Stanley Coren (born 1942) is a psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher who has become best known to the general public for a series of books regarding the intelligence, mental abilities and history of dogs. Through television shows and media coverage that has been broadcast in Canada and the United States as well as overseas, he has become popular with dog owners, while continuing research and instruction in psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia.
According to S. Coren, author of “The Intelligence of Dogs”, there are three types of dog intelligence:
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability). This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
- Instinctive Intelligence. This is specific to the individual animal and is measured by canine IQ tests.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence. This is breed dependent.
And, I personally think he’s brilliant.
Methodology
The author used “understanding of new commands” and “obey first command” as his standards of intelligence. He surveyed dog trainers and compiled this list of dog intelligence. While this method of ordering dog intelligence is acceptable for training and working with dogs, it does not apply to the genetic intelligence which can be measured by ingenuity and understanding of common situations.[5] The drawback of this rating scale, by the author’s own admission, is that it is heavily weighted towards obedience related behavioural traits (e.g. working or guard dogs), rather than understanding or creativity (e.g. hunting dogs).
As a result, some breeds may appear lower on the list due to their stubborn or independent nature, but this nature does not make them unintelligent or impossible to train. The book includes other sections on hunting and other intelligence types, as well a general IQ test that owners can perform on their dogs; that test is better weighted for ingenuity and independent problem solving, but rankings were provided only for working intelligence, and are listed below.
- 1–10 Brightest Dogs
- 11–26 Excellent Working Dogs
- 27–39 Above Average Working Dogs
- 40–54 Average Working/Obedience Intelligence
- 55–69 Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
- 70–79 Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Ranking of dogs by breed
Brightest Dogs
- Understanding of New Commands: Fewer than 5 repetitions.
- Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.
- Border Collie
- Poodle
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Doberman Pinscher
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Labrador Retriever
- Papillon
- Rottweiler
- Australian Cattle Dog
Excellent Working Dogs
- Understanding of New Commands: 5 to 15 repetitions.
- Obey First Command: 85% of the time or better.
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Miniature Schnauzer
- English Springer Spaniel
- Belgian Shepherd Tervuren
- Schipperke
Belgian Sheepdog - Collie
Keeshond - German Shorthaired Pointer
- Flat-Coated Retriever
English Cocker Spaniel
Standard Schnauzer - Brittany
- Cocker Spaniel
- Weimaraner
- Belgian Malinois
Bernese Mountain Dog - Pomeranian
- Irish Water Spaniel
- Vizsla
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Above Average Working Dogs
- Understanding of New Commands: 15 to 25 repetitions.
- Obey First Command: 70% of the time or better
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Puli
Yorkshire Terrier - Giant Schnauzer
- Airedale Terrier
Bouvier des Flandres - Border Terrier
Briard - Welsh Springer Spaniel
- Manchester Terrier
- Samoyed
- Field Spaniel
Newfoundland
Australian Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Gordon Setter
Bearded Collie - Cairn Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Irish Setter - Norwegian Elkhound
- Affenpinscher
Silky Terrier
Miniature Pinscher
English Setter
Pharaoh Hound
Clumber Spaniel - Norwich Terrier
- Dalmatian
Average Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Understanding of New Commands: 25 to 40 repetitions.
- Obey First Command: 50% of the time or better.
- Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
Fox Terrier (Smooth) - 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
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon - West Highland White Terrier
Scottish Deerhound - Boxer
Great Dane - Dachshund
Staffordshire Bull Terrier - Alaskan Malamute
- Whippet
Chinese Shar Pei
Wire Fox Terrier - Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Ibizan Hound
Welsh Terrier
Irish Terrier - Boston Terrier
Akita
Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Understanding of New Commands: 40 to 80 repetitions.
- Obey First Command: 30% of the time or better.
- Skye Terrier
- Norfolk Terrier
Sealyham Terrier - Pug
- French Bulldog
- Brussels Griffon
Maltese - Italian Greyhound
- Chinese Crested
- Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Tibetan Terrier
Japanese Chin
Lakeland Terrier - Old English Sheepdog
- Great Pyrenees
- Scottish Terrier
Saint Bernard - Bull Terrier
- Chihuahua
- Lhasa Apso
- Bullmastiff
Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Understanding of New Commands: 80 to 100 repetitions or more.
- Obey First Command: 25% of the time or worse.
I’ve always hated this scale because the average person takes it as a true measure of intelligence and not a measure of obedience (which is what it basically is). I have a basenji which is 2nd last on the list, and while it’s true they are very hard to train and will obey on the first command way less than the 25% listed (more like 5-10%) this does not mean they are stupid dogs. In fact, they are VERY intelligent dogs. However, they are also very stubborn and have no desire to please humans the way the most “intelligent” dogs on the list do. I think that some adaptive and instinctual intelligence are also breed dependent and with the list reflected this.
whoops….I mean I wish the list reflected it!
face it you have a dumb dog.
I have to agree with Erin C. While my dog (Shiba Inu) is not on the list, it is a very smart dog but it’s stubbornness makes it a difficult dog to train because its not a people pleaser.
They need a tempting incentive to do what you want and even then it can be difficult.
I agree with Erin C. For years my West Highland terrier traveled about with me while I shot landscape photographs and traveled. He was smart enough to jump out when I stopped and not get in trouble. He could go do his business at a service station, or follow me along the edge of a highway and be cool enough that I did not need to worry about him getting hit or stopping traffic. Then he would be ready to go when I was. On that list fox hounds and beagles are put ahead of terriers that have ten times the useful brains day to day. This list indeed only tells you which breeds are eager to respond to your wishes, not which breeds are intelligent. I assume this to be an American site, and Americans have come to place more importance on obedience than individual reason.
As this list does not cover every breed including rare ones it is therefore not factual, Also they way the tests are done may not be consistent as they have never said exactly how they come to these conclusions. Would give much credit to the results.
As this list does not cover every breed including rare ones it is therefore not factual, Also they way the tests are done may not be consistent as they have never said exactly how they come to these conclusions. Wouldn’t give much credit to the results.
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Correct, please see my comment below.
Credibility cannot be extended to these ‘rankings’.
It absolutely hilarious that people who own stupid breeds almost 100% of the time, will tell you their dog is very smart. He’s just stubborn. I submit what these folks really should say is, “my dog is really very intelligent. He just prefers to act stupid and totally ignore me.”
Jerry,
I own a Lab (#7) on the list, and a Chihuahua (#67) and what I can tell you is my lab is so eager to please and will do anything that I ask on first command. Great family pet!
Both my Lab and Chi can run through a list of tricks and impress everyone. But when my Chi wants to do something that I don’t it is a whole different story. The Lab will obey and sit at my feet. The Chi will pretend to obey and as soon as I’m not looking do what he wants. After being told he couldn’t have a Hershey Kiss, he waited until we left the room and unzipped my friend’s purse, pulled out her Hershey Kisses, unwrapped them (leaving perfect pieces of tinfoil around the room) and ate them all. He is amazing at problem solving and can find ways to get across a raging river even though his legs are only 4″ long while the lab just runs across. We take both him and the Lab hiking and camping.
So while my lab is very intelligent and obedient; my chi is also very intelligent and creative. So, I argue just like people there are different types of intelligence in dogs. To call a dog stupid just because it doesn’t blindly do what a human wants is like calling Einstein stupid because quit high school disgusted by rote learning.
I love the reliability of my lab but am constantly amazed by my chi’s independence and free will.
I have a Lhasa no68 on the list and I have to say… He’s the dumbest dog I’ve ever had, but I love him.
Ditto here with our Lhasa!
Bob—-this intelligence list does appear to be of use in some instances.
a dog that truly does not UNDERSTAND commands vs dogs who fully understand but may not be interested in doing what we want.
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
This ‘ranking’ is based on command response and trainability, not intelligence, therefore is not an accurate grade of intelligence. A trait of many of these breeds is loyalty to their owner and intelligent thinking, not just immediately obeying anyone that spits out a command.
If you want an intelligent dog, then simply select a dog from a reputable breeder from either the sporting, working or herding group has NOT been ruined by the AKC dog shows. You cannot go wrong in doing so.
By the way, I have 30 years of experience with MANY sporting breeds (retrievers, pointers, flushers, etc) and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever by a fair margin is the most intelligent of all the retriever breeds. They will not obey you until you prove that you have earned them.
Ronald I feel your response is an accurate assessment of the intelligence rankings. A breed should be chosen on what kind of lifestyle you choose to share with your new friend and what you expect of your friend.
I have a lhasa apso,which stands at 68th ranking….they are extremely smart dogs.Very quick to learn but hard to train.They are very stubborn.
If borger coolie is ranking no.1,& lhasa apso 68th,this doesn’t mean borders are 67 times more intelligent than lhasas…i saw many stupidly behaving border coolies,german she..,labs.
An intriguing discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo subject but usually folks don’t speak about these topics. To the next! All the best!!
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I understand parameters of some sort are necessary to attempt ranking our dogs by intelligence. I see a giant chasm exists between people who believe canine intelligence should be based solely on whether a dog is WILLING to obey commands right away as you wish, or with being cajoled into doing it by nagging them (means they COULD actually be training us-as my Boston Terrier is so fond of playing)…This little American Gentleman fully understand the commands we WANT him to do but quite often chooses to focus on his ball instead.. if he forgets where his ball is just tell him to [look in the bedroom----it is in the laundry basket]—-and he will go directly to it and bring it to you-cajoling you to play {take it from me if you can game}—-letting you take it when he is ready for you to {throw the ball }
( this #54 rated little guy seems to be a master at training us)
so… what about pitbulls? i’m quite surprised to hear that they are not in the list.
never in my wildest dreams could i have imagined i would be defending the breed, much less having one, but i recently adopted what seems to be a labrador-pitbull mix (i’ve seen them called labrabull or pitador, but to me he’s just a mutt) and i’m constantly being surprised by his sharp intelligence, unusual concentration, goofy and playful sense of humor and, i must admit, stubbornness. however, he is very eager to learn and doesn’t take more than a few repetitions to learn a new command.
i’ve had plenty of labradors before, so i’m guessing that his fun, smart and energetic personality must come from (what i’m guessing could probably be) his pitbull side. then again… he might just be a total mutt who just happens to resemble a pitbull from some angles.
Hello!
I agree! The Pitt is a very intelligent breed.
This list is a very general one, of course, missing out on some other amazing breeds.
-Lindsay//
We have had a Bullmastif and a Bulldog and they were/are way smarter then our Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Not just just Obedience, but also doing really smart things that you wouldn’t think a dog could do, so this is most likely based on about like 5 dogs for the same breed. Also every Poodle i have met isn’t smart at all.
Pit bull is on the the. The other name for it is the American Staffordshire Terrier.
That was supposed to be that they are on the LIST. Haha- should check my typing first.
Yeah i was surprised as well. i mean as far as intelligence, apbt’s definitely should rank in the top ten because of their ability to solve problems on their own without being taught, such as how to get the child lock off the refrigerator. plus, as working dogs, they are one of the only breeds that can be used in wild pig hunting. one of the funnier things i have noticed is that while i have only owned apbt’s my whole life, i have a friend who has owned many german shepherds. my pit bulls learned house training and the pecking order (useful in feeding, treats, etc) within a week of being old enough to understand such things, while my friend would complain for months how his shepherds would fight over food, treats and attention, and would piss all over the house. of course, i have also known a lot of borderline retarded golden retrievers who either didn’t listen at all or sometimes bit children they had been living with for years for no reason.
The list is what is. Don’t be cut if you’re dogs smart but doesn’t rate high on the list, it doesn’t mean the list is wrong or highly inaccurate its there abouts
I have been a professional all breed dog trainer for over 25 years. There is a huge difference between compliance as in obedience of a trained command and puzzle solving. Certain breeds can do puzzle solving faster and I think that is the true measure of intelligence not train-ability. But most intelligence tests for dogs do not test this aptitude. I see that dogs that were bred to work alone vs dogs that were bred to take instruction from man are generally better puzzle solvers.
This list is interesting to discuss,but not having a terrier on the list until the twenties and completely omitting the Jack Russell Terrier is a joke.I admit to being partial to terriers,but having a Bassett Hound on here and noJack Russell Terrier is a bit ridiculous.
While it’s probably true that dogs have different kinds of intelligence, why should we care about a hypothetical type of intelligence that can’t be measured? If dogs were like humans and expected to take care of themselves, get a job, etc. then we would be able to see this elusive ability to be “creative” and “solve problems” that no one knows about. Until the time that dogs turn into humans, we have to take care of them and honestly I would rather have one that is less work than one who ignores me but may or may not be secretly getting its Cisco qualification while I’m at work, or something.
for ignorant people like jime, the American Staffordshire Terrier is the PITBULL. -.-
hi
i have a question about coton de lutear. if he is on the list of smart training easy dog.
or dump. not easy train list?
as i can not find enough information about it.
please let me mnow ic can help me find out the answer.
thanks.
grace
Hey Grace!
I don’t know too much about the Coton de Tulear, but what I just read about them on Wikipedia, they sound like a laid back breed that seems fun and eager to please. They sound like a good combination of a large personality, with an active streak!
This is what it says about them on there Wikipedia page:
Read more about the breed here. And let me know how your dog breed researching goes!
What about Icelandic sheepdogs?
I don’t know if they’re smart or dumb, but they should be on the list.
I know one that understands what you want it to do and listens to its masters orders, but also runs after a stick every time you pretend to throw it.
I have 2 Border Collies. Yes, they are super smart. I have also had 2 Afghan Hounds. They were also quite smart but totally uninterested in pleasing anyone but themselves. I honestly think they considered themselves superior to humans. But they were happy and friendly and enjoyed life tremendously. Both breeds are great.
Oh Afghan Hounds are very beautiful dogs! Sounds like they are also stubborn or independent. My Shiba Inu is the same way. She only wants to do it when she pleases not when it pleases us.
HAHAHA!! Sounds like the Shiba’s who come and stay with me on a regular basis!
Smart as a whip, but won’t do something if they don’t wanna!
This article appears to base its’ results on surveys only-It does not indicate what breed’s he himself trained from puppyhood to adult-This may have skewed his results-it could indicate general behavior of breeds at the time the surveys were taken- relying on only one source of information ( a survey) would not necessarially produce acurate results – only the resuls of peoples opinions at the time the survey was taken- it only indicates general tendendcies which as you know change over time as access to information, & gathering tecniques improve have changed over time- His opinions are not written in stone & his results are not the final word—-but at best a very general guide—-perhaps his other credentials & writings are more accuate,I am not familiar with him or his writing–so I wouldn’t be able to say one way or the other
What a fantastic point, Barry!!! Thank you so much for sharing your input
I love how everyone who has a lower ranking dog says it not factual.
I have a collie and I agree with the list
I Have a English Bulldog and he is dumb as bricks. But he does shake my hand. Lol. No matter what he’s the best.
“The Intelligence of Dogs – The LIST The Hydrant” ended up being a
great blog. If perhaps it included a lot more pix this could be perhaps even better.
All the best -Halley
The smartest dog I know is a shih tzu. She knows more commands than any other dog I have ever known. My friend, her person, has been able to use her dog in advertising and she was a regular on a soap opera. She can even sneeze on command and then go get a tissue on command. My brother had a Border Collie who never did high level commands but he would respond to commands and at times he seemed to comprehend entire sentences. He would make noises that sounded almost like he was talking. But he was stubborn and at times goofy. My dog, a cavalier, learned commands very very easily. More so then you can tell by this list. He can also be stubborn and is far more likely to follow a command when there is a treat involved. He is an empath and extraordinarily affectionate. Spaniels in general have high emotional intelligence which is why they make great therapy dogs. They sense and understand moods very easily. That isn’t even measured here. My point is that dogs, like humans, are individuals and judging their intelligence based only on command response leaves out a lot of information about their intelligence.
All dog owners should believe that their dog is the best and love it in that way. I get involved with different hunting breeds and see various character attributes in each breed,so to say one breed is smarter than the other would be an unfair judgement. Although my Golden Retrievers are both very smart I have seen other dogs with similar capabilities. So love your dog and don’t worry if your dog is smarter than the other dog.
I own a Dalmatian (#39) and people who say their dogs are stubborn have clearly never met or tried to try a Dalmatian. My dog, who I might also add was born bi-laterally deaf is THE most stubborn dog I have ever met or trained BUT in saying that, she is entertained for hours on ends with puzzle balls. She needs constant mental stimulation as she bores very easily but will happily follow you around as Dalmatian’s are companion dogs so they thrive on constant human attention. She may be stubborn but is a very smart dog and I’m not just saying that because she’s my dog. With her being deaf she is trained using hand signals as obviously voice commands aren’t going to work, however she has to be looking directly at us to obey the command and this is when she will look at us through the corner of her eyes to see if we have treats, if we do then we have her full attention, if not then she goes off to do her own thing.
When looking for a dog you shouldn’t choose based on its ”Intelligence” but by what breed is suitable to your lifestyle and the personality of the dog. I spent 7years researching all about Dalmatians before I got my first one and my choice was not based on how smart the dog was but rather its characteristics and I think this is an important factor to choosing a breed that alot of people tend to ignore these days. I see so many people choosing dogs which clearly are not suitable for their lifestyle because its a “smart” dog or because its “cute”. People should stop focusing so much on the breed intelligence but rather on the other aspects of the breeds.
Jack Russel Terriers not on the list
I don’t particularly care for dogs in the first place – they’re almost all either big, too noisy, or both – but I can’t *stand* the dumb breeds. They’re so needy, complete attention whores who can’t entertain themselves without destroying things. Properly trained, intelligent dogs are more than happy to leave me alone, and because that is what I want them to do, they are superior animals.