The Most Intelligent Dog Breeds According to Stanley Coren

Stanley Coren is a psychologist and professor who wrote the famous book The Intelligence of Dogs in 1994. In it a world ranking of canine intelligence is established and three aspects of the intelligence of the dog are detailed:

1. Instinctive intelligence: abilities that the dog possesses instinctively, such as sheepherding, guarding or company, among others.
2. Adaptive intelligence: skills that dogs have to solve problems.
3. Work intelligence and obedience: the ability to learn from a human being.

Coren wrote many other books about dogs and canine behavior. However, his book on the intelligence of dogs caught a lot of attention, especially in the US media. This book has been translated into 26 languages and has gone through 16 printings, making it an international hit.

The classification of Stanley Coren is based on the results of different tests of work and obedience carried out by the AKC (American Kennel Club) and CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) on 199 dogs. It is important to note that not all canine breeds were included.

After his surveys were collated, he ranked the most intelligent dog breeds according to the following criteria:

• Smartest breeds (1-10): comprise commands with less than 5 repetitions and generally obey the first order.
• Excellent working breeds (11-26): comprise new commands in 5 and 15 repetitions, usually obey 80% of the time.
• Above average working breeds (27-39): comprise new orders between 15 and 25 repetitions. They usually respond in 70% of cases.
• Medium intelligence working breeds (40-54): these dogs need between 40 and 80 repetitions to understand an order. They respond 30% of the time.
• Low intelligence working breeds (55-79): they learn new orders between 80 and 100 repetitions. They do not always obey, only in 25% of cases.

Stanley Coren elaborated this list to locate the intelligence of the dogs in terms of work and obedience. However, it is not a representative result since each dog has the ability to respond better or worse, regardless of breeds, age or sex. Dedicated training and appropriate care will result in a well-behaved, more obedient dog.

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
11. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
12. Miniature Schnauzer
13. English Springer Spaniel
14.Belgian shepherd
15. Schipperke - Groenedael
16. Keeshond the wolf spitz
17. German Short Haired Braco
18. Flat-Coated Retriever - English Cocker Spaniel - Medium Schnauzer
19. Brittany Spaniel
20. American Cocker Spaniel
21. Weimar Brace
22. Belgian Shepherd Laekenois - Belgian Shepherd Malinois - Bernese Sheepdog
23. Pomeranian
24. Irish Water Dog
25. Vizsla

26. Cardigan Welsh Corgi
27. Chesapeake Bay Retriever - Puli - Yorkshire Terrier
38. Giant Schnauzer - Portuguese Water Dog
39. Airedale - Bouvier des Flandres
40. Border Terrier - Brie Shepherd
41. Springer spaniel
42. Manchester Terrier
43. Samoyed
44. Field Spaniel - Newfoundland - Australian Terrier - American Staffordshire Terrier - Scottish Setter - Bearded Collie
45. Cairn terrier - Kerry Blue Terrier - Irish Setter
46. Norwegian Elkhound
47. Affenpinscher - Silky Terrier - Miniature Pinscher - English Setter - Pharaon Hound - Clumber Spaniel
48. Norwich terrier
49. Dalmatian
50. Smooth Fox Terrier - Bedlington Terrier
51. Curly-coated Retriever - Irish Wolfhound
52. Kuvasz - Australian Shepherd
53. Saluki - Finnish Spitz
54. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Black-and-tan Coonhound - American Water Spaniel
55. Siberian Husky - Bichon Frisé - English Toy Spaniel
56. Tibetan Spaniel - Foxhound English - American Foxhound - Otterhound - Greyhound - Wire-haired pointing griffon
57.West Highland White Terrier - Scottish Deerhound
58. Boxer - Great dane
59. Teckel - Staffordshire Bull Terrier
60. Alaskan Malamute

61. Whippet - Shar-Pei - Wire-haired Fox Terrier
62. Rhodesian Ridgeback
63. Ibizan hound - Welsh Terrier - Irish Terrier
64. Boston Terrier - Akita Inu
65. Skye Terrier
66. Norfolk Terrier - Sealhyam Terrier
67. Pug
68. French Bulldog
69. Belgian Griffon - Maltese Terrier
70. Italian greyhound
71. Chinese Crested Dog
72. Dandie Dinmont terrier - Vendeen - Tibetan Mastiff - Japanese Chin - Lakeland Terrier
73. Old English shepherd
74. Great Pyrenees
75. Scottish Terrier - Saint Bernard
76. English Bull Terrier
77. Chihuahua
78. Lhasa apso
79. Bullmastiff
80. Shih Tzu
81. Basset hound
82. Mastiff - Beagle
83. Pekingese
84. Bloodhound - San Humberto dog
85. Borzoi
86. Chow chow
87. English bulldog
88. Basenji
89. Afghan Hound

Coren's research is a very important contribution to our understanding of the intelligence of dogs. His books are well considered and his approach is laid out clearly. Especially for working dog breeds, it is a helpful framework to look at the human-canine bond and how intelligence relates to the ability to carry out tasks. However, it is also something which has engendered much debate over the years.

For this reason, the following factors have been discussed in terms of the accuracy of Coren's research:

• Focus on trainability: Coren’s list emphasizes obedience and working intelligence, measurements of how well a dog can understand and respond to human commands. However, intelligence in dogs is multi-dimensional. For example, breeds known for instinctive intelligence (such as hunting or herding instincts) or adaptive intelligence (problem-solving abilities) might not score as highly on obedience alone. Coren’s ranking may therefore overlook breeds that excel in these other forms of intelligence.
• Breed-specific specialization: certain breeds are genetically inclined toward specific tasks, like hunting or guarding. These don’t necessarily align with obedience-based intelligence. For instance, independent breeds such as Afghan Hounds or Basenjis rank low on Coren’s list, but this doesn’t mean they are unintelligent. These breeds have evolved to work independently from human instruction, making them less responsive to obedience commands.
• Survey limitations: Coren’s methodology relies on the observations of trainers, a process which could introduce biases based on trainer experiences and expectations with certain breeds. The sample size and subjective nature of trainer surveys limit the objectivity of the rankings.
• Further research: some contemporary studies have delved deeper into the cognitive abilities of dogs, examining aspects like emotional intelligence, memory and problem-solving. These studies reveal that intelligence in dogs is highly variable and complex, with breeds and individuals showing strengths in areas not covered by Coren’s approach. For instance, research by Dr. Brian Hare at Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center suggests that cognitive abilities vary widely and are not fully captured by obedience tests alone^[1].
• Cultural and environmental factors: dog intelligence can also be influenced by how much stimulation a dog receives, their environment and key socialization markers. For instance, working dogs often rank higher in obedience intelligence, while companion breeds may not be tested as rigorously.

These factors show that understanding dog intelligence is not as easily quantifiable as Coren may make out. While his research is very important, it is only one piece of research in a field which is discovering new data all the time. For this reason, your dog may be smarter than you think.

Learn more about how clever dogs can be with our article on dog intelligence games you can do at home.

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