The Chiweenie IQ Test: Are They Smart?


Dogs are a great addition to any home or family; they offer fantastic company, boost your mood, and offer endless entertainment. It’s a plus if the dog is intelligent as it will have a high perception of what is needed from them, making it easy to train them.

Despite being stubborn, the Chiweenie holds their own regarding smarts and intelligence. Their high level of intelligence is a plus as it makes training them easy. For the training to be successful, it needs to start early or be done by someone with experience.

Read on to learn more about the Chiweenie and its intelligence.

Are Chiweenies Smart?

Are Chiweenies Intelligent?

Having an intelligent dog is an advantage and a preference for most potential dog owners. As a dog owner, you will want a dog that will be easy to train and follow commands after that.

Training a dog that is not intelligent is challenging. If the dog is a Chiweenie with an independent personality and stubbornness and possibly lacking intelligence, training such a dog will ultimately be an uphill task.

You are likely to get frustrated when training an unintelligent dog, thankfully for a Chiweenie; even though feisty and stubborn, their intelligence works to their advantage. With firmness and consistency, training sessions with your Chiweenie should be easy.

Even with an intelligent pup like a Chiweenie, challenges during training or other interactions are bound to arise; in such situations, you should resist the urge to be harsh or want to punish the dog.

If the dog senses anger from you, they tend to resist training or commands.

To effectively communicate with your Chiweenie, use praise and positive reinforcement. Reward the dog with treats when it follows a command, but do so in moderation.

Are Chiweenies Clever?

It is a known fact that Chiweenies are pretty clever and good dogs. They may not be as smart as breeds like Border Collies or German Shepherds, but they make up for it with their loyalty, strong bonds, and ability to connect with their owners

The thing with Chiweenies is that they can learn and grasp stuff when young, which is attributed to how clever they are. Therefore, when you look at it, you’re not completely off; you will not get a raw deal by opting for a Chiweenie as your ideal pet dog. 

And due to the emotional connection they create with you, they can sense and gauge your mood and reactions, which is further helped by their cleverness. They can figure out when you are happy and when you are angry.

For this reason, it is discouraged to be harsh or punish the dog when it does something wrong. It only makes the dog resist or curl up into a shell.

The ability to gauge your moods also means that a Chiweenie can understand your body language and grasp voice commands.

A Chiweenie tends to get into trouble due to boredom caused by under-stimulation. It, in turn, makes the dog destructive, where you might find it chewing through furniture or trashing the house, or finding other ways not ideal for engagement.

This bad behavior can also result from stress due to separation anxiety when left alone.

You will therefore need to look for ways to occupy its mind, such as games and giving the Chiweenie intelligent dog puzzles to figure out. It will keep the dog from gnawing at your furniture or digging up the yard.

Cognitive Abilities of the Chiweenie

A Chiweenie’s cognitive abilities are undisputed but can vary from one pup to another pup of the same breed. The same can also be said of how different puppies of a similar breed grasp and understand various concepts during training sessions.

You will know that your Chiweenie has cognitive abilities by how it recognizes your body language and ability to remember and respond to commands. To determine your Chiweenie’s cognition, you can gauge it by carrying out an assessment or doing simple tasks at home with the dog. 

An example of such a task can be hiding a treat while your Chiweenie is watching and then asking the dog to find it. Depending on how the dog performs, you can make the task more challenging or make it simpler. 

Observing your dog’s behavior when alone and its problem-solving skills are also indicators of its cognitive abilities. Communication, such as potty training, also shows a Chiweenie’s cognitive abilities 

Effective communication with your dog works both ways. Observe how quickly it responds when you call or give commands, either through barking or coming to you.

A quick response indicates good responsiveness to commands.

Consistent training aids in improving and refining your Chiweenie’s cognitive abilities.

Training

A Chiweenie being trained

Training should be started early when the Chiweenie is young. Your puppy will be able to adapt to good and ideal behavior patterns at this age. Training an older dog can be highly challenging.

Since the Chiweenie is brilliant, it quickly picks up on vocal and non-vocal cues if trained well using the proper techniques. Training should be consistent and with the right amount of firmness and without being to harsh.

Even when the puppy fails to obey commands, maintain calm and avoid being physically aggressive towards the dog. As an intelligent dog with an active mind, your Chiweenie will likely be eager to learn; therefore, opt for positive reinforcement training methods, which have been proven successful.

In addition to avoiding harsh training methods, you can reward successful accomplishments and good behavior with treats. Chiweenies have a need to impress and please their owners and will therefore do as instructed to make you happy.

Treats should be given in moderation and within reason.

Rewards and treats work well with potty training whereby you reward your Chiweenie when they successfully “go” in their potty area outside instead of indoors. You can housebreak your puppy by having a schedule of regular potty breaks and using the “crate method” to accelerate it.

Games

When not cuddling or taking a nap on your lap, the Chiweenie enjoys spending some of its time indulging in games. And because of how energetic these dogs are, it’s best to find ways to tire them out.

The games can be fun and mentally stimulating, which will be enjoyable and improve the dog’s intelligence and problem-solving skills. 

Some of the games that you can introduce to your dog are:

  • Tackling treat-dispensing toys
  • Hide and seek
  • Figuring out dog puzzles
  • Obstacle and agility courses

Agility

Chiweenies are playful and energetic, so it’s important to find ways to tire them out. Building DIY agility equipment at home can stimulate your dog mentally and physically.

Because most intelligent dogs get bored quickly, you should have a variety of structures and obstacles to keep them interested and engaged. With time as your dog develops a mastery of the exercises, you can steadily make them more challenging, improving their speed and accuracy.

How to Engage your Intelligent Chiweenie

Now that you know a Chiweenie is an intelligent dog, you will need to find and commit to ways of engaging and stimulating your dog mentally and physically. Without proper engagement, you Chiweenie may engage in destructive behavior.

Puzzles and challenging toys are a great way to occupy your smart Chiweenie; they will entertain and stimulate the dog and keep it from engaging in destructive behavior.

Final Thoughts

Every dog or pet owner desires the smartest, cutest, most charming, and loyal companion. The key lies in tapping into the dog’s intelligence and using the proper training techniques, giving your dog structure that contributes to your safety and happiness.

Maureen G.

Maureen has been a Content Writer in the pet niche for over 5 years. She has vast knowledge on dog-related topics including dog breeds, dog health, dog care, and nutrition. With keen interest on the evolving world of dogs, Maureen stays on top of developments, specifically designer dogs. She is a part-time volunteer in dog shelters and rescue centers, therefore conversant with the day-to-day lives of dogs.

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