So, for those who may not know, I’m a mom to a Pitbull named Bruce, and outside of my God and hubby he is the love of my life. He is just under 1 year of age, and I don’t want to toot my own horn but the Lattimore’s are raising a pretty smart pooch…TOOT TOOT!
Recently a co-worker who is also a dog owner asked me if I had completed an intelligence test on Bruce. At first I was taken aback, as if she was insinuating Bruce was not intelligent…momma don’t play dat! So I asked her to elaborate on this test and significance. She stated that this particular test gaged problem-solving skills. She instructed me to place a treat underneath a paper cup and observe his attempt and how long it took him to get the treat. Of course I had to do my own research to make sure there was such a test, and it definitely is: https://pets1st.com
I couldn’t wait to get home to put Bruce to the test. Call it being a proud mom, but I was willing to bet he would have passed with flying colors. And I was right…somewhat. The 1st run he tilted the cup and he was able to get the treat in less than 5 seconds…not enough time grab the phone and record it, and according to the test he scored a 5, which is the highest score. I said to myself “that was too easy” so I placed the treat underneath a different paper cup. During his attempts, he looked perplexed, frustrated and defeated. Needless to say, Bruce was never able to get the treat. He scored a 1, which is the lowest on the Dog IQ test. So in essence – 1st attempt with a lightweight paper cup = 5. 2nd attempt, different paper cup = 1.
After watching Bruce’s struggle I thought to myself, WOW – here I am thinking I was rushing home to test him, and I’m the one who got the lesson. How was it that he got it the 1st time without really trying, and the 2nd time, when he had to adjust his strategy, he was defeated and just gave up? The goal of getting the treat never changed; just the circumstances necessary to get to the treat, hence the goal.
Sometimes the things we want most are closer to us than we really think, yet at the first indication it’s not going to be an easy acquisition we give up. It’s in those times when the reason we start must be stronger than the reason to give up. When it comes to our goals we must learn to be flexible in our methods yet RIGID in achieving the goal.
