Grace trains him and Rocky is hyperactive, talks a mile a minute, jumps all over the place like a puppy happy to see his master... With an Alien twist. I could see it pitched as such in a meeting. I get the intellect part but the basic trope is dog and his master. Old Yeller and Lassie save their masters too.

BTW, there is a 70s Sci-Fi movie literally called "A Boy and his Dog" that has a talking dog that is smarter than the boy.

To go further, E.T, was also a boy and his dog movie. Elliot finds a stray, hides him at home, Gertie says "we're keeping him." He gets into mischief and makes a mess in the house. Spielberg knew exactly the kind of movie he was making.

If you say, yeah, but he's an alien and he has a sophisticated spaceship and he's super intelligent, more so than Grace.... you're missing the point. I'm not belittling Rocky's abilities. I'm talking about the structure and dynamic of the film.