It is common knowledge that some dog breeds are more intelligent than others. Some dogs have the ability to learn very fast. Others understand words, know how to take care of children or people with special needs. There are dogs that are easy to train to work with the police or firefighters, and there are even dogs trained to detect diseases or low blood sugar in people with diabetes.
As you can see, dogs, besides being the favorite pet of Spaniards, can also be of great help to many people and develop a work for the benefit of society as a whole.
Ranking of the most intelligent dog breeds according to Stanley Coren
It should be noted that there has been an official ranking of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world since 1994. It was then when Stanley Coren wrote the famous book “The Intelligence of Dogs” which in our country is known as “The Fabulous Intelligence of Dogs“.
In this book, Coren defines 3 aspects of dog intelligence:
1-Instinctive intelligence: which are the abilities that the dog possesses instinctively to develop certain tasks, such as herding, guarding or companionship among others.
2-Adaptive intelligence: which are the abilities that dogs have to solve a problem on their own.
3-Working intelligence and obedience: refers to the dog’s ability to learn from people.
Based on these three parameters, Coren made a ranking of the most intelligent dog breeds, which are those that understand new commands with less than 5 repetitions. And, in addition, they obey the first command 95% of the time. We are talking about the following breeds in order from most intelligent to least intelligent:
1-Border Collie
It is considered the most intelligent dog in the world, according to Stanley Coren’s list to which we refer. The border collie is a sheepdog, watchdog and is also used as a therapy dog. Obviously it is also a great companion dog capable of remembering a multitude of commands.
2-Poodle
It is the second most intelligent dog in the world and the first among miniature dogs.
The poodle dog has a lot of energy and is skilled at learning tricks of all kinds. It is a very sociable dog that is always ready to please its owner. In addition, it is a very affectionate dog and behaves wonderfully. He enjoys performing tricks in exchange for treats.
3- German Shepherd
In third place we have the German Shepherd. It is a sensitive, intelligent and intuitive dog. For generations this breed has been known for its enormous mental, physical and cognitive attributes. That is why it has been considered the police dog par excellence. In addition, it is one of the most used dogs for herding, protection of places and animals, or even homes.
4-Golden retriever
The golden retriever stands out, not only for being the fourth most intelligent dog in the world, but also for its beauty and its affable and good-natured character. It is one of the most popular breeds in the world because, well educated, it behaves wonderfully with other dogs, children and adults. Perhaps for this reason, the golden has become popular as a therapy dog for autistic children.
It is a very intelligent dog that can assume all kinds of tasks from police dog detecting drugs, as a rescue dog or simply as a companion dog.
5-Doberman
Among the five most intelligent dog breeds is the Doberman, one of the fastest dogs when it comes to learning and obeying orders. Despite its bad press, it is a fairly calm and tolerant breed with all members of the family.
Most Doberman behavioral problems derive from poor education, lack of physical or mental exercise and the use of this dog as a farm protector.
6-Shepherd of the Shetland Islands
The sixth position in the ranking of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world goes to the Shetland Sheepdog or Sheltie. This is a breed of dog that was intentionally bred to be small in size.
It is an excellent companion dog, highly loyal. It is cheerful, intelligent and always willing to obey. It is considered an excellent watchdog, giving alarm barks when it perceives a threat. It has a great herding instinct and loves to be kept busy. As it is very intelligent, it proves to be easily trainable.
Ranking of small dog breeds by intelligence.
In addition to this official list regarding the 6 most intelligent dog breeds in the world, from Las Almenas we would like to offer you our own ranking.
If you are considering getting a pet and you are looking for special characteristics, here is our classification of mini dog breeds according to their intelligence and according to our experience at Las Almenas, as a responsible breeding center for toy or mini dogs.
1-Poodle
We have already talked about him because he occupies the second place in the official list of intelligent dogs. And we totally agree that they are, besides being a cheerful, playful and very active dog. He is not easily distracted, and this makes him very responsive when it comes to training him.
Despite their size poodles have historically been used as hunting, guard and rescue dogs, or as a water dog.
At Las Almenas we enjoy this dog very much for its fun and fidelity.
2-Pomeranian
The Pomeranian breed is also very friendly, cheerful and loving. They love the company of their owners and also tend to be very alert to changes and bark at a new stimulus. As you can see, it is a very defensive dog of its territory and, therefore, it tends to bark. In terms of intelligence, the Pomeranian breed is ranked 23rd in Stanley Coren’s classification.
3-YorkShire Terrier
Although small, the Yorkshire has great characteristics of courage and tenacity. It is active, overprotective, loves to be the center of attention. It is an easy breed to train, as long as we are constant with him.
He tends to bark a lot, and this is what makes him an excellent watchdog, as he will sound the alarm when someone approaches and seems threatening. If the barking is excessive, it can be resolved with proper training.
In terms of intelligence, the Yorkshire is ranked 27th in the ranking of the most intelligent dog breeds.
4-Bichon Maltese
This is another of the most adorable dogs we breed at Las Almenas. The Maltese is recommended as a companion dog, as it is quite intelligent, affectionate and friendly, with the eternal appearance of a small puppy.
It is convenient to train him from puppyhood to be obedient and this is something we try in Las Almenas, as well as his socialization at early ages.
It is a dog that can help with different therapies. They can also be trained to do certain pirouettes, as they have a playful nature and usually respond well to this type of training.
5-Teckel
It is exaggerated to say that the dachshund or Teckel or dachshund is stubborn and does not allow itself to be educated. But the truth is that the education of a dachshund is no more difficult than that of any other dog, since it is quite intelligent, learns quickly, and as a puppy is just as stubborn as other breeds.
6-Shih Tzu
Among the mini or toy breeds that we breed in Las Almenas, the Shih Tzu occupies the last place in terms of intelligence level. It is true that it is not a particularly intelligent dog, but it is very loyal, affectionate and sociable. It is usually alert and is an excellent watchdog, although it was not bred specifically for this purpose.
Canine education, the best way to train your dog’s intelligence.
From Las Almenas we insist to all the families that acquire one of our puppies that each one of them is unique, with a particular character. As it is obvious, we can find very intelligent dogs in breeds that a priori are not and vice versa.
But in all breeds it is possible to enhance the cognitive, emotional and social skills of dogs.
The training and education of a dog is essential for its physical and mental health and that is why in Las Almenas we take care of it from very early ages of our puppies.
The canine education is the most complete exercise that a dog can receive. By teaching him the basic obedience commands, you will be making his mind work to learn, memorize and execute different tasks. In addition, this knowledge is fundamental for him to respect the rules of the house and to know how to coexist affably.
What did you think of our article? Is your pet on the list of the 6 most intelligent dog breeds in the world? Tell us how you get your dog to learn and obey. You can share your experience with us here below in the comments box or on our Facebook and Instagram profiles, as well as on our YouTube Channel. Comment and share, we read you down here!
