Smartest Dog Breeds In The World, Ranked

Is your pup among the smartest dogs in the world? Certain dog breeds are prized for their intelligence. The smartest dog breeds in the world were bred to be brainy so they could help people accomplish specific tasks. But canine intelligence, like human intelligence, can be hard to define. There are many different kinds of intelligence, like the ability to adapt, having good instincts, being able to read emotions, and mastering control of one’s body.

Studies are being conducted to examine these different types of intelligence in dogs, but one type that has been studied thoroughly is working intelligence–the ability to learn and follow commands. Psychologist Stanley Coren surveyed 199 dog obedience judges to find out which dog breeds are the smartest when it comes to working intelligence for his book The Intelligence of Dogs. Though there are exceptions within breeds and a lot comes down to training, results were fairly consistent. Here’s a gallery of the top 50 dog breeds ranked in order of intelligence:

Dogs in the top ten can learn commands in five seconds and obey 95% of the time. Dogs ranked 11 to 32 can learn commands in five to fifteen repetitions and obey 85% of the time. Dogs in the 33rd to 63rd rank are average and can learn commands in 15 to 25 repetitions, obeying 70% of the time. Dogs ranked below that can take 25 to 100 or more repetitions to learn commands and obey 50 to 30% of the time.

Here are the breeds, in order, that ranked below the top 50:

51. Tied between American Eskimo Dog, Cairn Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, and Irish Setter

55. Norwegian Elkhound

56. Tied between Affenpinscher, Silky Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, English Setter, Pharaoh Hound, and Clumber Spaniel

62. Norwich Terrier

63. Dalmatian

64. Tied between Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, and Smooth-haired Fox Terrier

67. Tied between Curly-Coated Retriever and Irish Wolfhound

69. Tied between Kuvasz and Australian Shepherd

71. Tied between Saluki, Finnish Spitz, and Pointer

74. Tied between Cavalier King Charles spaniel, German Wirehaired Pointer, Black and Tan Coonhound, and American Water Spaniel

78. Tied between Siberian Husky, Bichon Frise, and English Toy Spaniel

81. Tied between Tibetan Spaniel, English Foxhound, Otterhound, American Foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Parson Russel Terrier, and Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

89. Tied between West Highland White Terrier, Havanese, and Scottish Deerhound

92. Tied between Boxer and Great Dane

94. Tied between Dachshund, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Shiba Inu

97. Malamute

98. Tied between Whippet, Chinese Shar-Pei, and Wirehaired Fox Terrier

101. Rhodesian Ridgeback

102. Tied between Ibizan Hound, Welsh Terrier, and Irish Terrier

105. Tied between Boston Terrier and Akita

107. Skye Terrier

108. Tied between Norfolk Terrier and Sealyham Terrier

110. Pug

111. French Bulldog

112. Tied between Brussels Griffon and Maltese Terrier

114. Italian Greyhound

115. Chinese Crested

116. Tied between Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Vendeen, Tibetan Terrier, Japanese Chin, and Lakeland Terrier

121. Old English Sheepdog

122. Great Pyrenees

123. Tied between Scottish Terrier and Saint Bernard,

125. Tied between Bull Terrier and Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen

128. Chihuahua

129. Lhasa apso

130. Bullmastiff

131. Shih Tzu

132. Basset hound

133. Tied between Mastiff and Beagle

135. Pekingese

136. Bloodhound

137. Borzoi

138. Chow chow

139. Bulldog

140. Basenji

141. Afghan hound