35 Times People Were Supremely Impressed By Their Pet’s Intelligence

We’re increasingly realising that animals are far more intelligent than we’d previously given them credit for. Over time, we have become more open to the idea that animals are actively trying to communicate with us, and we’re getting better at reading their body language, sounds, and facial expressions. As our understanding grows, so does our ability to communicate between species. Recently, Redditors online were sharing details of the rare or striking displays of animal intelligence that completely surprise them. We’ve rounded up some of the fascinating anecdotes that drive home just how much clever pets may be trying to communicate with their oblivious owners, in the gallery below.

#1

Image source: RedRobin0, Victor Chartin MY dog absolutely loves to swim. She is so obsessed with swimming that if you take her to the beach and show her a treat she will ignore and go splash around in the water. A couple years ago on a really hot day, she sarted whining pitifully at my mom. We couldn't figure out what she wanted, it wasn't food, wasn't bathroom, wasn't that she wanted to play, so we ignored her. Finally after half an hour she runs off into my moms room, grabs her bathing suit and throws it at her and then looks at us like "there, now do you morons get it?" tl;dr dog makes connection between clothes and getting wet.

#2

Image source: disputing_stomach, Krzysztof Płocha We used to have a retired racing greyhound and a jack russell terrier. They were great friends and played together really well. The greyhound liked to bark, though, so we got him one of the anti-bark collars that sprays citronella. So the greyhound wears the collar for a few days and realizes that when he barks, he gets sprayed, and he doesn't like it. He stops barking so much. The JRT learns this, too, and since he was pretty small he could run under the greyhound. The JRT would run up to the greyhound's neck, bark at the collar so it would spray the greyhound's face, and then run off. I like to imagine the JRT cackling with glee as he runs off and the greyhound has a face full of citronella.

#3

20 years ago a saw a lost dog on our street. A Golden Retriever mix. We're dog people so I saw he had a collar and was well fed so i got him into our fenced back yard and called the number on his tag. No answer. Figured the owner was at work. Called again over the next 24 hours but got no answer. Gave the dog water and fed him and he looked fine, if a bit sad. The second day, finally got through to his owner. The owner had been out of town and realized the dog had managed to get out of his fenced yard and was clearly worried when he come home and find his friend missing. So I give the guy my address - and an hour later a truck pulls up at my house. At the sound of the truck, the dog leaps up and RUNS to the window his tail wagging. The owner gets out of his car - I open the front door and the dog LEAPS out and beelines toward his master. They embrace and obviously both the owner and the dog are overjoyed to be reunited. The owner comes over to shake my hand and thank me. Offers money, but as dog people know, this is NOT a money thing. Then the thing I'll never forget happens... The guy and dog walk back to the truck, the owner opens the passenger door. The dog crouches to jump up. Then stops cold. The dog looks directly back at me. Then at his master like for permission. Then the dog sprints back across the lawn to me. I kneel down to give him a goodbye scratch on the head. The dog literally plants a kiss on my face. (lick to you non dog-people) Then spins and runs back to his owners truck to resume his life. One of my favorite memories. Image source: newvideoaz

#4

Image source: BossDulciJo, antonil.photo So I used to work at a butcher shop and would bring home whole cow femurs for my dog. Usually they would have some meat scraps still on them and that would keep her busy for a while. However what she really wanted was the marrow. At the time I was living at my parents and my dad drives big water trucks for a living. One day he comes home to grab something he forgot, and he leaves the truck running. My dog takes one of the femurs and places it under his trucks wheel, so that as he backs out of the driveway the bone shatters and she can get to the marrow. She did this on multiple occasions and I have no idea how she figured it out.

#5

This is from my boyfriend's parents: Their dog was trying to get a toy off of the counter where he couldn't reach it and, after some time of jumping and whining, he eventually walked away in what looked like defeat. Instead he goes to find the cat. He barks at the cat a few times, so the cat stands up and follows the dog to the room with the toy. They stop in front of the counter, the cat meows at the dog, the dog barks at the cat, the cat jumps up onto the counter and knocks the toy onto the floor. The dog is ecstatic and jumps around with the toy while the cat just saunters off back to his bed. *They're communicating*. Image source: aquatimus_prime

#6

Image source: SusieDerkins611, ginkoveyka The other day I heard my cat puking and I ran around the house trying to find her so I could put her outside. She was in her litter box. She has never puked in the house and I always thought we were lucky, but apparently she has just been doing it in the litter box. I was so proud and thought she was so smart. Then later that day she jumped in the toilet, now I am not so sure.

#7

Our cat was sick last summer and he needed medicine administered via syringe in the mouth. My wife is a former vet tech and animal control officer so she knows how to handle a cat. He jumped up on the kitchen counter thinking he was going to get a treat. She did some weird over arm hug-grab-thing and held him in place. She got the syringe, put it in his mouth, pushed in the plunger, and he swallowed it. He didn't run off. He sat there for a moment swallowing and sticking his tongue out. He obviously didn't like the experience. Once he regained composure, he gingerly put his paws up on my wifes chest as if he was going to nuzzle his face on hers, like he often does. He stared at her for about 10 seconds and then BAM! Slapped her once across the face. No claws. Just a bare paw slap. One. He then gingerly sat back down and started licking his bum. If he could talk, his exact words would have been, "Don't you ever do that again. I'm serious." The next day... it happened the exact same way, except he got three slaps in. After that she made me hold him. Image source: darthphunk

#8

Till recently we had two dogs. One was a shiba inu mix female, the other a yorkie-poo male. We just had to have the shiba inu put down three weeks ago, she was 14 years old and when the cold weather hit her arthritis became so bad she could no longer get up from laying down without our help. In the days before we took her in, the yorkie-poo would not leave her side, wherever she was, he would be also. When we would give him a treat, he'd take one to her and give it to her, then come back and get one for himself. I was really amazed because up until this point he had always been a little selfish jerk and try to steal her treats and such. Now, after the shiba inu is gone, he still takes a treat to her bed, places it there and then come back for another one. We left the treats there for two days just to see if he would eat them and he wouldn't. It was like he was trying to lure her back with treats. That little stock has skyrocketed during this whole ordeal. Image source: dbrees

#9

  Image source: damnit_blondemoment, Getty Images I have a Great Dane, my boyfriend has a Pit Bull. We moved in together officially about two/three months ago. The dogs knew each other and were "civil" to each other in the past, but living together was a different story and I was worried. They both adored me and jealousy factors come into play a lot with growling and showing of teeth ( never attacks, just "brotherly" quarrels ). One night I'm home by myself while boyfriend is at work. It's nice out, so I go outside in the backyard with the dogs, who are all too eager to play. They each pick up a stick and parade around, trying to get the other, if not me, to chase them. So while they're prancing around and chuffing and giving little playful growls at one another, the Pit Bull happened to break his stick and all he had left in his mouth was a twig off of the stick. No matter! He disappeared around the side of the house where they do their business and I thought nothing of it. I remained with the Great Dane and was enjoying watching him "buck" and prance with his stick, when all of a sudden he freezes, shoots his head up looking over to where the Pit Bull disappeared to. He paused for a moment and then dropped his stick and ran in that direction. I was oblivious, I thought maybe they had heard something on that side of the house and were going to investigate together. Suddenly, the Great Dane is rushing back at me, bouncing and looking extremely antsy. He's whine-barking at me ( like he does when he wants something ) and switching directions from running to me to running to the side of the house. He's never done anything like that before, so I am instantly alarmed, and I follow him to the side of the house, where, before I even round the corner, I hear choking. The Pit Bull had the twig in his mouth and he was choking on it. One end was lodged in the back of his throat and the other end was at the roof of his mouth. His gums were bloody from his furious pawing at his mouth and his hind legs were buckled and on the ground out of exhaustion. I raced to him in horror and shoved my forearm in his mouth to hold it open without a second thought. The dislodging of the stick was pretty easy to do once I unlodged it from the bottom/back of his throat. All the while, the Great Dane watched on with perked ears and a serious face. When I calmed down and let them into the house, the Pit Bull went in first, turned around and gave the Great Dane licks on his nose. Every night since then there are always licks to his nose. **TL;DR: Great Dane heard Pit Bull choking and alerted me to help.** Also, once my Great Dane wanted up on the bed with me and he does his whine-barking. Well, I had just washed the sheets, and I didn't want him up on there just yet so I ignored him. So he kept whine-talking and it went something like this: "AwwrrrorrrmmmmMOM!" I wouldn't think TOO much of it except after he blurted out "MOM" he stopped and looked at me and perked up his ears like "Yeah, that HAD to have impressed you into responding." He impresses me all the time and I'm sure I have more stories, but he still is a pretty big oaf regardless.

#10

When I was a young boy our dog and I used to rough house all the time. I would try and pin him to the ground and he would try and get out. And he would try and pin me in return. When i would walk around outside he bump into me to indicate that he wanted to play. However when my sister with Downs Syndrome was born he behaved totally differently. He lay next to her and be a back rest, and return her toy toys that got thrown away. When she was starting to learn to walk he stand next to her to giver her something to balance on. I thought his ability to recognize what different family members wanted was incredible. Image source: RowingPotter

#11

Image source: chuck-o-rama, freepik Knew a dog who once investigated my purse, removed burrito leftovers, *carefully unwrapped* said leftovers, ate the burrito, hid the trash, and then placed a toy inside the purse. I couldn't even be mad. **TL;DR: dog is Indiana Jones.**.

#12

Image source: ButterFluffers, freepik My dog has gotten to the point where if he needs something, he'll come up to me and sit down in front of me and stare. We'll then shuffle through the series of phrases he knows. "Do you need to go outside?" -- "Do you want food?" -- "Do you want to play?" --"Do you want a treat?" After he hears the phrase for whatever he wants, he'll immediately stand up and start jumping. It always blows my mind that I can basically have a conversation with my dog and get him what he wants. As a college student living in an apartment, this has become very helpful. Edit: He's an Italian grey hound.

#13

One fall evening I was walking my 6yo Golden Retriever when she suddenly broke her reins to play with some children across the street. As she was approaching a busy intersection I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Stop!" And then she proceeded to collaborate and listen. Image source: What-The-Heck

#14

My dog Deuce was one of the most prank loving dogs in the world. We would s***w with one another on regular occasion but this was one of my favorite interactions. I had gotten back from Whole Foods and had one of those small paper bags and I was thinking "I've never really seen anyone pop one of these like in a cartoon to scare someone." So rather than wait for the opportunity to do it to a person, I walked over to where Deuce was sleeping and popped it right next to him. He jumped up and looked about as startled as you'd expect, looking all around for the source before he focused on me cracking up. He stared me down for a second, then laid back down and went to sleep. Cut to that night when I'm sleeping in bed. I woke up to him breathing directly into my face. He had walked around and laid his head on the bed so that it was right in mine. I came to and managed to get out "What are you-" before he licked completely up my face, inside my mouth and as I gagged he went running back around to his bed where he laid down and pretended to be asleep. He curled up faced away from and refused to move no matter what I said to him, but as I was brushing my teeth and I told him I was going to get him back his tail would thump and wag. Image source: rjbudke

#15

This will get so so lost, but here goes: Back when I was 14, we got 2 pedigree Japanese Akita pups. We knew they were going to be fairly big dogs, but boy we did not expect what we got. At 1 year old, they both weighed around 12 stone (168lbs), and both got to about 16.5 stone (230lbs) - walkies were so much fun when you were 16 and had your own personal dog army. Anyway, when they were about 3 years old, they both took a lot of interest in my mother, or more specifically, her belly. They would try lick it, nuzzle it, etc. Sure enough, about a month after they started doing this, she realised she was pregnant with my little brother. She started showing, and this confused the dogs more, so they wouldn't leave her alone, just in case. Now these were very friendly dogs, didn't look it, but very friendly. When my mother was about 8 months gone, nobody was allowed near her. They would sit either side of her, and get very angry very quickly if they didn't approve of your presence. Mum gave birth to little Jack, everyone very happy! Dogs couldn't really be around him at first, a 10 lb baby with 460 lb of dogs... you get the idea. Jack got a little older and started crawling, which Alfie and Charlie did not approve of. Alfie (the bigger of the two) decided that when Jack had crawled far enough, he'd go over, pick him up as if he were a puppy , bring him back to Charlie, set him down and sit back in the exact same space, watching him. Jack turned 1, mum got pregnant again. Charlie sat with mum, Alfie sat with Jack. Always. Wherever they were in the house, the respective dog was too. One day, mum and Jack were in the garden, and a rogue crisp packet (chips wrapper? I dunno) blew into said garden. That day, was the scariest day of my life up to that point. I thought they had ripped someone apart. The fiercest imaginable reaction, the loudest poo I'd heard. Came sprinting outside with a kitchen knife hoping I wouldn't need it for what I thought I would... and bits of the shed were EVERYWHERE. The crisp packet blew behind the shed, and they tore into the shed. tl;dr - almost 500lb of giant dogs saved mother, foetus and baby from errant crisp packet. Image source: Dawson86

#16

Image source: Toxette, Oov I watched my dog start scratching his ear and then get annoyed at the leg that was scratching him, so he started biting it.

#17

Image source: Elanthis, Helena Lopes My golden was terrified of lightning. If we were not home then if he was indoors he would destroy door frames to get out and if outside he would run away to a friendly neighbors house. When he ran away he would take his dog bowl so they could feed him.

#18

My cat woke me late one night. It wouldn't shut up and eventually dropped enough things to wake me. I got up gave it food and realized a burning smell. My fan had stopped working and the motor was burning the plastic or something. Unplugged it and took it out of the room and went back to sleep. Still not sure if my cat was just hungry or could smell the burning motor. Image source: rival22x

#19

My bearded dragon, Glint, is smart enough to know that when I get home I'm probably going to feed her, so when she sees me walk into my room after work she runs over and perches on the edge of her food dish. She's also dumb enough to not understand why pooping in said dish is a bad idea. Image source: pantsareamyth

#20

I thought my dog to ring a bell to go outside and pee. Soon he learned to ring the bell and pretend he had to go pee to just go outside. He would even pretend to pee (squat down and turn his head to make sure im looking)... oh the other hand, when he farts he would turn viciously around to find the source.... I am a very proud parent. Image source: heyitsmaryyy

#21

My parents have a lab and a boxer. The lab is the "mother" of the two, and the boxer is a little bit clumsy and skittish so the lab is always looking out for her. One day the boxer fell into the pool at my parents house, which she had never been in because she was scared of it. The lab, on the other hand, would voluntarily jump in any time you let her in the backyard (she actually has a pool float that she likes to climb up on and lay in the sun while floating around, it's hysterical) -- so when she saw her sister flailing in the deep end, she just dove in and swam over. She grabbed the boxer's collar in her teeth and pulled her over to the steps. The boxer ran and hid for the rest of the day, and the lab got extra treats and free run of the pool for the afternoon in exchange for saving her sister. Image source: redheadedfury

#22

While trying to teach my cat to sit and wait for dinner, my dog would push her bum down with her paw. Image source: gregology

#23

Image source: Emby, freepik My parrot told me a joke the other day. He said, "Where's poo?" I said, "I dunno ... where?" "Your shoulder."

#24

I gave my dog a biscuit and he managed to get a piece caught in between his cheek and his teeth so he couldn't swallow it. Called him over, told him to relax, and he let me be a doggy dentist. He immediately started bouncing around after I fixed it for him. Just knowing that he could understand me and trust me that much is pretty indicative of intelligence, I think. Image source: anon

#25

My younger dog tricks the older one into giving him whatever toy/bed she's on by pretending there's something outside. He'll bark and then run outside and she'll follow and then he'll come running back inside and take whatever she left. He might be a little too smart for his own good. Image source: thatscentaurtainment

#26

Image source: EatMoreFiber, mintpro To indicate they want to go outside, our family's dogs have always been trained to ring a small bell hanging from the doorknob on a shoelace. Once when I was home sick from school and sprawled out on the couch, the dog rang the bell and looked at me - clearly wanting to go outside. I got up and went to the door to let him out, only to turn around and see that he had immediately seized the opportunity to hop on the couch.

#27

I lived alone with my dog. One day I was in the kitchen and heard a loud noise in the other room. I went to investigate and found that "somebody" had knocked a lamp over, and it couldn't have been my dog because she was on her bed pretending to be asleep. Image source: ionlyspeakinvowels

#28

Image source: anon, Erik Christensen Once me and my mother were watching a talk show and the topic was pet intelligence. So the lady on the show was saying in order to determine how intelligent your pet was you needed to throw a towel on its head and count how long it took for them to get it off. So I had a doberman/ rottweiler mix (she was huge 150~lbs). I took a towel and threw it on her head, but she just stood there, then rolled on the floor and went to sleep with it on her head. My second story is about my manx cat. She is a sly jerk with vengeance in her heart. So one day I was walking into the next room and accidentally kicked her, I then pleaded for her forgiveness knowing that she would end me. Then She looked up at me with hatred in her eyes and just walked away. I kid you not like 10 hours later, she got revenge. I was just standing there and out of nowhere she leaps out of the darkness and wraps herself around my leg and attacked the hell out of me.

#29

My cat likes to play fetch. I'll throw a hair tie and she'll run after it and bring it back. When I'm sleeping sometimes she'll bring a hair tie over and drop it on my face so I can throw it for her. So cute but annoying. Image source: anon

#30

$1200 worth of vet bills later i learned my cat limps heavily when she wants attention. Yep, my cat figured out that while i can ignore the meowing cat, the limping get get sympathy. Image source: InspectorVII

#31

Image source: stefeyboy, Getty Images My step-dad's "hunting dog" is always so keen on catching squirrels that he spends all day looking up at a tree. On thanksgiving when it was raining outside, we brought him inside and he stared for hours at a landscape portrait.

#32

My cat used to ride with us in our vehicles. Once my truck broke down, my mom gave me a ride to work and we brought Sam along with us. My mom later told me that on her drive back home, he wouldn't stop meowing and tapping her arm As soon as they got home he ran to the litter box to poo. Ever since then, he runs and uses the litter box when we ask him if he wants to go with us. Lesson learned. Image source: step_on_ants

#33

My dog recognizes landmarks/scenery when we are driving anywhere. He bases his reactions on where he knows we are headed. My mother's house? Pure excitement. The dog park? Extreme happiness. The vet's office? Trepidation. My brother's house? Fear. Image source: anon

#34

My cat understands when i tell my dog its 'walkies' time, and he comes along for the walk. that is pretty cool. but i've saved the best for last, about a year ago, my mum was alone in the house with the dog and went hypo [she's diabetic] and she couldn't get up off the sofa, my dog brought her a bar of chocolate from the fridge and gave it to her which she ate and it helped her blood sugar level. never the less my dog got alot of treats that day. Image source: g-breh

#35

My cat is a rescue. The shelter found him under a tree at two weeks old, half starved to death. As a result, he's mildly psychotic about food. As a kitten, he was precocious, but manageable. As he got older, things started getting... Ridiculous. I would come home and the kitchen cabinets had been opened up, cereal boxes upended and ripped apart and scattered everywhere. Boxes of uncooked pasta, loaves of bread, and his absolute favorite.. Bags of Flaming Hot Cheetos ripped out of the top cabinet and devoured. He's pure white, so when he would come greet me at the door with red powder all over his face and paws, I knew. I started velcroing the cabinet doors. He worked on them and worked on them until he was able to open them. His food was originally kept in the kitchen too, and he ended up eating a whole bag in a day and getting sick everywhere, so I started devising better places to hide it. We had a folding closet door and I thought, that'll work. Put the food in the closet. Sat down to surf the web and heard a curious, insistant rattling sound. I glance down the hallway, and there is my cat, feeling for the HINGE on the folding door. He tests it close to the middle, feels it give, moves his paw over, feels it give a little more, and yanks. Bam. Folding door opens. I just sat there and watched, slack jawed, as he climbed up the two shelves and started shoving the bag off. Clever boy... He is my baby, though. I love him and I've raised him from 6 weeks old to the manic 3 year old he is today. He's just a little special, is all. P.S. He really loves to nurse on blankets and ends up getting so into it, he humps the air. He came on my mom, once. Awkward. Image source: Meliae