Don't Rank Smartest Dog Breeds

Just because your breed isn't on the smartest dog breeds list, doesn't mean she's stupid!

We have a big display of canine puzzle games right in front of my counter here at Life on the Leash. The toys are made of wood, and look like something you’d see in a childhood learning lab. They’re basically brain teasers that require dogs to manipulate a series of doors or pegs in order to get to a hidden treat.

People in my store can’t help but check them out, moving the pegs and trying to figure out how they work. More often than not, owners think they're dog can't handle it if they're not considered to be one of the smartest dog breeds. The person snorts, “My dog isn’t smart enough for this!”

That’s a huge insult.

To say that your dog can’t figure out a toy that relies on his acute sense of smell, his desire to eat and his ability to problem solve isn’t giving him much credit, even if he's not no the smartest dog breeds list. Sure, not every dog will understand the concept immediately, but with a little guidance every dog can master the easiest toy at least. Canine intelligence is fluid … maybe your pug would take a few minutes longer to figure out how to twist the lever on the toy to get to the treat, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t.

We’ve all seen that canine intelligence ranking (which ranks the smartest dog breeds) that puts Border Collies at #1 and bulldogs near the end of the list of 79 breeds. There’s no doubt that there’s a hierarchy of intelligence in the dog world, but I don’t buy into the idea that the list is gospel.

My dogs are a perfect example; Boxers are ranked at #48, while Brussels Griffons are down the list at #59. If pressed, I’d say that Millie the Griff is quicker on the uptake than Sumner the boxer. Both dogs are absolutely brilliant, of course, but Millie is able to intuit slightly better than Sum.

I say to hell with the intelligence ranking. Don't worry about which dogs are among the so-called smartest dog breeds.

I’ve met many a brainy Chow, Chihuahua and Old English Sheepdog, even though their intelligence ranking would lead you to believe they’re dim. In fact, after pondering for a few minutes, I can’t think of any dog I’ve trained over the past 11 years that wasn’t clever. (The pet parents? That’s another story.) All dogs are intelligent in their own ways. A Bloodhound might be #74 on the list, but he’s your man when it comes time to track a missing child.

Do you have a brilliant Borzoi (#75 on the list)? A smarty-pants Shih Tzu (#70)?  Do some myth busting and tell us all about them!

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