The results are in! -- Dog breeds ranked by intelligence

Researchers ranked breeds by how fast they learned a new command. A couple of surprises in the rankings -- Boxers, one of only 4 breeds regularly used as assistance dogs ranked in the bottom half IQ wise. Breeds in the bottom rankings took 80 to 100 repetitions to learn a new command while those in the top 10 needed less than 5.

The rankings are here: http://www.petrix.com/dogint/1-10.html

Not sure their methodology was the best. It would seem to reward breeds that were bred for working. True IQ is the ability to solve unique problems.

"What's two minus two?", he would ask the dog, and the dog would say nothing.

...instead of at the end of your finger. I consider this a smart dog.

I was surprised when I first saw her do this, because my experience with most animals is they look at your finger and then back at your face like: "what? why do you want me to see your finger!?!"

But this dog (she's a blue heeler (#10) mix), she will actually try to figure out what I'm pointing at! For example, she loves bug hunting, and if I see a fly on the wall and point at it, she'll go catch it for me. Now all I need to say is "Look!" and even if I'm not pointing, she tries to figure out what she's supposed to look at.

It's very funny.

Probably a good trait for retrievers. heh

And she's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Very sweet, but not all that bright.

How else are we going to gauge the dogs? Maybe a Border Collie learns really really fast, but has no real creative eye and just can't appreciate a good sunset, while an Afghan Hound might be really difficult to teach how to do things, but actually lays there and ponders the universe and the beauty of a sunset wondering why in the world we'd want them to turn over.

That's why it's a ranking by "Working/Obedience Intelligence" which is listed on that site a couple places.

Anyway even if it were an intelligence test, I wouldn't be surprised if working dogs had higher intelligences. They've been bred to communicate better, and to understand and solve problems pointed out to them. Meanwhile dogs bred to be food or lap ornaments probably are pretty dumb because they haven't been selected to be moreso.

It's just a different kind of intelligence. A Great Pyrenees, for example, was bred to be an independent working dog. They're not going to respond to commands as well because they've been bred to work solo in the mountains. They have to be able to do their job without a human there telling them what to do.

Again that's why it's a test of "Working/Obedience". As in how quickly they can learn a command.

They're all dumb as shit in my book.

:wow:

The Aussie dogs I've known could probably do my taxes for me ...

I know someone with a border collie/aussie mix. That dog is smarter than most people. She also has the advantage of rounding up the other dogs into the house. Hell, she once ran away when the owner was away and showed up at the house of the dogsitter five miles away the next morning. She had only been at the dog sitter's house once.

;-)

And they're both Labs. (The dogs, not my friends!)

:crazy:

Labs in my experience (and I've owned many) are particularly dumb.

That being said, they are usually excellent retrievers, but can't do much more than that.

I still remember one of my adult yellow labs trying to get through a dog door with a giant tree branch in her mouth. She would charge full speed, then wonder why she could get through (tree branch wouldn't fit perpindicular to the dog door). She then backed up, and charged again.

Doberman's OTOH are extremely intelligent. I had one that (among other things) opened doors using her mouth or paws (depending on the type of door). She was not trained for that.

It doesn't separate intelligence from eagerness to please. That's why boxers scored so low. They're smart, but they just don't give a shit about pleasing people. They're the lazy teenagers of the canine world.

All the dogs that scored well are fairly high energy as well. Lazier dogs would not do as well simply because thier first time obedience to a command will be lower- not as a result of intelligence but as one of temperament.

The border collies and poodles are smart. The labs and retrievers are obedient.

Also, what age dog are they testing? Puppies that know nothing, or old dogs that they are trying to teach new tricks to? Or a young dog that may have learned some tricks as a puppy?

and she has no problem learning new things or "tricks."

There is nothing my Rottie cannot learn on first command. Rotties rule!!!

intelligent dogs I have encountered too. And funny - my sister's Rottweiler really knows how to work it!

I didn't know dogs could open doors until I saw two separate rottweilers open doors, which they evidently figured out how to do themselves. One even lived with two other fairly large dogs who seemed to count on him to open the doors for them.

Everyone knows that Border Collies are THE smartest dogs around.
(I'm just picking on you...:hi: )

Seriously, we had a Border Collie named Cody who was very, very smart. I swear that he understood English. If we showed him something once, that was all it took. Unfortunately Cody is no longer with us.

They were probably administering the test.

(she'd look great in the half-glasses :rofl:)

True: If you hold out both hands with a treat in one, but them behind your back, and hold out one empty hand (either one), she'll try to look at the hand behind your back to see the treat.

I'm so glad she does not have thumbs.


This is NOT her, but a close twin:

:loveya:

I mean would you do something just because someone told you too. No! Some dogs think about the consequences of their action before blindly following the lead of a stranger.! ;-)

As a former Basset Hound owner I know what I am talking about!

Dopey. But adorable.

Labs are sweet, but many are as dumb as the day is long.

:silly:

The dumbest dog I know is a lab, but I also know some labs who are extremely quick and brigh

When my dog and the lab next door were young, they would both play running games up and down their side of the fence. My dog would get tired of it, while the lab would continue on and on. Of course, there are many exceptions..

Bridget is half Papillon, darn, I always knew she was clever. I guess I better give her a little special treat today.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKSw0zFw7d0

poms rank 23rd, I was guessing they would be on the low end of this list. I have had such a hard time completly house training our pom..its like, 8 times out of ten, he piss/shits in the right spot, but he still tags things, occasionally(that i know of, it could be more!)...

My wife and I are using the shock collar on him now, for the past month, and he is getting better...but, he is still pissing on our stuff, he just pissed on my whole folder of computer discs i had, laying against my computer chair, and for some reason, he loves to piss on those plastic bags, from supermarkets..if you put one of those bags down on the floor, he will piss on it quicker than shit...its so bad, than when we put groceries, up, we put him in the bathroom, so we can unload the food, because, he has pissed on our grocery bags, while we were unloading them! Nuts...

at the shoulder. Weight is usually between 18-20 pounds. Hardly a large breed. I think the name "sheepdog" threw you off there. :hi:

you'll know that all dogs are smarter than humans.

For those not familiar with the story, here is a link to "Edison's Shaggy Dog"

www.pittsford.monroe.edu/pittsfordmiddle/Staff/rzogby/Zogby/NewFiles/Shaggy%20Dog.pdf

Labs, for example, are adorable, but I've met a fair share who, though obedient, could NOT work anything out for themselves.

:crazy:

They've ranked dogs on their ability to please their owners, not their intelligence.

all.

I had a gorgeous Irish Setter when I was a teenager in the 70s who was truly the stupidest dog in the world.

But she loved me and saw me thru a lot of hormonal depression. So much for intelligence--other things matter more.

Hey, maybe I should get another one now that I'm menopausal!!!

you are so right about poodles. They are more human than a lot of humans, I think!

and I've met plenty. They'll all as dumb as a sack of hammers.

I knew one would jump into a swimming pool and every damn time I'd have to get in and tow it to the stairs. You'd think after the first 30 times it would learn.

They are scary smart...need a reason to do what you want them to and just because you say so, often isn't enough. Working with one of mine on sign language, she figured out if she couldn't see what I was 'saying' she didn't have to do it. So she'd turn her back on me and not watch. And there's one that for 3 years we had to chain the refrigerator closed because he figured out how to open it and enjoy himself (sharing with the cats). There's several breeds like this who rank way down on this so-called intelligence scale. Not because they're dumb, but because they're too damned smart.

"You want me to get the ball? Then why did you throw it away?".

No offense, they're almost always awesomely sweet dogs...but in my experience they're also almost always dumb as a bag of hammers. :wtf:

They don't do tricks, but c'mon- tricks are lame anyway.

They just choose not to. :-)

if they did ranking by your method! She is brilliant!

Golden Retrievers
Labrador Retrievers
Rottweilers
Border Collies
German Shepherds

Except for the Bernese Mountaiin Dog, which is in the top 20.

Bernese Mountain Dogs are smart. Labs and Goldens are stupid. I don't know why someone would want one. Idiotic, wiggling, sycophants.

That is not smart, that is following orders, "obedience".

A problem where the dog has to figure out how to get to a biscuit----like a maze or something along those lines. I agree with others that the tests involved obedience. BTW, my dog finished in the top 25---cocker spaniel.

He's alert enough to hear me slicing home made bread from three rooms away, but then he buries his bread in the couch slip covers. He tends to sit and bark at nothing in particular. (Just chatty, I guess)He still thinks he can beat Jack although Jack outweighs him by 20 pounds and has 6 inches on him. He thinks the stair landing is his den and keeps picking up our new kitten and plopping her there. He also grooms her whenever he can catch her. The poor thing was really bedraggled the first time he licked her all over.

We have no idea what Jack is. Jack is pretty smart. He barks at the UPS man every time he sees him and the UPS man always goes away.

Plus beagles have the most annoying bark/howl/noise from hell ever.

Border Collie). :hi:

Our Dee-Dee really is super intelligent...and a very sweet dog.

She was winning contests at her obedience classes.

Geez, I love that dog. :)

American eskimo.
Allegedly they are smart and have been trained to be circus dogs.
Our dog is extremely intelligent when it comes to figuring how to get food or anything else he wants. It is not safe unless it is in the refrigerator or in an upper closed cabinet if he really wants it.

Lab or Golden. They fucking rock.

Schnauzers are also cool. I only say that because a schnauzer is looking at me right now, and I don't want to piss her off.

Schnauzers are okay. I don't mind terriers.

Best. Dog. Ever. (Dog rest his soul)

RIP Cheyenne

I don't have a picture of Jaycee (shepherd-pit) on the computer, but she was truly the best dog ever. Never needed a leash, smart, friendly, protective, beautiful.

:hi:




But, to be honest, I've never met a dog I wouldn't melt over in a second. :)

Where do they stand amongst the most independents? :-)