Mary Allen
There are some dog breeds that are said to have a particularly high level of intelligence. But what actually constitutes intelligence in dogs? According to a psychologist, these 10 dog breeds are the most intelligent.
Measuring intelligence is difficult. Because there are many different “types” of intelligence. For example, psychologist Stanley Coren writes about the following three types of intelligence:
- adaptive intelligence: find out things by yourself, change/adapt behavior by yourself;
- working intelligence: follow orders;
- instinctive intelligence: innate talents.
There are also other aspects such as spatial or social intelligence and, above all in humans, linguistic, musical, or logical-mathematical intelligence.
Study on the Intelligence of Dogs
Psychologist Coren conducted a canine intelligence survey in the 1990s, interviewing 199 judges of obedient dogs. In his book “The Intelligence of Dogs” (1994) he presented his results and categorized the dog breeds into different “intelligence classes”. He took two factors into account:
- How many repetitions does the dog need to learn a new command?
- What percentage of the time does the dog obey?
Thus, Coren’s study primarily encompasses working intelligence.
The 10 Smartest Dog Breeds According to Stanley Coren
According to psychologist Stanley Coren, these are the ten most intelligent dog breeds. Since he only examined the working intelligence, one could also describe them as the “most obedient dog breeds”. Coren called these 10 dogs “premier class”: They learn a new command in less than five repetitions and obey at least 95 percent of the time.
10th place: Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog is a working dog that needs lots of exercise and a variety of activities. He is people-oriented and playful. Due to its high intelligence, it is suitable as a guard dog. He likes to do the tasks assigned to him because he is very eager to work. Since he is often very dominant, he needs consistent training and socialization and is not suitable for beginners.
9th place: Rottweilers
The Rottweiler is an alert dog with a strong character and a protective instinct. This dog is not suitable for beginners. He is able to assess and evaluate situations independently and is very intelligent. Well raised and socialized, the Rottweiler is a loyal companion and shows his affectionate side. He is used as a police dog.
8th place: Papillon
The little papillon is a cuddly, lively, and friendly family dog and is known to be very docile and intelligent, making it easy to train. He also has a keen sense of human emotions. The papillon is very inquisitive and loves all kinds of games: he enjoys retrieving, sniffing, and intelligence games.
7th place: Labrador Retrievers
The popular Labrador Retriever is considered a multi-talent and good-humored dog. He is very intelligent and willing to learn and has a great need to please his owner. His missions as a rescue dog, guide dog and drug sniffer dog show how versatile and intelligent this dog breed is.
6th place: Shetland Sheepdog
The Shetland Sheepdog is a trainable, intelligent, good-natured, and friendly breed of dog. Originally used as herding dogs, the Shelties learn very quickly and happily. They need long walks in nature every day and also want to be mentally challenged. Training as a therapy or rescue dog is also possible with the Shetland Sheepdog.
5th place: Doberman Pinscher
The Dobermann is characterized by a quick comprehension and willingness to learn and must therefore be challenged both mentally and physically. His people-relatedness and his need for cuddles only develop fully when these needs are met. The alert and temperamental dogs are also used by the police and the armed forces.
4th place: Golden Retrievers
The Golden Retriever is a spirited bundle of energy that needs both plenties of mental activity and physical exercise to be happy. Due to its adaptability, it is considered a good family dog and is very people-oriented. The dogs react strongly to voice and body language and are easy to train in a playful and loving manner, with a mixture of humor and consistency.
3rd place: German Shepherd
The German shepherd is a very clever dog who is willing to learn and work, which – with the right training – will become an obedient and loyal companion for life. His intelligence is evident in his roles as a herding, police, and military dog. A German Shepherd needs a lot of mental and physical activity and an assertive owner who educates him with love and consistency.
2nd place: Poodle
Poodles are among the smartest dog breeds because they are smart, eager to learn, adaptable, empathetic, and very versatile. They respond well to human training and follow commands very easily. Because of their ability to learn, poodles have long been popular circus dogs. Poodles are people-related and affectionate and will do anything to make “their” people happy.
1st place: Border Collie
The Border Collie is considered the “Einstein” of dogs. He learns so quickly and needs so much physical and mental activity that he is not suitable for novice dogs. His upbringing and training require a lot of sensitivity because once the Border Collie has internalized a behavior, it is difficult to train it out of it again. The Border Collie was bred to herd sheep and does this job well and happily.
These ten dog breeds are sometimes very different, but they also share many characteristics. It becomes clear that the dog breeds classified according to working intelligence also have characteristics that speak for adaptive or instinctive intelligence: For example, empathy, adaptability, and the fulfillment of tasks in herding, guard, or rescue dogs also indicate high intelligence .
It also becomes clear that high intelligence and a willingness to learn in dogs are not a nice “extra”, but a character trait that obliges the owner to encourage and keep his dog busy, otherwise the dog will not be happy.
Less Intelligent Dog Breeds?
In addition to the ten presented very intelligent dog breeds, which psychologist Stanley Coren described as “premier class”, he classified other dog breeds:
- Second Class: Excellent working dogs that tend to learn new commands in five to 15 prompts and obey 85 percent of the time.
Examples of this class: Miniature Schnauzer, Collie, Cocker Spaniel, Weimaraner, Bernese Mountain Dog, Pomeranian
- Third Class: Above-average working dogs who tend to learn a new command in 15 to 25 repetitions and obey 70 percent of the time.
Examples of this class: Yorkshire Terriers, Newfoundlands, Irish Setters, Affenpinschers, Dalmatians
- Fourth Grade: Average working dogs who tend to learn a new trick after 25 to 40 tries and obey at least 50 percent of the time.
Examples of this class: Irish Wolfhound, Australian Shepherd, Saluki, Siberian Husky, Boxer, Great Dane
- Fifth Grade: Fair working dogs that tend to learn a new command in 40 to 80 repetitions and obey 40 percent of the time.
Examples of this class: Pug, French Bulldog, Lakeland Terrier, St. Bernard, Chihuahua
- Sixth Grade: The least effective working dogs, learning a new trick after more than 100 repetitions and obeying about 30 percent of the time.
Examples of this class: mastiff, beagle, chow chow, bulldog, Afghan hound
Regardless of the class, these are just general classifications. Of course, every dog is individual and therefore the intelligence can vary from dog to dog.
In these classifications, the working intelligence was in the foreground. It does not mean, therefore, that the dogs classified by Coren as less intelligent are “dumb” or simpletons. Just because a dog doesn’t (always) obey human commands doesn’t mean it’s “unintelligent”. Animal behavior expert Frans de Waal, for example, defended Coren’s last-placed Afghan Hound: He wasn’t just cut and dried, but a “freedom thinker” who doesn’t like to follow orders. This dog breed is perhaps more like cats that don’t like to conform.