There was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle today about the intelligence of dogs. I had posted a while back about that study, it compared a dog’s intelligence being equal to that of the average two-year-old child.
Here are the details from the study on the SF Chronicle.
Dr. Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and an author of several books on dogs suggests that dogs do more than simply by mimicking the body language of their owners (as suggested by the enduring example of the horse Clever Hans from the early 1900s). He believes that dog brains process information similarly to the way people do.
Dr. Coren has devised an intelligence ranking of 100 breeds, with border collies at No. 1. He says the most intelligent breeds (poodles, retrievers, Labradors and shepherds) can learn as many as 250 words, signs and signals, while the others can learn 165. This means the average dog is about as intellectually advanced as a two-year-old child with an ability to understand some abstract concepts.
The article goes on to list the top 10 smartest breeds and the 10 not -so- smart breeds. See if you agree…
Here’s a list of the top 10 smartest (e.g. most obedient) dog breeds:
* 1. Border Collie
* 2. Poodle
* 3. German Shepherd
* 4. Golden Retriever
* 5. Doberman Pinscher
* 6. Shetland Sheepdog
* 7. Labrador Retriever
* 8. Papillon
* 9. Rottweiler
* 10. Australian Cattle Dog
And a list of the top 10 not-so-smart:
* 1. Afghan Hound
* 2. Basenji
* 3. Bulldog
* 4. Chow Chow
* 5. Borzoi
* 6. Bloodhound
* 7. Pekingese
* 8. Mastiff
* 9. Beagle
* 10. Basset Hound
I’m not sure how mixed breeds fit into this, but if you want to test your dog’s intelligence go check out the six IQ questions from Dr. Coren. Give me a bark, how does your best friend make out?
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