Recently, the New York Times reported that a psychology professor named Stanley Coren has discovered some fascinating things about dogs and intelligence.
Coren polled over 200 professional dog obedience judges, asking them to rank 110 dog breeds according to their intelligence. In general, he says, poodles, retrievers, Labradors and shepherds are the most intelligent dogs, able to learn as many as 250 words, signs and signals.
The smartest dogs, he says, will understand a new command in five repetitions or less, and will immediately obey commands 95% of the time. Here’s his list of the smartest dog breeds:
- Border Collie
- Poodle
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Doberman Pinscher
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Labrador Retriever
- Papillon
- Rottweiler
- Australian Cattle Dog
Before you rush out to buy one of these smart dogs, though, you should know that there are pros and cons to living with an intelligent canine. As Coren points out, sometimes these dogs are so smart that they learn to manipulate their owners and their environment to get whatever they want.