Does the Breed Affect Dog Intelligence?

The Brightest Dogs

1. Border Collie

2. Poodle

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Doberman Pinscher

6. Shetland Sheepdog

7. Labrador Retriever

8. Papillion

9. Rottweiler

10. Australian Cattle Dog

Taken from the dog expert Carolyn Georgariou

It is hard to find specific data about the origin of each breed. What we know for sure is that sheep farming is one of the most ancient human activities and it is not a coincidence that the majority of the top ten “brightest breeds” are a shepherd dog breed. In fact, dog “breeds have developed not from natural selection, but from selection by humans for various uses in different societies, leading to different proclivities for certain behaviors like retrieving, herding, and guarding, between breeds.” (Benson)

You might wonder now, after centuries of domestication, how dog intelligence compares to wolf intelligence. Once again, the answer depends on what kind of intelligence we look at. Dogs now show higher obedience and working intelligence, while wolves definitely demonstrate higher adaptive intelligence. This makes sense because both have developed the type of intelligence they need to survive.

 For more about wolves vs dogs, watch this video: