This pug was trying to lay back and get a nap, but he really loves treats.
Hi, a pug here, happy to answer your questions!
It’s actually quite nice to see you asking about our intelligence. So many humans have a go at our appearance and call us ugly! It makes me really sad.
And we might not be conventionally beautiful like other dogs, but we’re a cult classic, and there’s a reason why so many consider us to be incredibly cute!
But back to our intelligence, are we smart dogs?
Well, I’m able to answer your question, so that alone indicates that I’m smart enough, right? I know there are a lot of rumors about us pugs being…dumb.
But that’s completely unfair to assume. In fact, we’re actually quite intelligent compared to some other dog breeds, and we’re definitely more smart than dumb.
We are able to adapt to new situations quite easily, and we’re also very good at changing and learning from mistakes, which is a good sign of intelligence.
We can also be trained to do different tricks and to behave and listen to our humans, so that’s yet another good sign!
The reason why we’re sometimes considered to be less intelligent than other dogs is because we don’t have any instinctive intelligence.
In other words, we don’t have a specific thing that we’re naturally gifted at. But that’s now our fault!
Us pugs were bred without a specific purpose or job in mind, so we haven’t developed one.
We’re simply companions to humans, meaning that our main job is to be cute and cuddly. And I’d say we more than excel at that!
But as I said, we have one of the strongest adaptive intelligence amongst dogs, meaning we’re really good at learning and adapting to new situations and circumstances.
And although we’re a little lazy (lying down and sleeping is fun, I can’t help it! I get tired easily!), we’re also pretty good at obedience and training. You just have to have the necessary patience with us!
What is the IQ of a pug?
So you want to get into the actual specifics of my intelligence? Well, okay! If that helps to prove that I’m smart, then I’m more than happy to help!
I should start by explaining that we dogs can’t actually have our IQ measured in the same way humans can.
Standard IQ tests don’t work on us because they’re designed for humans, and we’re different! Instead, we’re usually judged depending on how fast we can learn a new task.
So, how smart are we pugs? According to the Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Website for Canines, pugs rank more or less between number 55 and 69 on the list of all dog breeds.
So although we’re not amongst the smartest of dogs, we’re also not too far down. You could say that we have average smartness, which is not too bad at all! We’re more focused on being cute anyways.
This ranking means that it will usually take around 40 to 80 repetitions before we understand a new command or task and that we will obey a command the first time around at least 30% of the time.
It could be a little better, but you just need to have some patience with us!
Are pugs easy to train?
Smartness in dogs is usually shown through how easily they can be trained. And you humans love teaching dogs new tricks. So it’s no wonder that you want to know how easy we pugs are to train.
Before I answer, just keep in mind that our main function is to be cute and be treated like absolute royalty in the house, okay? We’re not working dogs!
So…the truth is that we’re not the easiest dogs to train. We get distracted very easily and we can become bored of the training very fast.
We’re also a bit stubborn, and we kinda just want the treat without doing the work. But can you blame us?
You also have to keep in mind that we struggle a bit more than other dogs when it comes to doing stuff.
Our eyesight and sense of smell aren’t as good, and we also struggle quite a bit with breathing.
This means that we tire a bit easier, and we also aren’t as good at being as aware of what’s going on around us. No wonder, therefore, that we can’t follow commands as easily!
Does that mean that we can’t be trained? Not at all! We’re still quite good at learning things and following commands.
It just takes extra patience and praise to get us to do it! Besides, we love our humans very much, so we enjoy making them happy by listening and being good!
If you’re consistent enough and you offer lots and lots of treats, then we will learn the tricks and be trained with no problem at all!
Are pugs lazy?
We’re sometimes known for being quite a lazy breed of dog because we love lying around the house and getting all the treats and attention for nothing other than being cute.
We also sleep around 14 hours a day, which is a lot more than you humans, so maybe that’s why we come across as lazy.
But despite us loving to lounge and chill, we’re also full of energy and excitement, and we love to play. We can be quite the mischief-makers when we put our mind to it!
Like any other dogs, it’s important for us to have an outlet for our energy, and to maintain a fit lifestyle. Otherwise, we’ll become obese very fast (it’s all the treats, we really do love food!)
However, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re naturally small and chubby, and our legs aren’t very long. We can’t keep up with strenuous physical activity.
That means we’re not good at running, and we’re not good at very long walks. Our breathing isn’t the best, so we get tired very quickly and need to rest.
What can I say, we’re suited to the Netflix and chill kind of life!
