The Smartest Dogs
Ranks 1 to 10
Brightest Dogs
Understanding of New Commands: Less than 5 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.
Rank Breed 1 Border Collie 2 Poodle 3 German Shepherd 4 Golden Retriever 5 Doberman Pinscher 6 Shetland Sheepdog 7 Labrador Retriever 8 Papillon 9 Rottweiler 10 Australian Cattle Dog
Brightest Dogs
Understanding of New Commands: Less than 5 repetitions.
Obey First Command: 95% of the time or better.
Rank Breed 1 Border Collie 2 Poodle 3 German Shepherd 4 Golden Retriever 5 Doberman Pinscher 6 Shetland Sheepdog 7 Labrador Retriever 8 Papillon 9 Rottweiler 10 Australian Cattle Dog
The Not So Smart Dogs
Ranks 70 to 79
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.
Rank Breed 70 Shih Tzu 71 Basset Hound 72 Mastiff
Beagle 73 Pekingese 74 Bloodhound 75 Borzoi 76 Chow Chow 77 Bulldog 78 Basenji 79 Afghan Hound
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.
Rank Breed 70 Shih Tzu 71 Basset Hound 72 Mastiff
Beagle 73 Pekingese 74 Bloodhound 75 Borzoi 76 Chow Chow 77 Bulldog 78 Basenji 79 Afghan Hound
Choosing a Dog Breed by Intelligence
When choosing a dog, the breed with the most intelligence is not always desirable. For example, when you put a Border Collie within a closed area and shut the gate, he is thinking about the 100 other ways to get out of the fence. If you put a Bull Dog into the same closed area and then shut the gate, he is thinking " I'm stuck in here, I'm going to take a nap". The Border Collie can be trained to do more but for a busy life style, the Bull Dog may be a better choice.