As I've written previously, my dog, Dex, was not exactly an early bloomer. "She's got doggie down syndrome," observed one person. I had just about accepted that she was a moron when at around 14 months, something clicked. In terms of IQ, she went from worst to first among my dogs, overnight.
My first indication was when she figured out the difference between shower lengths. If she sees me get out of the shower in less than a minute, she goes right into her kennel because she knows I'm adjourning to the hot tub. This was welcome.
Soon after that, she figured out how to lower the car windows. This was unwelcome.
Now she listens to my phone conversations. If she hears Dirt's ringtone, she gets up and listens attentively to what I say. And if she hears "See you in a few," she goes batshit, because that means she gets to play with her friend Evie.
At this pace, she'll eclipse my own intelligence by 6 o'clock tonight. I think. Maybe I should have her do the math.