If your dog gets grumpy or ignores you when you disturb it, you could be dealing with a more intelligent pooch than most, according to a new study.
The Hungarian research found grumpy dogs are more intelligent than their happy-go-lucky mates, in that they can be easier to train.
In the study, a dog treat was put behind a v-shaped wire fence to see which dogs would go the long way around to get to the snack.
The researchers defined grumpy as a dog that gets cross when disturbed, ignores its owner, is quick to bark and guards its food.
Dog trainer Laura McHugh doesn’t agree with the grumpy description.
“I don’t think they're grumpy as we would see it’s just that they think things through more. So when they are faced with a problem, they're used to thinking things through, whereas happy-go-lucky dogs are handed things on a plate,” she said.
She says it remains true that all dogs love to learn.
“They love to use their brains and learn all these different things and once you've got a dog that loves to learn you can have so much fun with them.”
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