What is included with the IQ kit?
The following items are included with every Pooch.com IQ Kit:
• One testing booklet
• One rubber cone toy
• One plush satellite toy
• One squeaky fur bone toy
• One racquet ball
• One mini plastic igloo
• One black face cover
• Three colorful cups
How many questions are on the IQ test?
There are 15 exercises on the IQ test for your pooch to complete. These exercises are activities specifically designed to test various aspects of your dog's intelligence. You simply follow the instructions for each exercise and choose from a list of possible responses.
How long does it take to give the IQ test?
The entire IQ test should take about 1 hour to complete. However, if your pooch gets tired during the test, you may need to take a quick break.
What skills are tested with the Pooch IQ Kit?
The Pooch IQ Kit tests for the following characteristics and abilities:
• Learning from experience
• Short-term memory
• Persistence
• Ability to see similarities
• Problem-solving skills
• Reasoning skills
• Instinctive intelligence
• Obedience intelligenCE
Can the IQ kit really tell me my dog's IQ?
All IQ tests, even those designed for humans, have some margin of error in them. This happens for several reasons: A) it's difficult to determine exactly what makes someone intelligent B) standardizing a test so that no one has an advantage based on their past experiences is not easy C) a person's mood, level of comfort, and various other external factors can determine how well he performs on an IQ test at any given time.
That being said, we've designed the PoochIQ.com IQ Kit to test various components of canine intelligence in what we feel are fairly unbiased exercises. While it's difficult to put an exact number on your pooch's intelligence, we believe that the scores provided are
as accurate as possible on a dog IQ test. We also urge you to remember that this test should be considered a form of entertainment that both you and your pooch can enjoy, rather than a highly scientific method of testing canine intelligence.
Will the IQ test work on dogs of all sizes? The IQ test will work on dogs of all sizes. As long as your dog has an appetite and can be motivated by treats, he/she will be able to complete the test!
My dog is aggressive. Do you recommend giving him/her this IQ test?
We do not recommend giving this test to overly-aggressive dogs. Aggressive dogs may feel threatened by some of the exercises and/or they may bite you when you motivate them with a treat. PoochIQ.com wants all of our users to be safe while testing their pooches, so please avoid testing aggressive dogs.
My dog scored really low on the IQ test. Is this a bad thing?
Not at all! Maybe your pooch had a rough day. Or maybe he/she isn't hungry enough to be motivated by treats right now. No matter what, a low score on the IQ test isn't an indicator of the quality of your dog. As long as you have a pooch that makes you happy, his/her intelligence shouldn't really matter. Plus, super-smart dogs tend to be a lot more mischievous than their peers, so be happy you don't have a
pooch who can outsmart you!
How did you develop the scoring system and is it accurate?
We developed the scoring system using an in-house algorithm designed to normalize the test results among a group of one hundred pooches of varying breeds who were tested with the PoochIQ.com IQ Kit. The scoring system itself is fairly accurate, while the descriptions for each IQ level may vary from pooch to pooch.
Can I give my pooch the IQ test multiple times?
Yes you can, but the test results become less accurate each time you administer the test. This happens because your dog will become accustomed to each of the exercises and will need to use less brain power each time to complete them.
Are there IQ differences between breeds?
Studies have shown that some breeds tend to score better on dog IQ tests than others. However, this may or may not be due to a higher overall intelligence for these breeds. In the past, each breed was bred to exhibit certain characteristics, such as hunting or herding abilities. Because of this, some breeds tend to be better at listening, paying attention, and learning new things. These breeds may score higher on an IQ test simply because they are more alert and attentive. This, however, doesn't necessarily mean they are more intelligent than other dogs. When we designed our IQ kit, we made every attempt to standardize the test so that all dog breeds start on a level playing field.
