# Dr Katrina’s Top 5 Tips to Make Your Dog Smarter

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/lifestyle/home/dr-katrinas-top-5-tips-to-make-your-dog-smarter/
- Published: 2015-05-18T11:23:11+10:00
- Author: Dr. Katrina

Parents are often thrilled when their child walks or talks at an early age it’s 
natural for us to want to think of our children as quick learners or clever. It 
seems that dog owners also like to think their pet as smart, they enjoy being able
to show off clever tricks and a well behaved four-legged friend.

There’s no doubt dogs are smart animals, after all, they can herd sheep and cattle,
sniff out drugs, hunt down criminals, assist people with disabilities and master
a host of other helpful activities. The truth is ‘smartness’ in dogs is subjective
and influenced by many factors such as breed and training.

Many dog breeds have been developed over centuries resulting dogs with an aptitude
for specific purposes, such a herding livestock. The character traits that make 
them good for a particular job can also make them highly trainable and quick learners,
helping them to appear very intelligent.

The reality is that ‘smart’ often simply reflects ‘training’. If you want to have
a clever canine you need to invest time training and communicating with your dog.
Following are five top tips to make your dog smarter –

**1. Early Training**
 Commencing training from a young age is more likely to achieve
results, in fact research suggests that puppies taught to fetch from a young age
will be more enthusiastic retrievers than those taught adults. So it’s a good idea
to start training your puppy early and keep it up. That said, contrary to popular
belief, you can teach an old dog new tricks, so if you have an older dog it’s still
worth investing time in training, although training is easier and more effective
in younger dogs

**2. Word Association and Rewards**
 It’s possible for dogs to understand a range
of vocabulary similar to that of a two year old child. To achieve this you need 
to communicate with your dog. Teach your dog to associate your words with behaviours,
activities and items by using rewards and positive reinforcement. It’s no coincidence
so many dogs understand words like ‘walk’, ‘park’ and ‘dinner’; when they hear those
words they are rewarded with a fun outing or food. Remember your dog will constantly
pick up on words and signals – you can use this to your advantage and increase the
effect with rewards.

**3. Use Hand Signals**
 Most dogs love visual cues, in fact, dogs are one of the
few animals that understand a human pointing gesture. They seem to have adapted 
to have an innate comprehension of human visual communication. So be sure to back
up your voice commands with hand signals to help your dog respond quickly and enthusiastically.

**4. Trick Training**
 Nothing says smart like a dog that can do tricks. Your friends
will be delighted and entertained when your dog rolls over and ‘speaks’ on command.
Better still, trick training helps build your relationship with your dog. Most dogs
enjoy having a job to do and they love to please. Trick training is fun and rewarding
for both dogs and owners.

**5. Five Minutes of Training Every Day**
 Short bursts of regular training can 
give great results. It’s ok for training can be brief and spontaneous, as long as
it’s regular. Spend a few moments training your dog before you give them their dinner
so you really get their attention when they’re keen to learn.

Just like humans, a dog’s intelligence can be enhanced through education and training.
Children attend school to learn and the more time you spend time schooling your 
dog, the more they’ll learn and the smarter and better behaved they’ll be. Well 
trained dogs are smarter, better behaved and more fun.
 To inspire more owners to
train their dogs and experience a happy lifelong relationship with their animal 
companions TV veterinarian, Dr Katrina Warren, has created Wonderdog School, where
puppy and dog owners can complete a four week interactive online training program
to become confident, knowledgeable dog owners with social, well behaved, happy dogs.

For more information visit�our�Wonderdog School

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 Dr. Katrina

 Dr Katrina Warren has 20 years' experience as a loved and trusted media veterinarian,
best known for her roles on Harry's Practice, Talk to the Animals, Totally Wild 
and Housecat Housecall. She regularly appears across all media platforms and is 
currently resident veterinarian on the Today Show.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/dr-katrina/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/dr-katrina/)