I feel the need to defend my shih tzu a little. I wanted another lab, but our house and yard are just too small, so we ended up with a shih tzu. Okay they keep pissing indoors for far too long, but. . . . I haven't bothered to train her to do tricks (and feel even guiltier for that after reading John Hardly), but there are many who will say you don't need to because they are so nice (and small). And this is where she amazes me – She is more LIKE a lab than I had ever anticipated, as her life is centered on pleasing you (me.) She plays non-stop, creatively – she likes to put things inside things, then use the larger item to carry the smaller item around. She likes to put things on top of things, then dig for them. She buries bones on walks, and always picks them up not one, but two days later. Lives to play soccer with the neighborhood kids – and she's a lot better than them.

Smart or stupid – I really don't know. But with not nearly enough interaction/training by me, she ends up doing what I need, and she does seem to concentrate on that. (She may not be typical – people for blocks around know her as "The World's Friendliest Dog.")


(ps. Yes I agree Golden retrievers are dumb as a box of rocks, but they so want to please you that they are easily trained.)