Episode 102. Dog Smart: Life-Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence with Jennifer Holland

We know that people can have different types of intelligence, but what about our dogs?  I think every pet parent I know has been astonished by how smart their dog is – and usually in a good way.

Author Jennifer Holland explores the many different ways that dogs show their intelligence in her new book Dog Smart: Life Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence.

Jennifer interviewed everyone from scientists to dog trainers to pet parents to learn how dogs demonstrate their smarts.  I was fascinated to learn about all the different types of working dogs – some of which I’d never heard of before!

But what does this mean for pet parents?  Jennifer shares with us what she now does differently with her own dogs after everything she learned while writing Dog Smart. We also discuss the types of intelligence we’ve seen in our own dogs.

 Jennifer may also have the most adventurous career I’ve ever heard of. While working on assignment for National Geographic, she did everything from swim with sharks to camp out amongst the Indigenous people of Papau New Guinea (and the mosquitos!).

While writing Dog Smart, Jennifer’s intrepid spirit shows when she dons a “bite suit” to be “attacked” by a law enforcement K-9 and again when led blindfolded through the streets of Manhattan by a guide dog-in-training.

(This was my dog Nessie’s first time being my in-person interview helper, so please excuse her kong-chewing and water bowl slurping in the background.)

Jennifer & I discuss:

  • Her childhood experiences with pets;

  • How she combined her passions to create an adventurous career;

  • Differences in dog versus wolf intelligence;

  • How dogs experience the world through their senses;

  • What Jennifer is doing different with her dogs after everything she learned;

  • Special dogs Jennifer encountered on her research;

  • Being led by a guide dog for the blind;

  • Surprising jobs that dogs can be trained to do;

  • The human’s role in dog intelligence;

  • What we learn from free-roaming dogs in other parts of the world

Find Jennifer and “Dog Smart”:

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