well behaved. They often ask how she compares to our first two puppies, Buddy and Echo. It's so hard to compare how each puppy was at her age.

I am noncommittal in assessing which dog is more intelligent because most people are responding to the level of training, not intelligence. I do know that Cinder's puppy raisers are more intelligent than Buddy or Echo's. So Cinder is probably better trained than Buddy or Echo were at this age.


At our Beloit training class, we interacted with the seven newborns, who have started living outdoors now. We were checking their temperament. And we saw our favorite yellow lab, Echo. His formal training started a few days ago, so he was able to put on a very simple demonstration. He pranced up and down the street with his trainer. He looks like a proud high school graduate in his new harness.


Training disappears if not reinforced, intelligence is forever. Training is always on display, intelligence may be hidden behind a poor trainer.