There is currently no universally accepted, authoritative ranking of canine intelligence in the scientific community. However, some well-known behaviorists and canine experts around the world have proposed some vague concepts for ranking canine intelligence based on their experience and observations.
Here is one common ranking of dog intelligence, with the top ten being:
1. Border Collie
Border Collies are considered to be the most intelligent dog breed, renowned for their intelligence, alertness, agility, and ease of training. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, Border Collies are ranked first in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than five times and obey commands with a success rate of over 95%.
Border Collies are an extremely energetic, thoughtful, and quick-learning breed. They typically exhibit high loyalty and love for their families and owners, making them suitable for various farm work, search and rescue, guarding, and treatment tasks. They are also very popular family pets. However, they require a lot of physical and intellectual stimulation; without exercise and stimulation, they may become bored or anxious.
2. Poodle
Poodles are also considered to be among the most intelligent dog breeds, ranking high in IQ. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, poodles are ranked in Category 2 in terms of working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 15 times and have a success rate of over 70% in obeying commands.
Poodles are a playful, energetic, and easily trained breed, suitable for a variety of tasks such as search and rescue, guarding, therapy, and performing. They are also popular family pets because they are generally loyal, friendly, lively, and fun-loving, and are one of the few breeds that doesn't shed, making them suitable for those sensitive to excessive shedding. In addition, poodles require plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental well-being.
3. Chow Chow
Chow Chows are also considered one of the most intelligent, agile, and trainable breeds, typically ranking in the top 20 in intelligence. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, Chow Chows are classified as Category 3 in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 25 times and have a command success rate of over 50%.
Chow Chows are a tenacious, brave, confident, and energetic breed, well-suited for guard and protection duties. They are also popular family pets because they are generally friendly, loyal, and playful. However, due to their innate territorial instincts, early socialization and training are necessary to ensure their behavior is controlled. Chow Chows also require ample physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to maintain their physical and mental well-being.
4. Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retrievers are also an extremely intelligent, trainable, and agile breed, often considered one of the top ten most intelligent dog breeds. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, Labrador Retrievers are ranked in Category 4 in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 40 times and obey commands with a success rate of over 95%.
Labrador Retrievers are a friendly, cheerful, loyal, fun-loving, and energetic breed, suitable for a variety of tasks such as guide dogs, search and rescue. They are also popular family pets because they are generally friendly, gentle, patient, and kind to humans, and especially friendly to children. Labrador Retrievers also need plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental health and prevent them from becoming bored or anxious.
5. Dalmatian Dog
The Dalmatian is also one of the most intelligent, alert, and trainable breeds, often considered to be among the top 30 most intelligent dogs. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, the Dalmatian is ranked fifth in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 40 times and obey commands with a success rate of over 85%.
Dalmatians are a loyal, brave, confident, energetic, and hardworking breed, suitable for a variety of tasks such as guarding, search and rescue, guide dogs, and fitness. They are also popular family pets because they are generally friendly, gentle, lively, and fun-loving, and are also very good with children. Dalmatians need plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental health and to prevent them from becoming bored or anxious.
6. German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is also one of the most intelligent, alert, and trainable breeds, often considered to be among the top ten most intelligent dogs. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, the German Shepherd is ranked in the third category in terms of working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 25 times and have a command success rate of over 50%.
German Shepherds are a brave, confident, loyal, lively, and quick-learning breed, suitable for a variety of tasks such as guarding, search and rescue, guide dogs, military service, and therapy. They are also popular family pets because they are generally gentle, friendly, playful, patient, and kind, and are also very good with children. German Shepherds require plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental health and prevent them from becoming bored or anxious.
7. Black and brown Coonhound
The Black and Tan Coonhound is also one of the most intelligent, alert, and trainable breeds, often considered to be among the top 40 most intelligent dogs. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, the Black and Tan Coonhound is ranked fourth in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 40 times and obey commands with a success rate of over 85%.
The Black and Tan Coonhound is a brave, confident, tenacious, loyal, and lively breed, suitable for a variety of tasks such as guarding, search and rescue, hunting, and as a family pet. They are loyal, friendly, and gentle with their owners, and also get along very well with children. Black and Tan Coonhounds require plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental health and prevent them from becoming bored or anxious.
8. Chihuahua
Chihuahuas are also one of the most intelligent, alert, and trainable breeds, often considered to be among the top 60 most intelligent dogs. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, Chihuahuas are ranked ninth in working ability/obedience, meaning they can understand a new command no more than 80 times and obey commands with a success rate of over 30%.
Chihuahuas are brave, confident, tenacious, alert, and lively small dogs, suitable as family pets and companion animals. They are extremely loyal, affectionate, and loving towards their owners, while also possessing a very high level of alertness and defensive instinct, capable of protecting their owners from threats. Chihuahuas need adequate physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental well-being and prevent them from becoming bored or anxious.
9. Bulldog
Bulldogs are a controversial breed, typically ranking low in intelligence. According to Dr. Stanley Coren's classification, bulldogs are placed in the lowest category in terms of working ability/obedience, meaning they have a poorer ability to understand new commands and a lower success rate in obeying them.
However, it's important to note that a dog's intelligence isn't necessarily proportional to its adaptability and performance. While bulldogs may not rank at the top in intelligence, they possess qualities such as courage, loyalty, tenacity, alertness, diligence, and trainability. With sufficient socialization and training, bulldogs can make excellent family pets and companion animals, and can demonstrate impressive performance in tests. Importantly, all dogs need adequate physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental well-being.
10. Old English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog is also one of the most intelligent, alert, and trainable breeds, often considered to be among the top 50 most intelligent dogs. However, Dr. Stanley Coren did not include the Old English Sheepdog in his working ability/obedience classification, thus making it impossible to accurately assess its performance in this area.
The Old English Sheepdog is a brave, confident, loyal, friendly, and lively breed, suitable as a family pet and companion animal. They are extremely loyal and affectionate towards their owners and generally get along well with children. Old English Sheepdogs require plenty of physical exercise and intellectual stimulation to ensure their physical and mental well-being and prevent them from becoming bored or anxious. Due to their thick coat, which requires regular grooming, they may sometimes need a significant investment of time and energy to care for.
It's important to note that a dog's intelligence is not entirely correlated with breed; it is also related to individual differences, training, and socialization. Therefore, such rankings are for reference only and cannot accurately reflect the intelligence level of each dog.
