Have you heard of people claiming that one breed is smarter than the other? According to dog experts, some breeds are innately smarter than others. With smartness gauged through their willingness to obey and follow instructions, one of the most intelligent breeds is the Border collie.
But we already know that. Lassie was, after all, a movie star. In fact, a whole generation of Lassies have starred in movies pertaining to, well... Lassie herself.
According to some dog experts ( asked by Psychologist Stanley Coren), the top 7 smartest dogs are...
1. Border Collie
2. Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever.
Don't feel bad if your pooch's breed wasn't mentioned. This was just a generalization. They didn't exactly give every single breed an exam to answer. Worry not! If you feel Fido or Fifi is smart, then who's to argue? What's great about dogs are they're awesome at adapting to their human companions - and this is a stated fact.
Lastly, did you know that the "dumbest" breed or shall we say the less intelligent one of them all is the Afghan hound? Another surprising fact is that dogs with the highest "communication intelligence" as Dr. Bruce Fogel coined are the ones bred after the 1800s while the dumbest ones are the "genetically oldest" breeds.
Edit: Want to read more about Dog Intelligence? Here's a link from Yuki and Rocket's Blog explaining more about it. CLICK ME.
We have seen that claim and we schnauzers and affenpinschers do not agree and on behalf of all independent minded dogs we would ask do humans measure their intelligence by willingness to obey and follow instructions? We can learn to do many things but sometimes we just don't feel like obeying and would rather have a nap or a sniff around for food :-)Have fun and enjoy life with your comapnions that's our motto - love from Magic, Caoimhe, Aoife and Alfie Crybbe xxxx
ReplyDeleteHey - I don't see Yorkshire terriers on that list! Oh well, I guess we are not known for our smarts just our handsome good looks and sparkling personality!
ReplyDeleteYour pal, Pip
Lol. Magic and Pip. You guys crack me up. As I've mentioned in my post, this may not hold true to all dogs. There are some yorkies, affenpinschers and schnauzers that are pretty smart themselves.
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, novice trainers usually choose schnauzers because they're fast learners, too.
Huggies and Cheese,
Haopee
Huh?
ReplyDeleteWhere are us Bearded Collies? - ok, I guess Border Collies are close enough - but it would have been nice to have made it on the list!! We're always excluded, we don't even make it usually onto key chains or stickers as we're not a very common breed.......
Mum says I'm too smart sometimes, how's that possible?
Have a fun day,
Your pal Snoopy :)
Good post! But, I really don't agree with claims that these are the ''smartest'' breeds. If you look at the list, all the dogs were bred to follow a humans commands and hang on their every word. They don't consider breeds that were bred to be independent thinkers, and to do their job without human direction. Dachshunds go after badgers and hunt them with next to none human interaction.
ReplyDeleteI've had Labs, Dobermans and Goldens and while they are all smart dogs my Dalmatian and Nola have been the smartest little escape artists, learners and thinkers. I judge dog intelligence as to how well they think for themselves. Sorry for the longwinded comment but it's a very thought provoking post!
Hugs,
Dachsund Nola and her Mommy
this is so funny, i did a post on this a few months ago. if you want to check it out click the link
ReplyDeletehttp://yukithedog.com/imported-20110730143303/2011/11/14/dog-intelligence.html
i figured if i'd commented on your comments, i'd just be retyping my post in your comments, lol.
♥yuki and rocket
I find most tests about what is a 'smart dog' is dogs that were bred to work with people. Gundogs and working breeds are obviously always going to rank highly on these measures. Breeds like terriers and most hounds were bred to work independently from people and 'work things out themselves'.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the best way to measure dog intelligence, but I think some new test should be made up that appreciates a dog's ability to work by themselves. (That being said, I don't know the particular measures for this list here.)
No Bassets? Well, I never said Fred was the shapest tool in the shed. LOL!
ReplyDelete@Snoops: Don't worry Snoops. You're one of a kind. And I made a mistake of placing in top 7 smartest dogs rather than breeds. And besides, your dashing looks are enough to make you highly lovable.
ReplyDelete@Nola: I agree! Jack Russel Terriers aren't there either and they're pretty independent. However, I did mention in there that these breeds were specified through being the most highly trainable ones and their willingness to obey.
Don't worry. I have expected such a comment from you guys.
@Y&R: Oh yeah, I checked out your list. Lol! Well, at least now others can check your post because you have a link of the TOP 10 smartest dogs ^_^.
Thanks for sharing your link.
Tegan: That's a good point, Tegan. Like Nola, they should also add a test for independence and the dogs ability to work without supervision.
I was planning to add the Top 7 Dumbest breeds but I found it a little harsh.
@BassetMomma: Freddie is cute, he doesn't need to be super duper intelligent as the ones I've listed to be adorable like Snoops.
So guys, feel free to add your comments. In my honest opinion I also think terriers are really smart, too. But I'm pretty sure since they were emphasizing intelligence as a willingness to obey and follow instructions, I can't argue with that.
In lieu to this post, I bet our dogs are the smartest breeds with the most colorful personalities ever. You don't hear a lot of German Shepherds and Dobermans having blogs, do you?
Hm, interesting post. Unfortunately, my little guy (a yorkshire terrier) didn't make the cut... I know he's still a smartie pants though! I like seeing the list and how they are ranked, as well as how the least intelligent are ranked... Perhaps this will be something to considering when getting another pup... Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLizAnn
All4UrPet Representative
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Of course none of them are as intelligent as a cat that won't cooperate! lol Good post!
ReplyDeletePS I actually knew that list *smug look* ;)
@All4UrPet: Don't worry Pip there is a yorkie and even he says that no breed can beat a yorkie's dashingly good looks.
ReplyDelete@Carolyn: Lol, Austin. Yes, independent felines, you are!
Well,one more thing to add about Cats and Dogs relationships, the cats tend to be the dominant one of the two. Which is why for a typically submissive dog, the cat will usually end up the pack leader.
Huggies and Cheese,
Haopee
I run a website on the same subject. Found you through Google Alerts. I was upset when I adopted my dog and it was not on the list, but I quickly learned that there are benefits of having dogs that are not on the list. One that isn't mentioned a lot is down time. They don't need to have constant stimulation! You can still enjoy your life while owning a dog. The other thing that i noticed how how quickly my dog learns! I taught her to drop in 15 minutes! It was amazing and I'm thrilled that I got her instead of a dog like a border collie where I'd be busy having to stimulate him or her constantly.
ReplyDelete@The Dog Blog: Don't be upset. Our preferences, as humans, are what matters. How we see our pets and how we grow to love them is what makes each of them special to us-not what an expert says about each breed.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how smart your dog is, if you're not enjoying his company and he is not getting his required mental exercise, it wouldn't be as fun.
Huggies and Cheese,
Haopee