A Beautiful Mind?

[Sally M]

Our backyard and driveway are on a slight slant. The front of the yard and driveway are uphill and the back is downhill. When I play fetch with Penny everyday, I stand down at the bottom of the driveway and throw the ball up the driveway where Penny fetches the ball, and happily brings it back to me...or she used to, until she got smart. Now this takes some serious thought; I'm not even sure I would have thought of it. LOL! When I throw the ball, she retrieves it and instead of bringing the ball back to me, she simply drops the ball and it slowly rolls downhill to me. My dog has discovered gravity (the center of everything!)! And an apple didn't have to fall from a tree! I think she's leaps and bounds ahead of Sir Isaac Newton. This is amazing, don't you think? I believe I have the only dog that understands physics! How did my 8-month-old puppy figure out that gravity would cause the ball to roll down to me, saving her the effort of bringing it back? Add, that by staying at the top of the driveway also means she doesn't have to run as far to chase the ball because she's already there. That's just plain laziness, however it still requires some thought also. All of this from a puppy who took forever to housebreak. I guess Penny's mind is so brilliant that mundane things like learning to go outside just aren't important. :-)

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

I love this! Penny is brilliant!

[BG and Gavin]

Sally, upload to YouTube and then just share the link here. DK has been running low on space so this will work best.

[Sally M]

I have a video of Penny rolling the ball back to me. Even though I recorded it at the lowest setting and even though it's only 13 seconds long, the file is too big to upload. I have PhotoShop Elements but I don't have any movie/video software. There's probably a way to make the file smaller but I don't have the capability. I filmed it with my DSLR. Maybe I can try filming Penny with my iPod or Smartphone.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Just saw this blog Sally.  I love this - Penny has a mind of her own and is quite a special girl!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh goodness, a smart puppy can be an owner's undoing! It sounds like Penny will be able to figure all sorts of things out now. Good luck! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What a smartie, Penny is!

[Wendy and Myla]

That's hilarious!  What a smart girl Penny is!!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Definitely brilliant!!!! 

[Nancy & Echo]

She's a smart one for sure!  I just have to laugh at the thought of Penny and Hanna working together for whirled peas.  Watch out world!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

If I remember correctly, Tara wasn't thrilled about retrieving at that age either.  Unsolicited advise:You might try a long lead and treats so you can encourage her back (reel her in) when she picks up the ball and then give her a great treat when she brings it back.  Start with short distances first and work up. That will give her a reason to bring it back other than no reason which she seems to be thinking now. :)  Puppies are easily distracted by just about everything! Now that Tara (also a puppy genius)  is older and more focused she loves to retrieve the ball.