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One of the most sought-after traits in a dog is their intelligence. It determines how easy they are to train and can even impact their temperament. While most dogs are smart and trainable, some breeds are smarter than others (on average). For example, your average German shepherd is more trainable than your average beagle. The difference can also vary based on the dog, so we’re focusing on averages for this article.
In this article, we take you through the top five smartest dog breeds. The dogs we cover in this article vary in their level of intelligence, along with how they display that intelligence. Read on to learn more down below.
Factors that Contribute to a Dog’s Intelligence
Several factors contribute to a dog’s intelligence. You’ll find that dogs can have adaptive intelligence and learn how to solve problems or different types of intelligence, like emotional intelligence that’s better for emotional support animal or service dog roles. Therefore, this conversation can become a little nuanced. That said, the top five smartest breeds we cover have a combination of the intelligence factors that we cover below.
Trainability
Let’s start with one of the biggest factors that influence intelligence: trainability. One of the first things that you look for in a dog is how easy they are to train. Dogs that are easy to train tend to be more intelligent, but it’s not always about how easy it is to train the dog. For example, Siberian huskies are smart dogs, but you’ll find that training them is challenging unless they respect you.
When it comes to training, you’ll want to look for dogs that can learn a lot of commands. In other words, the more commands a dog can learn, the smarter they tend to be. The complexity of training that a dog can handle is also important. Some of the smartest dog breeds can become service dogs, police dogs, and even military dogs. Depending on how you plan on training your dog, this is something worth considering.
Emotional Intelligence
One of the lesser-known parts of a dog’s intelligence is emotional intelligence. Some dogs might not be able to learn a lot of commands, but they may have emotional intelligence that enables them to become effective therapy or service dogs.
While they may not be smart in some areas, emotional intelligence can be more valuable to some dog owners, so it’s worth noting. Thankfully, many of the smart dog breeds that we cover have a healthy balance of emotional intelligence and general intelligence, so you don’t have to worry about choosing between the two.
Problem-Solving Skills
Problem-solving skills are also crucial when considering a dog’s intelligence. If you want to enter your dog into an agility show, for example, they need to be able to solve advanced problems, follow their trainer, and handle obstacles.
Problem-solving skills can also be helpful if you plan on playing games with your dog like having them find treats. This is more of a niche skill you may want your dog to have, but it’s worth considering.
Attention Span
Attention span is also something worth considering. It doesn’t matter how smart a dog breed is if they’re struggling to pay attention to your commands. What’s more, if you need a working dog that’s protecting a location, animals, or herding, they need to be able to focus on a task without running into distractions. This also applies to emotional intelligence. If you’re adopting an emotional support dog, for example, you may need them to tend to your needs for long periods without distractions.
At the end of the day, the smartest dog breeds have a combination of all these traits. Some individual breeds and dogs may be better than others, but finding balance is crucial.
Top 5 Smartest Dog Breeds
While all dog breeds are intelligent, and individual traits and personalities can have an impact, some breeds are smarter than others on average. Still, we’ve compiled a list of five dog breeds that display exceptional feats of intelligence whether that’s the amount of commands they learn or how well they respond to someone’s emotions. Learn more about our choices for the top five smartest dog breeds below.
1. Poodles
One of the smartest dog breeds, if not the smartest, is the poodle. While these dogs have a rugged exterior and are often used in dog shows, they’re some of the smartest dogs around. Poodles were bred for hunting, so it’s no surprise that they’re easy to train, smart, and calm under pressure. Not only are these dogs great for hunting, but you can train them to learn a wide range of commands. In fact, you’ll find that poodles are a common sight at dog competitions for obedience and agility.
Poodles are also an interesting breed because they come in many different sizes. You have the miniature poodle, standard poodle, and even the really small toy poodle. Some additional poodle variations and mixes are also among the smartest dog breeds but this can depend on the breeding practices.
Thankfully, they maintain their level of intelligence at every size, so it doesn’t matter if you want a smart little guy or a big smart dog – poodles have you covered. In fact, in 2024 Sage the miniature poodle won Best in Show at the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
2. German Shepherd
You can’t have a list of the smartest dog breeds without the German shepherd. These dogs are bred to be smart, perceptive, and easy to train. Their intelligence comes from their history of herding and protecting flocks – hence the shepherd’s name. The result is a dog that’s hardy, adaptable, cunning, and even a little clever. From a young age, German shepherds are smart, and you can even start training them at around six months of age.
German shepherds also evolved over time due to their ability to adapt on the job. It’s a breed that has decades of experience solving problems and working hard to protect their flock, human companions, and properties. In fact, it’s for this reason that you’ll find German shepherds working alongside police, firefighters, and soldiers around the world.
You can also teach German shepherds a wide range of commands, and their mild temperament makes them easy to train. There are also unique variants of the German shepherd breed known as Working Line shepherds, which are bred for their ability to perform certain jobs.
3. Golden Retriever
Golden retrievers are known for their ability to, well, retrieve things. That said, these dogs are capable of a lot more than playing fetch. They’re known to excel at obedience, hunting, agility, and plenty of other tasks. This is due to their high levels of general and emotional intelligence which makes it easy to train them.
Golden retrievers also have a people-pleasing personality that makes them receptive to learning commands, all types of training, and, of course, being lovable companions. What’s more, golden retrievers are some of the most popular and widely available dog breeds in the United States. Therefore, if you want to adopt a smart dog you don’t have to look all that far.
Golden retriever mixes are also highly intelligent dogs. For example, the goldendoodle is a combination between a poodle and a golden retriever, making it one of the most intelligent and responsive breeds around.
4. Rottweilers
It’s sad to say that rottweilers have developed a reputation for being aggressive dogs. While this can be true, it all comes down to their training. These dogs are highly intelligent and easy to train, which means it’s easy for them to learn all types of commands and jobs.
Rottweilers also have a lot of athletic abilities that go well with their intelligence. Essentially, you can train them for obedience, agility, and many working roles. This is why you’ll find them alongside police, soldiers, and even in some civilian jobs.
Rottweilers are also great guard dogs and they’re loyal to a fault, so you don’t have to worry about running into too many issues as long as you use positive reinforcement training methods. You can even train rottweilers to guard a location without having them bark at everything that approaches or walks by with a little bit of socialization from a young age.
5. Border Collie
The border collie is well-known for their intelligence. These dogs are descendants of herding dogs that lived in the rocky areas of England, Wales, and Scotland. Due to the rugged terrain and the need to protect and herd cattle, these dogs rapidly adapted to become smart, athletic, and easy to train. Along with their intelligence, you’ll find that border collies are some of the hardest-working dogs available.
Want to hear a fun fact about border collies? The famous border collie, Chaser, is a gifted border collie that knows more than 1,000 words. While many dogs can learn 100 to 200 words or commands, this border collie blows them all right out of the water.
Not every border collie will be this smart, but on average, they’re one of the more linguistically gifted breeds that you can find. Plus, their calm temperament makes them receptive to training via positive reinforcement.
Smartest Dog Breeds FAQ
Have more questions about the smartest dog breeds? We have answers to some of the most common questions below.
What Dog Has the Highest IQ?
IQ is a great way to measure intelligence, at least for humans. For dogs, this becomes more challenging because they can’t solve math problems or a wide range of puzzles that humans can. That said, most sources agree that border collies tend to have the highest level of intelligence.
This is evident in their ability to learn a wide range of commands. When you pair this with their emotional intelligence and relaxed temperament, you’ll find that border collies are among the smartest dog breeds in the world.
What’s the Least Intelligent Dog Breed?
We’ve covered some of the smartest dog breeds, but what about some of the dog breeds that leave a little to be desired in the cognitive department? While it’s hard to find a definitive answer for the least intelligent dog breed, some notable dog breeds that lack intelligence include:
- Afghan hound
- Basenji
- English bulldog
- Borzoi
- Chow chow
- Bloodhound
- Beagle
- Mastiff
- Bullmastiff
- Shih Tzu
These are only a handful of examples of unintelligent dog breeds, and you’ll find that many of these breeds have redeeming qualities that go beyond their lack of an ability to learn commands.
How Smart Are the Smartest Dogs Compared to Humans?
Curious about how your canine companion’s intelligence stacks up against your own? While dogs may have different senses and displays of intelligence, many researchers have found that the smartest dog breeds are about as smart as your average two-and-a-half-year-old child.
Therefore, your dog might not be the next Albert Einstein, but there’s a good chance that they’re as smart and perceptive as your average toddler. It’s important to note that this does depend on the breed; many of the breeds we covered on our list of the top five smartest dog breeds share this trait.
Final Thoughts on the Top 5 Smartest Dog Breeds
We’ve covered the top 5 smartest dog breeds, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other intelligent dogs out there. In fact, many dogs that didn’t cut our top 5 list are still highly intelligent, trainable, and lovable. Therefore, before you plan on adopting a smart dog make sure you take some time to do more research; it doesn’t have to be an exact breed from the ones we covered.
When looking for a smart dog make sure you consider what you value out of intelligence as well. Some dogs may have an edge in emotional intelligence over others, so if that’s something you value things like commands and attention span might not be as critical in your decision.