According to a Canine Psychologist, these are the “smartest” dog breeds
There is no simple way to assess dog intelligence. It can be focused on multiple things.
There’s adaptive intelligence (figuring things out), working intelligence (following orders), and instinctive intelligence (innate talent), not to mention spatial intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and more, as canine psychologist Stanley Coren wrote back in the ’90s.
Indeed, as animal behaviorist Frans de Waal has argued, humans often judge animal intelligence in limited and unfair terms, causing the experiment to go wrong.
While labs at Yale, Duke, and around the world are investigating this question, we do have data on one metric for the time being: working intelligence.
Coren included the results of a lengthy survey of 199 dog obedience judges in his book, The Intelligence of Dogs.
He said the responses were remarkably consistent; however, he noted that many judges pointed out that there are exceptions in every breed and that a lot depends on training.
Here’s what he discovered:
Top tier — the most intelligent working dogs, who can learn a new command in less than five exposures and obey at least 95% of the time.
- Border collie
- Poodle
- German shepherd
- Golden retriever
- Doberman pinscher
- Shetland sheepdog
- Labrador retriever
- Papillon
- Rottweiler
- Australian cattle dog
Second tier — excellent working dogs that typically learn a new command in five to fifteen exposures and obey at least 85 percent of the time.
- Pembroke Welsh corgi
- Miniature schnauzer
- English springer spaniel
- Belgian Tervuren
- Schipperke, Belgian sheepdog
- Collie Keeshond
- German short-haired pointer
- Flat-coated retriever, English cocker spaniel, Standard schnauzer
- Brittany spaniel
- Cocker spaniel, Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever
- Weimaraner
- Belgian Malinois, Bernese mountain dog
- Pomeranian
- Irish water spaniel
- Vizsla
- Cardigan Welsh corgi
Third tier — above-average working dogs that learn new tricks in 15 to 25 repetitions and obey at least 70% of the time.
- Chesapeake Bay retriever, Puli, Yorkshire terrier
- Giant schnauzer, Portuguese water dog
- Airedale, Bouv Flandres
- Border terrier, Briard
- Welsh springer spaniel
- Manchester terrier
- Samoyed
- Field spaniel, Newfoundland, Australian terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Gordon setter, Bearded collie
- American Eskimo dog, Cairn terrier, Kerry blue terrier, Irish setter
- Norwegian elkhound
- Affenpinscher, Silky terrier, Miniature pinscher, English setter, Pharaoh hound, Clumber spaniel
- Norwich terrier
- Dalmatian
Fourth-tier working dogs are those that can learn a new trick in 25 to 40 repetitions and obey at least 50% of the time.
- Soft-coated wheaten terrier, Bedlington terrier, Smooth-haired fox terrier
- Curly-coated retriever, Irish wolfhound
- Kuvasz, Australian shepherd
- Saluki, Finnish Spitz, Pointer
- Cavalier King Charles spaniel, German wirehaired pointer, Black-and-tan coonhound, American water spaniel
- Siberian husky, Bichon Frise, English toy spaniel
- Tibetan spaniel, English foxhound, Otterhound, American foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Parson Russel terrier, Wirehaired pointing griffon
- West Highland white terrier, Havanese, Scottish deerhound
- Boxer, Great Dane
- Dachshund, Staffordshire bull terrier, Shiba Inu
- Malamute
- Whippet, Chinese shar-pei, Wirehaired fox terrier
- Rhodesian ridgeback
- Ibizan hound, Welsh terrier, Irish terrier
- Boston terrier, Akita
Fifth tier — good working dogs who learn a new trick in 40 to 80 repetitions and respond roughly 40% of the time.
- Skye terrier
- Norfolk terrier, Sealyham terrier
- Pug
- French bulldog
- Brussels griffon, Maltese terrier
- Italian greyhound
- Chinese crested
- Dandie Dinmont terrier, Vendeen, Tibetan terrier, Japanese chin, Lakeland terrier
- Old English sheepdog
- Great Pyrenees
- Scottish terrier, Saint Bernard
- Bull terrier, Petite Basset Griffon, Vendeen
- Chihuahua
- Lhasa apso
- Bullmastiff
Sixth tier — the least effective working dogs, capable of learning a new trick after more than 100 repetitions and obeying approximately 30% of the time.
- Shih Tzu
- Basset hound
- Mastiff, beagle
- Pekingese
- Bloodhound
- Borzoi
- Chow chow
- Bulldog
- Basenji
- Afghan hound
Again, there are exceptions. Coren mentions in his book (#49) a trainer who won obedience competitions with multiple Staffordshire bull terriers.
