Eight Signs That Golden Retrievers Are Not Smart

Golden Retrievers rank high in intelligence among dog breeds, but not all Golden Retrievers are equally smart. The following characteristics indicate that a Golden Retriever may not be so bright: inability to concentrate, poor self-control, failure to recognize people, forgetfulness of training, difficulty adapting to new environments, indiscriminate eating habits, and inability to control food intake.

Although Golden Retrievers rank high in intelligence, it doesn't mean every Golden Retriever is exceptionally smart! If a Golden Retriever exhibits these characteristics, it might indicate it's not the brightest. How many of these traits does your dog display?

Eight Characteristics that Indicate a Golden Retriever Isn't Smart

1. Startled by its reflection

If a Golden Retriever gets scared by its reflection repeatedly, it might not recognize itself and might not understand that the mirror image is harmless and doesn't require heightened alertness or a confrontation!

2. Lack of concentration

Dogs that lack intelligence typically can't focus their attention; they get easily distracted by noises and won't pay attention to what you say. When training such a dog, it can be quite challenging. Does your Golden Retriever cooperate well or is it always looking around?

3. Poor self-control

Generally, less intelligent Golden Retrievers don't understand self-control. They may become overly excited suddenly and then quiet down abruptly, with fluctuating moods that might even lead to biting, making you feel a bit scared of the dog!

4. Failure to recognize people

Normally, after being with a Golden Retriever for a while, it recognizes people. If your Golden Retriever is silly and doesn't recognize its owner, staring at you blankly as if it's the first time meeting you, it's undoubtedly a "dumb dog"! Consider taking it for a checkup to see if its intelligence is relatively low.

5. Forgetting trained commands

Smart Golden Retrievers tend to remember commands for a long time; a less intelligent one learns them momentarily but forgets them the next day. It needs repeated teaching to consolidate its memory, which can be quite forgetful.

6. Poor ability to adapt to new environments

Smart Golden Retrievers can quickly adapt to new environments and adjust themselves. However, less intelligent ones have difficulty accepting new environments, requiring their owners to spend a lot of time taking care of them and starting everything from scratch to help them get used to and familiarize themselves, which is indeed quite a headache.

7. Putting everything in its mouth

A smart Golden Retriever won't eat indiscriminately, but a dumb one will put everything in its mouth regardless of whether it can eat it or not. It's impossible to stop it, and in the end, the owner has to clean up the mess!

If your Golden Retriever is so greedy, arrange a refusal training for it; otherwise, one day, eating the wrong thing might cause problems!

8. No control over food intake

Smart Golden Retrievers won't continue eating once they're full, but less intelligent ones are different. Even when their stomachs are already full, they keep eating, making you think they're very hungry, and you keep feeding them, eventually leading to gastrointestinal problems.

Is your Golden Retriever smart?

Regardless of whether your Golden Retriever is smart or not, each dog is a unique individual. Observing and understanding your dog and cultivating good habits will help them live a healthier and happier life. What do you think is the best way to help your Golden Retriever become a smarter and healthier pet? Share your thoughts and experiences, and let's contribute to the happiness of pets together!

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