# How do you know when you hav is smart?



## Ruth4Havs (May 13, 2013)

Is s/he? Name one thing your hav does that makes you KNOW he is smart. If you have multiple havs, please include them too. One thing that Chester does that makes him smart is that he'll paw at the back door to go potty - and we didn't even teach him to do that. He will lie on vents when he is hot. And find out very clever ways to escape upstairs.(where he is not allowed) Please share yours!:becky:


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

she picked us .


----------



## fishtwinslink (Dec 9, 2012)

Lincoln also scratches at the door to go out and we didn't teach him either! Funny! He also knows when it is bedtime for our kids and waits at the gate at the bottom of the stairs.. then he gets to "help" us put them to bed


----------



## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

He can discriminate words and pictures with his nose.

and he can tell when I have a migraine, and which car or motorcycle I will drive/ride, depending on my attire.

and he never humps my female anatolian when I am in plain sight.

serious.


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

When I go on walks and hikes, Fred can see if there is a short cut and sometimes will take it. He has done this since he was a puppy. Instead of take the route going around, he might decide to cut straight through. Also on our walks around my hood, he will often try to cut the walk short by turning down side streets! He also passed the peanut butter test

All my guys are smart be he stands out.


----------



## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

What is the peanut butter test?


----------



## BFrancs (May 17, 2012)

Canela has a real good memory. Canela LOVES to save her treats till she's hungry. She will hide them from the other dogs. Days or hours can go by and the next thing I know she's eating her treat. While the other dogs look at her then look at me as to say "Mami why don't we get treats"and I swear I can see her smirking the entire time. She will do the same thing with her kibble, she will take a piece at time and hide it under her mat in her crate she saves it later ...for a snack Lol If the crates closed she will paw at it until I open it. Another of Canela's favorite is the lamb trachea, she will chew on these for hours so I have take them away from her and I could put it on my desk and she'll jump on the chair to get on the desk and runs away with it (its cute-sounds dangerous but she's always supervised) or if I put it on a counter. I will forget where I put it but Canela always remember or it just might be her nose smelling it.... sometimes I purposely move it from one room to another room to see if notices and she does .... she's a smarty cookie.

She doesn't paw to potty but she will paw at the kitchen cabinet were all the treats are kept.

Roxxy learn how to get out of crate by pawing at the gate latch so we had to get a more secure crate.

Sent from Petguide.com App


----------



## Ruthiec (Jun 18, 2013)

He always knows when my back is turned - particularly when I've just put out some food for our cat :spy:

Before Ziwipeak he wouldn't even look at his food unless he had seen me go to the fridge to get the cheese

He knows which flowers are weeds and which aren't - he *never* eats the weeds


----------



## tra_po (Aug 14, 2013)

This is a great question and I love the responses. I'm still learning Ludo.


----------



## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

davetgabby said:


> she picked us .


I like this answer!


----------



## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

RitaandRiley said:


> What is the peanut butter test?


You put peanut butter on a paper plate. If your dog puts his paw on it to stop it from moving while he is licking the peanut butter, he is smart. If he lets the plate move all over the floor, he is not so smart


----------



## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

i knew how smart she was at our first obedience class. All the other students would spend hours on the "homework" and still be struggling. I wouldn't do the homework at all; Gemma would just watch the other dogs, I'd show her what to do once and she'd have it. When teaching a new command she only needs to do it about 5 times and she has it down and doens't forget! It's quite amazing! We do "clicker training" with "offered behaviours". The dog has to figure out what it is you want them to do and when they do figure it out you mark it with a click. Gemma quickly has figured out that she can cheat and look around the room and see what the other dogs are doing and just copy them. She is so darn smart!


----------



## Regina (Mar 9, 2013)

Regarding clicker training, confusing for me. Once you start that, what happens when you are not at home and want them to do something and don't have the clicker with you? Also is there a point in time when you don't have to use the clicker and they just do what you ask, or do you use it forever? Sorry to hijack the thread and original question.


----------



## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

Regina said:


> Regarding clicker training, confusing for me. Once you start that, what happens when you are not at home and want them to do something and don't have the clicker with you? Also is there a point in time when you don't have to use the clicker and they just do what you ask, or do you use it forever? Sorry to hijack the thread and original question.


The clicker is just a tool; you use it to show the dog what you want them to do, then you name the behaviour, then you wean the clicker. eg, when you want to teach them to sit, you wait for them to sit, then you click the sit (you dont' say "sit" yet). They start sitting, you click, and treat. When they start doing it spontaneously and consistently, you start naming it "sit". Then you say "sit" and only click when they do it on command. They have then learned how to "sit" with the aid of the clicker. From then on "sit" is a known word and the clicker is no longer needed. It was just the tool that you used to teach the word, rather than pushing their bum down or tugging on their neck. It's just a different method to get to the same goal. To do clicker training well you need to take a class from someone who knows how to teach it. It is a very positive method of training because the dog is never punished; only rewarded for positive behaviours. I was skeptical at first, but having used both "compulsion" methods of training and "clicker training" i am sold on it, especially for smart, sensitive dogs like the havanese!


----------



## RitaandRiley (Feb 27, 2012)

Prior to starting to teach a behavior with the clicker, you pair the click with the treat. You just click, treat; click, treat; click, treat many times so they associate the click with the treat. The click becomes an immediate marker that they did the correct behavior.


----------



## Gibbs Mom and Dad (Jun 3, 2013)

Gibbs helped my nephew with calculus. (J.K. obviously)

He trains Dana and I to do exactly what he wants. J.K. Sort of)

Seriously,

I learned Gibbs was smart when he was chasing a Skineez. The game is that I sit in the middle of floor, entice him with Skineez until he chases it around my body. It's kind of like "Ring Around the Posie" until he catches it.

He quickly learned the following:

1. If he stopped, it would come around and he could get it when it passes back around.

I adjusted and would stop when he stops.


2. That's when he learned to "stalk", and slither to try and get it.

I adjusted again and could him from getting it.


3. The next step was when I said "Wow, he's smart". He will now vary the speed of chase. He will slow down, which is when I slow down so I don't come back around. After I slow, he will speed up and try to get it before I can react. This is a fun game because I don't have to "let" him win. He will eventually slow down and speed up before I can react fast enough.


Also, the personal professional trainer and photographer both told us how smart he is. The professional trainer was "wowed" by how fast he learned.


----------



## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

RitaandRiley said:


> Prior to starting to teach a behavior with the clicker, you pair the click with the treat. You just click, treat; click, treat; click, treat many times so they associate the click with the treat. The click becomes an immediate marker that they did the correct behavior.


oops, yes, i forgot to include this critical step. that's why it's important to go to a trainer or take a class. if you just buy a clicker and start clicking it doesn't work!


----------



## Sonic and Aries (Feb 15, 2012)

Sonic is smart because he always knows when I'm not feeling good and will be extra cuddly during those times. He also passed the peanut butter test (although it was with the dog ice cream treats). He knows when he does something he isn't supposed to and goes to his crate all on his own (then he proceeds to look sooo cute that I don't stay mad at him).

Aries is smart because she picked up all her commands quickly and waits under me when I'm in the kitchen so she gets all the scrapes I accidentally drop before Sonic even knows they hit the floor.


----------



## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

I love clicker training and I know Timmy does too when I show him the clicker and he wags his tail

:focus: I am most impressed with Timmy's sense of time, is that an intelligence thing? I feed my cats at 9:00 every evening and if I'm late Timmy will come over and remind me, I kid you not. He is fed before hand but I give him a treat, if he's a good boy when I feed his sisters so he must look forward to that. He will also corral in his sister who gets meds before eating so we can get the show on the road.

There are just too many things that impress me about how smart Timmy, as well as other Havies, I could go on and on.


----------



## Regina (Mar 9, 2013)

Thanks folks for the advice!


----------



## Sumirra (Jun 23, 2013)

This is a fun thread! Once I tossed a treat to my older dog and it landed just out of reach on a couch, I watched to see what she would do and after a few seconds she grabbed a pillow that she could reach, pulled it off the couch, then stood on it to reach the treat. I was so amazed! Another way I think you can tell how smart they are would be to point. My dog would always look to where i was pointing rather than my finger. I can't tell if our puppies will be as smart as our other hav, but I know they are picking up quickly on tricks for treats!


----------



## MyLittleHavanese (Jan 15, 2013)

Ours are smart enough to pretend they can't hear you or understand what you are saying, yet can hear a beef jerky bag open even if they are at the other end of the house. When going out all of a sudden they know how to come and where to go to get in their bed in the car.


----------



## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Oh, memories of puppy class. If ollie didn't like the treats I had, or liked someone else's better, he'd leave me and sit with whomever he was trying to mooch off of and then do whatever trick they were asking their own pup for. yup.


----------



## tra_po (Aug 14, 2013)

sprorchid said:


> Oh, memories of puppy class. If ollie didn't like the treats I had, or liked someone else's better, he'd leave me and sit with whomever he was trying to mooch off of and then do whatever trick they were asking their own pup for. yup.


That is hilarious!!


----------



## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Yeah, my pup is a real piece of work. when we went to advanced trick class, the instructor had the following treats, every sessions: ziwipeak (which was his current food), hot dogs (ollie hasn't ever had one), and cheese.

Ollie would turn his head, when offered the other two (not cheese) or just stare at the instructor and not move a muscle when asked to do a trick, till she got the cheese out.
Then, he came to life.

he does that to me once in a while if I have no 'treat' on me, and ask him to do a trick for someone. If you didn't know him, you'd think he didn't know how to sit... lol. so smart.


----------



## Sandi Kerger (Mar 18, 2009)

Our Fipsy knows the name of all of her toys and there are lots of them.
If we say Pirate Piggie is upstairs, she goes upstairs and gets her toy
or if we tell her her rubber duckie is downstairs, downstairs she goes and comes back with it. I swear she understands us talk.
She also does tons of tricks.

Now Kassy our other Hav, she is a follower,not a leader, and does not pick up on things as easily, but she is super lovable and wants to be on everyone's lap, whether she knows them or not, so she makes up for her lack of knowledge in other areas.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kodi proves how smart he is daily.


----------



## Gibbs Mom and Dad (Jun 3, 2013)

Sandi Kerger said:


> Our Fipsy knows the name of all of her toys and there are lots of them.
> If we say Pirate Piggie is upstairs, she goes upstairs and gets her toy
> or if we tell her her rubber duckie is downstairs, downstairs she goes and comes back with it.


Now that's impressive.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Mine knows his toy names, but he'll only go get one if it interests him. If I say, "go get your hippo"...he'l sit there and think about it. You can almost see him mulling it over in his mind. If he thinks playing with "hippo" is a good idea he'll go looking for it...otherwise he looks at me like I've gone crazy. It's the same with pottying on command. He knows the command, but will only go if he needs to - otherwise he just give me a look like I'm being completely unreasonable.

Yesterday, his water dish was empty. He kept running over to me and moaning and whining and honestly, I thought he just wanted attention. Then he progressed to running over to the table with his treats on it and begging there. (his water dish is near there). I was all, "you haven't done anything treat worthy". (I'm so mean). Then he progressed to laying in front of the fridge, which is where I keep the water. Then it finally clued in on me. I'd filled his water bowl earlier, so it didn't even dawn on me it would be empty already. I felt so bad and he was really thirsty and drank for what seemed like forever. Why he couldn't rattle the actual water bowl I don't know...you know to make it obvious for his "less-smart" mommy.


----------



## Ruthiec (Jun 18, 2013)

Charlie is so smart that he's trained me to play "fetch" nearly perfectly :frusty:


----------



## Lalla (Jul 30, 2013)

How Cuba behaves when I'm shaping her shows me that she is smart - she tries every possible thing to find out what exactly it is that I'm shaping - she'll hurtle about giving me all sorts of responses, and learn incredibly quickly to repeat the one that got the click. My first dog, Pamba, was exactly the same. Tycho, my second, is a darling boy but if I try to do shaping with him he just sits there as if to say "You're not going to SAY anything? Fine! Don't then! I'll just have a lie down"; with Cuba it's "What? Where? Which? This? That? Now? For how long? This direction? OK!!! GOT IT!!! Let's do it again!!!!"


----------

