Over at CNN.com they have an article entitled, Your family dog may be smarter than your toddler. In the article, Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and leading researcher on dog behavior said the average dog can understand about 165 words, including signs, signals and gestures as well as counting to 5.
When Coren did his research in writing the book, ““The Intelligence of Dogs”, he went straight to the source and asked dog show obedience judges to rank 110 dog breeds from most to least intelligent.
Why dog show obedience judges? In advanced dog obedience competition – intelligence is a key factor in winning. Top obedience competitors and judges have known all along that some breeds of dogs are smarter than others. When Coren asked, they share their opinion. The top five “smartest” breeds according to Coren are:
- Border collies
- Poodles
- German shepherds
- Golden retrievers
- Doberman pinchers
According to Cohen, these are “recent” breeds have been bred spedicifally to do a job which requires communication from humans. In essence, these dog breeds were CREATED to be communicative and intelligent.
While hounds were used to hunt game – that was a case where humans were just putting the dog’s natural instincts to work for human goals. On the other hand, Border Collies were bred specifically to herd sheep. There was a need to create a dog which responded to human commands.
Poodles are on the list – well – because they’re AMAZING dogs…. but that’s another subject.
When it comes to these “top” breeds – Coren reports that their intelligence level is about that of a 2 1/2 year old.
When there’s a list – there’s a bottom – and some breeds didn’t score high in the canine intelligence tests. Those bottom five breeds are:
- Borzoi (#106)
- Chow chow (#107)
- Bulldog (#108)
- Basenji (#109)
- Afghan hound (#110)
What I see when I see the “bottom” performers on the list are not a list of the least intelligence dogs – but instead a list of the dogs who are the LEAST cooperative and therefore – hardest to train. When a dog doesn’t CARE what you want – how can you test it’s intelligence? (By the way, Coren estimates these breeds to be on par with a 2 year old -vs a 2 1/2 year old for the top five.)
Anyone who has engaged with ANY of the breeds at the bottom of the list will attest that they are FAR from “stupid”. As a matter of fact, many dog lovers may take issue with the study as a whole. In fact – I know many Golden Retriever owners who will beg to differ when they see Goldens ranked in the top five.
The one thing all dog trainers WILL agree with though is that this study will help everyday “dog lovers” realize that their dogs are NOT furry, four legged creatures with the complex emotions and thought patterns of adult humans.
On the other hand, those who viewed dogs as unthinking animals now have evidence to the contrary. They’re more like people than some folks want to think.
When it comes to training your family dog – keep in mind that intellectually – he’s on par with a 2 year old. If you can’t get your toddler to something – don’t expect your dog to do it either.