Are Gordon Setters Intelligent? Explained!

Gordon Setters are intelligent as a breed whole. True intelligence is best measured individually, as no dog is exactly the same as another. No matter how high an individual Gordon Setter scores in intelligence, it’s easy to increase their smarts from a young age.

Are Gordon Setters Intelligent?

Yes, Gordon Setters are considered intelligent dogs. This dog breed is intelligent, with a very high ranking score compared to other pure-bred dog breeds. Not every dog is created equal, even in one dog breed; therefore, this is an average of the whole breed.

Some dogs within this breed may struggle in certain areas, while others excel far above their higher-than-average counterparts. It is also possible that some dogs within this breed could be slightly lower on the intelligence scale. Thankfully if begun early, that can be changed.

The breed is intelligent, but variances in smarts are seen through every breed. On top of that, intelligence can decline with age, like the physical body, and a Gordon Setter can seem less smart as they age.

The good news is that intelligence for any dog can be learned through daily life, socializing, and training. Like every other breed, the best time to teach something new to your dog and for them to learn is at an early age.

The best time to begin teaching your puppy is when you first bring them home from the breeder.  The sooner they begin to learn new things the smarter they will be throughout the rest of their lives.  This process doesn’t have to be lengthy at this stage of their life, a few minutes every day goes a long way.

How do I help my Gordon Setter be smarter?

The best way to help your Gordon Setter be smarter is through daily activities, games, socializing, and training. This will require some planning and time on the pet parents’ part, but it will be well worth the process and energy.

The first step, which should be done as early as possible in the Gordon Setter puppy’s life, is to socialize and train them. Socializing offers the puppy a chance to experience friendships and learn through those friendships.

If they spend time at the dog park or in the backyard with other dogs, they can learn how to perform certain tasks or what another dog knows. This type of activity can be helpful for making friends as with human children and offers different doggie minds that can learn from each other.

For instance, three puppies are chasing a ball in the backyard. Your Gordon Setter puppy is chasing it from the front, running head-on at it. Here comes another puppy who runs along the side faster and tries to intercept it from the back.

Then puppy number three started running before the ball was thrown, and he won it because he was right where it was thrown in the first place and got to play with the prize. Each puppy had their own perspective on the same task and attempted it differently.

The activity is fun, but it also causes their little minds to work, and often they will learn from each other. Weeks into the future, one of the puppies might decide to start running before a ball is thrown because he remembers the outcome from that day.

Socialization combined with formal training adds another element in the intelligent mind of a puppy. Socialization is passive learning through everyday life, and formal training is scheduled, regimented, and focused. Together they help shape and build the many levels of a dog’s thought process, learning, and intelligence.

It can be thought of in a different way for those who have human children. Your kids learn certain things with friends and out in the world during their free time, and they also learn certain vital knowledge in a formal school setting.

Finally, the last aspect of helping your puppy be smarter is their daily activities with their family and pet parent. Daily chores, rituals, routines, and activities enrich their lives and teach them valuable skills.

You should also spend moments with your puppy teaching them new tricks or playing fun games as a family. These fun-filled, carefree moments where the puppy shares the love and togetherness of family while having a good time are perfect for them to learn.

These activities and together time can be great fun for all family members as they take turns teaching the puppy new tricks, games, and other things. The puppy is soaking it up like a sponge and growing smarter by the minute.

And for those moments when everyone is busy, and there is no time for a trip to the dog park, there are plenty of ways to engage your Gordon Setter puppy while helping them be smarter. There are countless specialty toys, games, puzzles, and other things that work to help the puppy get smarter during his or her alone time.

Seeing every moment in your puppy’s life as a fun but teachable moment makes learning easier for you and your puppy. It also fosters a closer and loving relationship between the Gordon Setter puppy and its human family.

These deep connections and the contentment a puppy feel at the time or after soothing the stress, anxiety, and other issues which can come up for everyone in our daily lives. Your Gordon Setter puppy will learn better and faster when they feel less stress and anxiety and feel more content.

A little creativity goes a long way, and most pet parents are surprised that once they shift their minds about being a puppy parents, it’s a lot more fun and a lot less work than they think. Just like parenting a human child, puppies need many things in life, and they need the right environment to be as smart as they can be.

Give the Gordon Setter puppy the right home, provide as much love and care as possible, and try to make every moment a teachable moment in their day, and they will be smart.

What is the best environment to raise a smart Gordon Setter?

The best environment to raise a smart Gordon Setter is one that meets their natural needs in life, as well as some of their wants. Meeting the needs for love, attention, healthy food, clean water, and plenty of exercise allows the Gordon Setter to relax and be comfortable.

Like humans, puppies and dogs need certain comforts in life to feel content, which takes the stress off learning and growing.    When these basic needs are provided consistently, the Gordon Setter can relax and focus energy on learning and growing naturally.

The best environment should be peaceful some of the time. When that is not always possible, the Gordon Setter should have a safe place to go to escape distractions and feel safe.

Creating the best environment to raise a smart Gordon Setter should include socializing, outside time, and training.

Socializing is vital to being healthy and promotes smarts for everyone, even your dog. If you take your Gordon Setter to the dog park or have a play date, they will learn things from the other dogs or people in that environment.

The more you expose your dog to new environments and situations in a safe manner, the smarter they can be throughout life. If that isn’t enough reason to socialize your dog, socializing is also fun, which reduces stress. Reducing stress allows dogs to focus on learning and absorbing different things in their environment.

Since the Gordon Setter is a sporting dog breed, they will need more exercise and outside time than other dogs. They have a lot of energy that has to be exhausted and channeled, and the best way to do that is with plenty of outside time.

The Gordon Setters need for exercise, and lots of it is a part of their breed background. This means a quality ingrained in their genetics, they have lots of energy, and that’s not going to change. Knowing this, you will want to ensure they get enough exercise so they can focus during training.

Training is another important factor that determines the Gordon Setter’s smarts, and a good trainer can make life easier for both the Gordon Setter and the family. If you can’t afford a trainer, you can do this task yourself since the Gordon Setter is smart and easily trainable.

First, you must know that the Gordon Setter can sometimes be stubborn and have a mind of its own. They will need a firm but loving hand during training. Not physically, but in the attitude of the trainer. The trainer must be confident in their role and leave no room for the dog to negotiate.

A confident handler or trainer will have the skill to manage the nuances of a stubborn dog’s personality. Many dogs, including Gordon Setters, will easily decide to do something else or refuse to learn something if the trainer isn’t confident in their abilities.

Therefore, if you train your Gordon Setter yourself, you will need to have the right mindset before you begin for success. The breed is not difficult to train, and Gordon Setters easily picks up new tricks, skills, and obedience training with the right trainer.

The right environment for training and helping your Gordon Setter be the smartest dog they can be is a mixture of many things that shape their whole life. The more you spend time with your Gordon Setter, exposing them to new things and teaching them new things, the smarter they will be.