Like humans, dogs have various levels of intelligence. Some dog breeds are smarter than other dog breeds, and some dogs within that breed are going to be smarter than other dogs. There are a number of different ways to judge intelligence as well. How easily a dog can learn new tricks is one method that some dog owners and trainers like to use. However, another method of testing your dog's intelligence has to do with testing its ability to solve problems. Dogs with problem solving skills tend to show more intelligence than other dogs. Below are some methods of testing your dog's intelligence.

Dog IQ Testing Games

• Find the Treat

One of the most common ways to test your dog's problem solving abilities is to see if your dog is able to find and uncover a treat that has been hidden. First you put the treat in front of your dog's nose so that it smells it. Then you put the treat a few feet away and cover it with a bowl or can. The faster your dog is able to knock it away and find the treat, the better your dog did at this test. Smart dogs can complete this exercise in 5 seconds or less, though this number varies depending on how difficult the cover is to knock over.

• Where'd You Go?

This test can be a lot of fun, though make sure that you place your dog in a safe location. All you need to do is take a regular sized towel and throw it over your dog's head so that the towel covers your dog's line of sight without easily falling off of its face. The faster your dog gets out, the smarter your dog. Anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds is considered "fast."

• Pick a Can, Any Can

Another exercise involves using 3 cans. Place a treat under one can at random and show the treat to your dog before covering the treat up. Leave the other two cans empty. If your dog goes to the can with the treat first, your dog has performed this exercise correctly.

• Use Your Paw

Find a location within that is thin or small enough that your dog's head cannot fit through it, but that is not too far away for your dog. A popular choice is underneath a chair. Show your dog a treat and put it in that location. If your dog uses its paws to get the treat out within 30 seconds or less, your dog has performed well. If your dog tries to get it out with its paw but fails, this is still a good sign. If your dog only tries to use its head or it gives up, then it did not perform this exercise well.

• In Touch With Emotions

Dogs that can pick up on the actions of their owners are known to be more intelligent than other dogs. There are different ways to test this. Some recommend simply smiling at your dog and seeing if its tail wags. Other people recommend picking up a leash and seeing if your dog notices it as a cue to go outside. There are ways to see if your dog can pick up emotions, and if it can it is likely to have greater intelligence than those that cannot.

Testing Procedures

There is no true IQ test, only different exercises that you can give your dog to see how smart it appears. Still, if you would like to see how intelligent your dog is, the above exercises should do the trick.