Max is our dog. He is a cream-colored miniature poodle, one of a breed that is believed to be high on the canine intelligence scale. We consider ourselves fairly intelligent, too, so we often enhance our efforts at communicating with Max. At times it appears that Max is trying hard to communicate with us as well. This occurs mostly when there is something specific he wants but his human housemates are just not comprehending his request. The scenario goes something like this: Max approaches one of us, stares us straight in the eye, and waits. We usually begin with the...
