Mr Smartie Pups

Over the years, I've been fortunate to know many dogs. Maggie, the Golden Retriever, was sweet and loving and completely devoted. Kiska, the Siberian Husky, was independent and a wonderful listener. Tiki, the teacup poodle, was cuddly and innocent. And Gizmo, the Toy Poodle, was the smartest dog I ever met. Until now. My sweet, flawed dog is truly the smartest dog both me and my boyfriend have ever known.
When we first got Albie, we knew there was a definite possibility he would be intelligent. He is a mixture of several herding breeds and they are some of the smartest of all dogs. Not long after he came to us, I tried teaching Albie some tricks. He learned quickly how to shake, sit up pretty, give me a high five, and show his belly (laying down on his back). He could even sit up and then fall over when we pointed a finger and said, 'bang.' We were both amazed at how fast he picked up everything. I felt quite proud. Then, as quick as he started, he stopped doing all but latter. If I asked him to shake, he would turn his lips into a fierce snarl and a low growl would emit from his chest. The same answer came with the request for a high five. And to this day, the mere mention of the word 'belly' causes him to protest, even if we don't ask to see it. I asked Kevin if he knew what had happened. He had no idea and was equally baffled. I honestly have no idea why he decided not to perform anymore. And it's not just us that gets this response. He has met people who have put their hand out to ask for a shake and he's given them the same disgruntled response, though it is much more diminutive. In a way, I feel he's decided it's beneath him. I know, I'm anthropomorphizing just a bit too much. But I can't think of any other reason and it honestly fits the behavior.
So maybe that doesn't really prove that he's smart; however, there are many more reasons that point to his intelligence. Since he was a pup, we have given all his toys names. We ask him to bring his big red bone or crazy ball. He picks up on the names pretty quickly. He even knows another language when it comes to his toys. Kong makes a toy that somewhat resembles a tandoor oven, so we started calling it by that name. He actually has two, big and little tandoor, and he knows the difference when we ask him for each. Then there's big red bone. It's not just a toy, it's become a tool. After we moved to our present house, I was playing with him and his favorite toy, chewy ball. Periodically, it would roll under a dresser in the bathroom. Most of the time, he would reach underneath and either pull the ball out or hit it and wait for it to roll out. But there's one spot that he couldn't reach at all. I decided to see if I could teach him to bring me his big red bone which I could then use to get the ball. Again, it didn't take very long for him to pick this up. In fact, there have even been times where he has brought the big red bone when I didn't know the ball was under the dresser. On several occasions, he's brought it to me and put it in my lap. Normally, that would mean he wants me to put treats in it. I don't always do that and will tell him to bring me the ball instead. He gives this frustrated little whine and runs to the bathroom. It's difficult being a dog sometimes when your human friends don't understand you. And he brings it when the ball is stuck somewhere else, too. Yup, he's smart.
But if I still had any doubts, they were erased just a few nights ago. Often, when we go to bed, Albie sits on the bed. Sometimes he still wants to play. Other times, he just wants to visit for a bit. On this particular night, I decided to try to teach him what his tongue was. He had been sticking the tip out of his mouth, so I pointed at it and said, 'that's your tongue.' Then I pointed to my own and repeated the word. I asked him to show me his tongue. Of course, he had no idea what I was saying. Then I asked, 'where's your tongue?' I asked again and he looked at me curiously. He suddenly jumped off the bed and left the room. We didn't think anything of it as he often did this when he wanted to go to sleep, but a moment later he came back with a toy. He hadn't played with this toy in several weeks and had to dig it out of his toy basket. We call it his tux. That's right, he brought me a toy that sounds the closest to what I asked for. Like I said, he hasn't played with it and we hadn't asked for it in a while. I think it's pretty impressive that he remembered it's name and recognized that it sounded like what I was asking about.
Well, he may not know a thousand words like Chaser, but he definitely understands a lot. And I think he may understand more than he lets on, but that just may be because I'm a proud parent.