I agree with you Goose, I have told folks forever those dogs that are escape artists are smarter than most and that is a plus in any working dog.
Yes indeed, some of the dogs that I've bred and raised out this one particular branch are nearly impossible to keep in a kennel that isn't modeled after Alcatraz, heck the one male in particular that just stood out in intelligence figured out how to get up on his hind legs with the chain stretched tight and move and maneuver his body in motions that would make the end of the chain whip up quick and the ring would be over the stop I'm the ground, I was evicted and optimistic to see his only son doing the exact thing a while back.....
