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10 Signs Your Dog is a Genius

How smart are dogs? In many ways, they’re almost as smart as humans, but without the ability to speak our language, most of their intelligence goes unnoticed. Still, there are plenty of signs that your dog might just be the smartest in the neighborhood! If you ever have any doubts about how brilliant your pet really is, these 10 signs your dog is a genius will put those concerns to rest.

1) Recognizes you

There’s no way for you to prove whether your dog remembers you or not, but if he does then he could be an all-around genius. Scientists have found that dogs are able to recognize their masters in addition to familiar voices and scents, so it stands to reason that some dogs remember how they were treated by humans. If your dog recognizes you, his level of intelligence can only be described as extraordinary.

2) Thinks you are smarter than it is

If you've ever had a conversation with your dog, chances are he thinks you're smarter than he is. Dogs rely on us for everything, so it's only natural they'll give us more credit than we deserve. That said, our furry friends do have at least one thing going for them: They don't take themselves too seriously. While some pet owners looking to train their pets out of bad habits, others believe that if dogs can be something less than perfect, they may just be geniuses. This gives pet owners more leeway when thinking about giving up trying to help their pets learn good behavior; instead of being rewarded for good behavior, an animal may simply learn that doing whatever it pleases will work out better in the long run!

3) Remembers where it hid your phone

It's no secret that man's best friend has an exceptional sense of smell, but it turns out that what your dog smells is just as important as what he remembers. Dogs can remember objects based on their smell—they don't need to see or hear them. For example, studies have shown that dogs recognize specific scents for up to five years and are able to remember more than 1,000 different scents. This incredible power makes scent recognition one of their greatest tools when hunting prey or protecting owners. In fact, researchers say dogs may be able to recall everything they've encountered through scent! If your dog consistently remembers where it hides certain objects (like your phone or wallet), you might want to consider getting pet insurance so it can get a genius-level IQ test as well.

4) Knows how to turn on your computer

The next time you can’t figure out how to turn on your computer, but all of your human intelligence aside and simply watch your dog. Chances are good that he or she will press just two keys—or perhaps even only one key—and boom! There’s your machine, ready for action. Some dogs have been trained to do many things by their owners, such as fetching a remote control (after taking it from its hiding place) or pressing specific buttons on devices like electronic keypads (when they learn which buttons play with them). So when you think about it, dogs may actually be some of our most brilliant companions. Don’t believe us? Read these 10 signs that prove our furry friends are geniuses in their own right

5) Can tell time

Dogs have been known to possess an excellent sense of time. The largest dog in Great Britain, a St. Bernard named Major, began barking at 6:45 every morning, even when his owners tried to sneak out before sunrise. He continued doing so until they left their home at that time each day—but stopped once they changed their schedule. Dogs may rely on muscle memory or auditory cues to determine when something happens—and can learn new schedules relatively quickly, too (proving once again how smart these animals are). If your pooch likes sleeping in till you rise for work each morning but hasn’t yet learned when he should bark for breakfast and dinner, perhaps it’s time to think about upgrading his regular collar with some pet insurance coverage!

6) Snores when it sleeps

When dogs snore, it’s usually an indication that they are super comfortable. If your dog has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, see what you can do to make sure he or she sleeps comfortably—but keep in mind that many symptoms of sleep apnea, like snoring and gasping during sleep, may go away on their own. If they don’t, talk to your vet about a device called an oral appliance. It looks like a mouthguard and works by stabilizing the muscles in your dog’s upper airway to help keep his or her throat open while sleeping.

7) Is always happy to see you

If your dog’s tail never stops wagging, he probably loves you more than most people. And that’s because human contact doesn’t just give him pleasure; it also makes him smarter. A study conducted at Arizona State University found that socializing with humans—such as through petting, play, and training—makes dogs more responsive to their environment and improves memory function. For one group of dogs in particular—those from puppy mills, where they were kept isolated and sold into adoption through little exposure to humans—this interaction was essential for helping them out of their shells.

8) Sees a therapist

Pet Insurance isn’t just for Rover; you can also insure your pet. According to Pet Health Insurance, health insurance premiums range from $50 to $200 annually, depending on your pup’s age and breed. Like human health insurance, there are annual deductibles and coinsurance requirements, with typical out-of-pocket maximums around $500. These figures vary based on who provides your pet insurance: Providers like VPI Pet Insurance (for Veterinary Pet Insurance), Trupanion (for Trupanion), and Pets Best (for Pets Best) base coverage limits on projected annual vet expenses, while other companies like Nationwide offer a set lifetime limit of around $1 million. No one wants to spend their hard-earned money insuring their furry friends, but these days pet owners have little choice—medical bills for dogs alone hit an estimated $2 billion in 2014. If you choose not to get pet insurance, be prepared for some big veterinary bills if your dog or cat gets sick or injured—and possible sticker shock at checkout if it turns out that covering your pet wasn't such a good idea after all.

9) Punches its reflection in the mirror when it sees another dog

Pet insurance will help cover expensive treatments for injuries to your dog that occur during play. But if your pup feels threatened by its own reflection, pet health insurance may be worth it. Punching itself in frustration may indicate underlying psychological issues, says veterinarian Dr. Fred Riccardi. And because dogs can't speak, we never really know what they are thinking. One explanation might be that your pooch doesn't feel like he's coming up with enough clever ideas and punishes himself when he thinks of one. That could make you want to give your little genius some pet therapy through pampering—and maybe even contact an insurer who understands when Fido punches his reflection.

10) Quotes Shakespeare

The clever dog isn’t necessarily one that understands Shakespeare, of course, but it does mean he’s aware of what you’re saying and how you feel about him. That awareness makes dogs sensitive to your moods and that can make them more willing to please than other animals, such as cats. And don’t forget how well dogs seem to understand English—and each other! Dogs have their own language with rules for grammar and syntax that are every bit as complex as those used by humans. It may sound like just barking to us, but they're totally communicating with each other—we just need to learn how they do it. If we could crack the code, perhaps we would be able to talk to our dogs in ways they could actually understand. A dog responding well to human commands doesn't automatically make her an intellectual giant, but it's still pretty impressive that she's learned how to communicate so effectively with another species.
Most people consider their pet a friend or family member...the mere fact that someone spends so much time getting to know a completely different being shows they're probably on at least equal footing with other friends or relatives.