Over the next  few weeks, I plan to talk about the intelligence, thought processes and consciousness of dogs, on my blog and on my radio show, Talking to Animals, broadcast on WBTNAM1370 and available via streaming everywhere every Wednesday from one to three p.m.

Your comments and questions are welcome, [email protected] or please call the station during the show: 802 441-1010 or 866 -406 9286.

This coming week, and on my blog, I want to write about the intelligence of dogs. We all like to think of our dogs as special, brilliant and intuitive. But we know that dogs, like people, vary wildly in intelligence, depending on breeding, litter behavior, nutrition, body size, genetics and intellect.

Some of the nicest dogs are also often the nicest, some of the smartest often make the worst kinds of pets.

The truth is – almost every trainer knows this – the less than brilliant dogs are often the easiest and most loved pets. They just don’t need as much.

A Lab or retriever can do things a mastiff can’t do, and for all kinds of reasons. One is that the mastiff’s body is not  built for agility, work or intense physical activity.

Border collie owner are notorious snobs, because the breed has been intensely bred for smarts, agility and responsiveness. Border collies will do just about anything to get to work, including come, sit and stay. Bulldogs are not so motivated. Boston Terriers are bright, but distracted and full of instinct and curiosity, which makes training difficult.

Some less intelligent dogs are difficult to train, but behaviorists and psychologists like author Stanley Coren have written that problems often arise from the fact that the slower dogs often don’t have a clue about what it being asked of them. Trainers say that for the owners of “slower” breeds, basic dog obedience classes are enough to instill the meaning of commands.

One of the many serious problems with the training gurus is that they rarely distinguish between breed or guide us on intelligence and genetic traits, they pretend every dog can be trained in the same way. That is not true. The best dog and animal writers- Patricia McConnell, Sy Montgomery, Coren – all know this. The richest ones lie.

I’ve been combing books and articles for advice to share about how to train the not-so-brilliant dogs. I’ll share them with you now (later in the week, I’ll write about how best to train the smart dogs.)

–Train immediately. Most trainers suggest training dogs after they are several months old. But vets and researchers suggest training the not-so-smart dogs instantly, the minute they get home, and well before six months.  Dogs form their world view around 14 weeks, and after that, its tough to change it. The guru trainers generally suggest training starts around six months.

For many dogs, that is way too late.

It is suggested that the basic commands – come, sit, down,  heel, stand, and stay be taught as early as possible. For many non-working breeds, a dog that is a year or more old has already lost is openness to training and become set and resistant to change.

It’s also easier to manipulate puppies physically – by gently forcing them into the “sit” or “lie down” position and praising them when they get there.

–Clarity. Always start a command with the dog’s name, “Bud, sit.” This teaches the dog to pay attention to you when you talk. Hand signals also help, as they give the dog  two different ways to receive a command. Use as few words as possible and make certain the dog has a chance to understand what you are asking. But keep your words to a minimum, nothing confuses some dogs more than humans shouting words at them, few of which they understand. We should always train our dogs softly and with clarity.

–Speak quietly. Train where it is quiet and there are few distractions. I train just before breakfast  or dinner and use kibble as a reward, my dogs pay very close attention to me and to their rewards. There should be no other dogs around and no other distractions.

–Stay close. I always stay close to the dogs when I train them and I keep a leash on them, even if it is lying on the ground.  This way, I maintain physical control and contact,  and I can alway steps on the leash. I never give a command that I know I can’t enforce, and I insist that every command I give is obeyed.

–Short Sessions. I believe in short training sessions, especially with not-so-smart dogs. It fits my attention span and theirs, I want the sessions to be relaxed, focused and fun. Four or five shorter sessions a day are much better than one or two longer ones, and the dog will have a much better chance of understanding and absorbing what I am teaching.

–Patience, patience, patience. Training my dogs has taught me patience. Shouting doesn’t work, intimidation doesn’t work. Training is a spiritual exercise for me, it is not about obedience. It is the language by which I communicate with my dogs, and they communicate with me. As Stanley Coren writes, “please keep in mind that repetition, practice and patience do off, in the end you can have a dog that is just  as reliable and dependable as the supposedly easy to train breeds.”

Training my dogs appropriarely makes me a better human, more patience, less angry and frustrated, more empathetic. And it makes them a wonderful member of the family.

–Keep perspective. I am not the perfect trainer, and I don’t have perfect dogs.

Just because Cesar has the perfect dog doesn’t mean you will have the perfect dog. We are all flawed and imperfect as humans, we will make mistakes, the dogs will make mistakes. A bassett hound will never be trained as quickly or easily as a border collie,  not because it is dumb or rebellious  but often because it’s particular shape and physiognomy does not permit to respond as quickly or with as much agility.

Each dog and person is different, we live in different places, have different emotional histories, patience levels, and common sense. There is no one way except for the one that works for each of us.

– Dignity. Be Stubborn.

We love our dogs and think they are adorable. Many people (more than is even possible) believe their dogs have been cruelly abused, and thus must be treated with extra care. Others believe that rebellious or blow-off behaviors are cute.

I believe the issue is dignity, and I have a contract with my dogs: I will feed them, love them, give them every opportunity for a full and challenging life. I  insist they respect me, my home and work, and my dignity. I need them to be quiet and respectful in the house, I need to be left along when I work, I need them to eliminate outside, I need them not to destroy furniture or property and brush it off as adorable.

Those are dignity issues for me, I give respect and ask for respect.

I also need my dogs to be appropriate with other dogs and people, and to bark only when there is some intrusion on my house or property. These are tall orders, but I insist upon them, and they respond well about 90 to 95 per cent of the time.

I have wonderfully well-behaved dogs. I work at it every day. Living with dogs is often like chess, they make a move, you make a move.. You have to outthink them sometimes.

They come when called, never run off or near a street, eat peacefully next to one another are housebroken and chew their own stuff. They do not harm each other, or the cats, chickens, donkeys and sheep that live here. Nothing makes me madder.

I insist on good training, it is for them and for me, it helps them to live safely and in good health and peacefully in a turbulent word. Insisting on this behavior is the least I can do for them.

To learn or talk about this further (I’ll get to the smarter dogs in a day or so), turn on the radio Wednesday, from one to three p.m. Please call if you’d like to talk, we fixed many of the technical issues last week: 802 442 1010, or 866 402 4286.

You can live stream the show here, or download a free radio app like Simple Radio and listen to my show and every other radio show in the world instantly and for free. This is a community radio broadcast, the station is a non-profit, and I am not compensated for hosting the show or researching the content.

My goal is to create the first gentle, thoughtful and helpful animal show in the country, I really don’t know of another. This is your show, please participate if you can. If you prefer to e-mail me with a question or comment, you are very welcome to do so, and I will read your question on the air. I am [email protected].