Write an article based on this "Treat it like a game. Pick a special treat. Have the dog's owner conduct the test. Test a puppy again after it matures. Train the dog with treasure hunts. Teach the "new trick" command. Get brain-testing puzzle toys for your dog."
This is no time to be an impartial observer, your dog's college admissions are on the line! But seriously, if the dog isn't interested, she won't even try to complete the challenges. Encourage the dog with gestures or smiles, keeping it interested but not so excited it forgets what to do. The dog has to cooperate to be tested. Pick a special, smelly treat to bribe it with. Soft, smelly treats are best, since the dog will notice them and eat them quickly. Cut them into small, pea-sized pieces if you plan to do all of these tests at once.  Pieces of hot dog, cooked chicken, or cheese are all good options.  Use a dry, non-smelly treat when you're testing memory. This test works best if the dog spends a lot of time with the person testing him. A dog might not live up to its full potential if it's been living with the test-giver for less than three months. A puppy under one year old probably won't be as "smart" or obedient as an adult dog. Tell the dog to stay while it watches you "hide" a treat in a box or under a table. Once it finds the treat, hide the next one in a harder to find location. As your dog gets better at this, you can hide the treat while the dog isn't looking, and put it behind several barriers. This is a great way to challenge your dog. It works best if you've clicker trained your dog with several tricks already. Use the clicker and say "new trick," then reward it for any trick it does. Repeat immediately with another "new trick" and only reward it if it does something new. Keep going until the dog runs out of tricks or gets confused. You can't always be around to tutor your dog. Give it some homework in the form of an interactive dog toy. These have treats hidden inside that won't fall out unless the dog solves a puzzle. Some of them even have an electronic voice to give commands, although be careful giving those to dogs with a constant chewing habit.