I did not hear anything like this before, nor do I believe in it. I think specie is a more important factor when it comes to deciding the intelligence of a dog. Yes, maybe the specie can determine the color of the roof of the mouth, but it is not a good indicator just by judging the color.

Never heard anything like that before.

But that sounds pretty cool, I have 2 huskys so I'll check both of their mouthes just to check if they're any different 🙂

I've never heard anything like this before. I wonder if there's actually any scientific basis to it or whether it's just a myth or an old wives tail. Have you ever done any research to see if there is actually any truth to this belief? Would be quite interesting.

I always heard that a dog's intelligence is evident in its eyes, such as how expressive they are and how they respond to various stimuli like observing speakers or other animals and whether they look the owner in the eye when they talk to other people.

I have heard of this one but I've read that it's nothing more than an old wives' tale. From what I've gathered, the colours on the roof of their mouths are just pigment. It doesn't measure intelligence nor breed quality.

Just to check, our smartest dog has a light black pigment in the roof of her mouth. And then, our cutest dog (I don't want to call her anything insulting) has a pink pigment in the roof of her mouth. So there goes that myth for us, lol.

I think the intelligence of dogs depend on species sometimes. But regardless, I think with proper training and caring, all dogs have the potential to be intelligent.

It's funny how 2 dogs from the same litter can be so completely different in their mannerisms and alleged intelligence. Just like kids!

I have never heard of this. I don't think that it's necessarily true, but it's funny how we hold onto things that our parent's say throughout the years. This reminds me of when I was a child and my mother told me that the school bus could give me a ticket. I went into my adulthood thinking that bus drivers could give tickets- though I knew this wasn't true, ha ha. I can't imagine the roof of a dog's mouth having anything to do with their intelligence.

I always heard that a dog's intelligence is evident in its eyes, such as how expressive they are and how they respond to various stimuli like observing speakers or other animals and whether they look the owner in the eye when they talk to other people.

I think it was Aldous Huxley who said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. He wasn't taking about dogs though!

I have heard of this one but I've read that it's nothing more than an old wives' tale. From what I've gathered, the colours on the roof of their mouths are just pigment. It doesn't measure intelligence nor breed quality.

Just to check, our smartest dog has a light black pigment in the roof of her mouth. And then, our cutest dog (I don't want to call her anything insulting) has a pink pigment in the roof of her mouth. So there goes that myth for us, lol.

I think the intelligence of dogs depend on species sometimes. But regardless, I think with proper training and caring, all dogs have the potential to be intelligent.

I do think that the species/breed does make a difference to intelligence, there's definitely a genetic factor to it.

It's funny how 2 dogs from the same litter can be so completely different in their mannerisms and alleged intelligence. Just like kids!

True, which shows that personality and behaviour cannot be solely a result of upbringing and environment.

Intelligence depends of the species. There are smarter dog breeds than others. You mother maybe raised plenty of smart dogs that casually had the same colors in the roof of their mouths.

Dogs are certainly intelligent. People who don't believe that either hate dogs or are comparing them against human intelligence. Blondie, my first dog, was able to always wake my sister and I up at the right time so we could go to school. But on the weekends, she would just get all sly and sneak under the covers to sleep next to me. So she could keep track of time and days to some degree. She also learned how to open the back door and gate out of boredom and come visit me at school which was only a couple blocks away.

I don't think the color of the roof of their mouth has any correlation with intelligence. As far as I know, intelligence depends on the breed of your dog and their age. When dogs are younger they're easier to train and smarter, when they're old they tend to not listen to you (personal experience).
What your mother said isn't true, it's probably a pattern she noticed that is purely coincidental.

I don't think intelligence is linked to the color of a dog's palate. That's like saying the color of its skin determines how smart it is, which we all know is just foofie. Rather, as others have mentioned: genetics. Small dogs can be just as intelligent as large breed dogs (though I do think brain size accounts for more smarts). You can measure intelligence based on the recognition in the dogs' eyes, as well as through their actions and how quick they are to learn new things. Also, pig-headedness is a huge determinant in intelligence. It's often said that a smart dog will butt heads with their master from time to time to figure out who the real master is.

Dogs, like people, vary in intelligence. The eyes of a dog can show how intelligent they are. When I view picture of dogs that are available for adoption, those who have bright eyes or look as if they are actively waiting for your next words are intelligent. On the flip side of the coin, an intelligent dog doesn't mean that it is loving or gentle or obedient. Intelligence isn't everything when it comes to picking a dog that is right for you.

To me, this really doesn't make any sense. In fact, I don't even think one dog is more intelligent than the other (though, I do not have too much experience with dogs, so I may be wrong). I think it's more about a dog's personality and how you raise it. It seems like different types of dogs learn in different ways, and it wouldn't be fair to measure an animal's intelligence in such a way.