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Anything you look for in a pup or dog to tell you they have brains. Breeding for sure but I'm talking hints from observing them.

My favorite tip I've ever heard was that when you pick a pup up by the tail if the anus turns square that's a good one! Sorry...

The one thing I definitely don't care for is a timid dog that doesn't seem to want to mingle with the other pups and just stays by itself and perhaps gets bullied. Other than that let the pup pick you out, there is no exact science to this or someone would be a multi millionaire as a dog chooser. LOL Find one that seems to like you and you like it and take it home and do your part and give it a good chance to do it's part. Good luck and enjoy the ride!

I guess what I mean is I always hear "I want a dog with brains". So how do you identify a dog with "brains". I understand what that means, Just wondering how you can recognize that as they are growing or if it's even possible. I guess not possible but as I see simple things like step on a plate to keep it still while licking it rather than chasing it around, seems smarter to me. Working around boulders when most pups sit around and whine. I've had what I consider smart dogs but I don't know if i really have. I've never heard the anus2 before.

I don't know that you can tell much about their brains till they get a little age on them. I had a dog that had major IQ for the hound world and I have some offspring out of him that are 7 months old and I already feel like they are both quite a bit smarter then most pups their age and are certainly smarter then my oldest pup which is a year and a half old. But two months ago I was worried they were going to lack brains like most hounds you see running around. I have messed with them a fair amount but they have got basic commands down like come, and sit, and stay, and load, they don't stand out in front of the truck when you are pulling out of the driveway, they don't knock their food or water dishes over, they can run through a fence and find a good spot to cross a deep canyon and don't bark in the kennel or box. But like I say two months ago I wouldn't expected much from them in terms of brain power and when they were little puppies they looked and acted just like all the other little puppies I have seen. Good luck and hopefully my theory pans out for you.

Look at the parents and grandparents. Dewey

there you go dewy we can agree on something ,, if its not bred into them they wont have it

My opinion is that it's difficult to decifer the difference between intelligence and natural instinct without doing some deliberate testing.

Instinct is old brain opperation and intelligence is a frontal lobe operation.
Toss in desire and it gets even more difficult to sort through.

A young dog that makes a quick study of a situation might be intelligent or it might be naturally tuned. Or is it that the dog has natural drive and/or physical ability giving the dog an appearance of superior performance?
The best a guy can do is to spend time with as many close relatives as you can. Remember to look at the parents for what they are. Do they catch desired game the way you expect it to be done? If so let the exposure begin!

Some interesting thoughts here. I agree it's tough to tell the difference between intelligence and natural instinct. I also think how well a dog learns in training is an indicator of intelligence. That could also be instinct too. I'm still confused. Probably always will be though.

Spend some time observing border collies and then compare.

Dan McDonough wrote:Spend some time observing border collies and then compare.

I've been reading your ultimate bobcat post. I have also watched herding dogs work sheep and cows but I don't have access to a border collie to spend time observing.
I've watched agility trials on tv and collies are amazing. My question is what are you seeing in a Border Collie that tells you they are smarter than other dogs? Is it just based on trainability? I like what you are trying on your post, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this post.