Which Breed is the Most Intelligent?

Intelligence in dogs is something that is constantly debated, and for good reason because how does one define intelligence? This important definition creates a different breed list depending on the criteria we are measuring intelligence by.

Is intelligence how trainable a dog is? Is intelligence how well a dog will perform a task independently? Is intelligence a dogs ability to solve problems? Is intelligence how well a dog can interact socially?

The list of things that can define intelligence is endless, and it plays a huge part in the answer that will be found. For the sake of this blog, let's take intelligence as the ability to learn in a training setting because that's probably the most prevalent thing that we as dog owners will need when thinking about intelligence in breeds.

Before looking into which breeds seem to be the most keen to learn, it is first important to know that intelligence in trainability often comes with high drive. High drive dogs want to be doing something at all times, so they often don't make the best pets in the world. With that said however, with the proper work there is no reason that a high drive dog can't make a good pet and live a perfectly normal life. If however, a high drive dog does not have the proper enrichment both mental and physical they can become a serious handful, showing behavioural issues such as reactivity, destruction and a long list of others.

Even once we have established a rough definition for what constitutes intelligence it is still difficult to produce a comprehensive list because dogs with specific genetic predispositions learn different tasks at different rates. For example, teaching a Border Collie to herd sheep would make the collie look extremely intelligent whereas teaching a German Shorthaired Pointer to herd sheep would be a tough challenge and therefore the dog may not seem as intelligent, so it's also important to consider genetic predisposition when establishing the levels of intelligence in dogs.

We now have established that the intelligence we are discussing in this post is the ability to be trained in a given task, and that genetic predisposition needs to be considered so let's make things a little easier and consider which dogs are most often trained to high level in a multitude of disciplines. Scent work, Search and Rescue, Man Trailing, Agility, Competitive Obedience, Dock Diving, the list goes on.

There are two names that jump to the top of this list. Two names that often win on the world stage in a multitude of different disciplines.

The Belgian Malinois, and the Border Collie. Both of these breeds are outstanding at so many different disciplines, but they can both be difficult to handle as well so they should be considered very carefully before one brings either into their lives. We personally have Belgian Malinois' here at BICS and for us, they are far and away the best breed at so many things, but they are often not the dog for the beginner. They can be tenacious, hard headed and have insatiable drive. People often ask what they can do to tire their Belgian Malinois out and the simple answer is that you cannot. They will work and work and work and this is no different to the Border Collie. Collies often win Agility, Heelwork to Music, Agility and of course herding competitions, whilst Malinois' are coming out on top in Protection, Search and Rescue, Scentwork and a tonne of other things.

It is very hard to choose between these two breeds, but they do seem to be the outliers, winning World Championship competitions in a variety of disciplines. Of course there are many other very intelligent breeds as well. The Spaniels, Pointers, Labs, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, the list goes on. There are many brilliant breeds of dog and there's a more important question than 'which is the most intelligent?'.

The more important question that any owner should be asking is, 'What do I want from my dog?'

For us, high drive, insatiable attitude to work and solid nerve is top of that list. We train every single day in competitive disciplines, so having a dog that wants to lay on the sofa and have a belly rub isn't conducive to the lifestyle we lead. With that said, if you work full time in the office and live in an apartment in London, owning a Belgian Malinois is probably not a very wise idea and perhaps you want something to lay on the sofa and go for a walk around the block on a night.

There is no right or wrong answer, but understanding what you want from a dog is key because genetic predisposition is a very real and very strong factor in your dogs behaviour. If you want a dog to go shooting pheasants, buying a Greyhound will make life very difficult, whereas a Cocker Spaniel will excel.

Pick the dog for the job, not the job for the dog.

The Team

British Institute of Canine Science