My 3 year old Ulf, thankfully has strong discernment and is used 24/7 as my service dog. Not going fully in to my medical issues I will state he needs to be able to judge and think on his own at times and to assess situations for himself and he does an excellent job of it. My other male is the kind that he has to be told everything to do or he is in anxiety if asked to think for himself. I have often wondered since he came to me late in life if it was trained out of him to think on his own because he acts like he is trying to fight the urge to think on his own and just look for cues at times. My female was also good at thinking and I raised her with mind puzzles to bring that out in her though she did not hold a candle to the ability my 3 year old possesses in this area. As a puppy he would often figure out what would be the best solution or what would achieve the goals he wanted to happen. You could see the thoughts in his expression and watch him put it into action. I have never experienced the level of forethought he exhibits in a dog before and can only hope to see it again in a future dog.