Posted on 04/28/2008 1:05:46 PM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
The CBS "Early Show" ran a story this week about dogs and their intelligence, or lack thereof. In the story, they shared their list of the top 10 smartest and top 10 dumbest dog breeds. These were their picks.
#10 Dumbest: The Basset Hound may be so sad-eyed because it was ranked the tenth least intelligent dog breed.
2 of 20 : #10 Smartest: The immensely trainable Australian Cattle Dog was called the tenth smartest breed. 
3 of 20 : #9 Dumbest: Don't tell the Westminster Kennel Club, but Uno, the beagle who won their 131st annual dog show, belongs to the ninth least intelligent dog breed. 
4 of 20 : #9 Smartest: The Rottweiler was called the ninth smartest breed. This one looks a tad surprised by the ranking. 
5 of 20 : #8 Dumbest: This Mastiff hangs its head in shame over being ranked the eighth least intelligent dog breed. 
6 of 20 : #8 Smartest: The Papillon, ranked eighth smartest, floats like a butterfly and knows its ABC's. 
7 of 20 : #7 Dumbest: The Pekingese is more famous for its "dustmop" look when groomed correctly. This one must be getting a haircut to avoid being associated with the seventh stupidest dog breed. 
8 of 20 : #7 Smartest: The most popular dog breed in the nation is also the seventh smartest: the Labrador Retriever. 
9 of 20 : #6 Dumbest: We know the Bloodhound has a brain somewhere beneath all those lovable wrinkles, but the "Early Show" rankings had them pulling sixth among the dumbest breeds. 
10 of 20 : #6 Smartest: The Shetland Sheepdog's agility, as shown here, helped it rank sixth smartest. 
11 of 20 : #5 Dumbest: Borzois are considered the fifth least intelligent dogs. 
12 of 20 : #5 Smartest: The Doberman Pinscher's intelligence is on full display here on a rescue mission. 
13 of 20 : #4 Dumbest: This Chow Chow can live with being considered the fourth least intelligent breed, so long as you keep its hair nice and fluffy. 
14 of 20 : #4 Smartest: Golden Retrievers were fourth on the list of smart dogs. 
15 of 20 : #3 Dumbest: The Bulldog was rated the third stupidest dog breed. 
16 of 20 : #3 Smartest: Loyal workhorses, the German Shepherds were ranked as the third smartest breed. 
17 of 20 : #2 Dumbest: The Basenji is considered the second least intelligent dog breed, but hey, it could be worse. 
18 of 20 : #2 Smartest: Love 'em or hate 'em, Poodles were ranked as the second smartest dog breed out there. 
19 of 20 : #1 Dumbest: Stylish and mysteriously ancient, the Afghan Hound nonetheless merits the dubious honor of being ranked the single least intelligent dog breed. 
20 of 20 : #1 Smartest: The Border Collie was ranked the single smartest dog breed. Do you think this one looks just a little bit proud of it? 
One swift kick to the old schnoz of the schnauzer would put a stop to that!.............
Having helped rescue dozens of Goldens and a few labs, and having spent time around some friends' labs, I am not at all surprised that Goldens are considered smarter than Labs. Goldens are very smart dogs, and a lot of them tend to be a bit more independent-minded, which makes them sometimes seem stubborn. They know exactly what you are asking them to do, but they are working out in their mind whether or not they are going to decide to do it.
German Shepherds are THE BEST! Smart, gorgeous, protective... they have it all.
We’ve had golden retrievers, a black lab, and a Welsh Corgi.
The first golden, when she was less than a year old was walking with us on a golf course at night when we dropped a flashlight. My wife, who had trained her, said, “Go find the toy!” In one minute, she was back with the flashlight and dropped it at our feet.
The second golden, was trained as a service dog, trained to scent and is exceptionally smart. He got a bottle of water and drank it by unscrewing the top. My son couldn’t believe it, and recorded it in video on his cell phone.
The black lab was also trained as a service dog. If he drops a toy or stick during our walks, he’ll go back a get it. He comes from a line of Master Hunters.
The Corgi just herds them all. She is dominant, even though she is 26 pounds and the lab is almost 90.
I’m not sure whether setters are dumb or just stubborn. We had one, once, that we took in from a relative that gave up. You couldn’t teach it anything, it drove us crazy. But, one time when we went for a Sunday visit to my in-laws, we were late getting home, it was about 10PM, and the dog hadn’t been fed. She was closed in a laundry room that was really just the end of a hallway with four doors and a closet. The dog had opened the sliding doors of the closet and lifted out a can of dog food from the case and bit around the top of the can until it got it open, and ate half the can of dog food.
Goldens: MUST be touching you at all times
Labs: WANT to touch you all the time
Chessies: MAKE you touch them when they're in the mood
Goldens: They must be Catholics (They understand the need to confess their guilt)
Labs: They must be Protestants (What guilt?)
Chessies: They must be divine (They think they sitteth at heel on the right hand of the Almighty)
Goldens: If they had a job they would be Social Workers
Labs: If they had a job they would be standup comedians
Chessies: If they had a job they'd be Blue Crab Boat Skippers
Goldens: If they could speak, they’d constantly say “I love you” And if you come home to find that the lamp is broken they’d say “broken lamp? I must have done it. I know I was outside the whole time, but I must have done it, oh no. Someone’s unhappy”
Labs: If they could speak, they’d say “love me” And if you come home to find that the lamp is broken they’d say “broken lamp? I did it. I was having tons of fun. Want to see me break the other one?”
Chessies: If they could speak, they’d say “I love you” And if you come home to find a lamp is broken they’d say “The cat did it. I was simply minding my own business. Want to see the cat break the other one?”
Goldens: hang on you
Labs: body slam you
Chessies: wear you like jewelry
Goldens: Long hair in your food, on your clothes, on your couch.
Labs: Shorter hair in your food, on your clothes, on your couch.
Chessies: Double coated hair in your food, on your clothes, on your couch and clog your vacuum cleaner.
Goldens: Brush daily
Labs: Wash and wear!
Chessies: Are rode hard and put up wet...and like it
There, fixed it.
Speaking of standard poodles, I saw one pass its HRCH. It caused quite a crowd.
I also saw a Boykin Spaniel get its HR. That had a bunch of people scratching their heads.
I'm sending it on to Carol Cassity, who is a big time Chessie trainer and retriever seminar guru. We attended one of her seminars and it was great!
We always run into a lady from Columbia SC who has a big dog truck with 12-15 Boykins on it, running at all levels. She's real good with them, and has the UKC high point Boykin, Mule, on her truck. I think he's a GRHRCH but I'm not sure.
We just got through hosting the Grand in our local club this past weekend. I worked the Banquet and came on home (didn't have motel reservations and my dogs of course aren't anywhere near that level) so I didn't see them run. But I saw from the premium list that Pam was there with a Boykin or two. (The good news is that I won a raffle for a training bag full of goodies, including 4 Avery Real Bird dummies! I never have won a raffle before in my life! I also got a really good deal in the auction on a new multi-dog E-collar! Of course, now I have to sell my old one . . . .)
Upthread I mentioned some folks in our club who have 3 Standard poodles and are trying to emulate the one who got its HRCH (and made the UKC Hunting Retriever News too). But it's not going very well for them right now - dogs don't like to get their fur wet.
I’ll take your word for it. I’m not an expert. I do know that Chows are excellent watch-dogs.
I was coming here to say the exact same thing!!! Not only is she 3rd dumbest being in the world, but she looks amazingly like the afghan hound!
Basset Hounds dumb? LOL Not a chance. They’re the most expert people-trainers ever.
These would be field tests? Sorry, I’m not a regular dog person, I guess.
Only if you ask nicely.
I was agreeing with their list until this one:
#2 Dumbest: The Basenji is considered the second least intelligent dog breed, but hey, it could be worse.
I owned a Basenji and was around another for years. I found them to be extremely intelligent.
The smartest and best dog I ever had was a bearded collie.
Best dog all around, just like an American, is a mongrel mutt!
As for beagles being dumb, I have a part beagle....stoopidist dog I ever owned.
First of all, you have two different types of tests for retrievers: Hunt Tests and Field Trials. The Field Trials are the top of the pops, really you have to have a first-class dog, send him to be trained and professionally handled, and spend a lot of money to be competitive in field trials. They are a fairly technical and rarified test of a dog's ability to "mark" - i.e. see where a shot bird falls - and get there on the straightest possible line and return on the same line no matter what. Tremendously long distances - 400 yards is pretty common - and very difficult terrain.
The dogs that are bred for field trials are the absolute top of the retriever world -- very keen, very fast, very hard-headed, and VERY expensive. Not your average goofy friendly Lab, they can be very sharp and a real handful to train.
The hunt test is intended to be more of a test of the actual hunting ability of a retriever, and to create situations that as much as possible duplicate things that might happen on an actual hunt. The dog is expected to mark - on the higher levels 2 or 3 birds fall at once, as though you were in a group shooting multiple ducks, and the dog is expected to retrieve all of them, usually in reverse order though not always. The entry level is pretty simple - the dog just does "singles" - one mark at a time, two on land and two over water. On the next level, the dog has to do a "double" - two birds fall at once - and a "blind" - be directed by whistle and hand signal to a bird that he did not see fall (again, just as though you were hunting in company and another hunter shot a bird while you and your dog were looking someplace else.) On the HRCH level, the dog is expected to "honor" another dog, that is, sit still and calm while a bird is shot right under his nose and let the other dog get it, as well as ignore a "diversion bird" - a bird that is hand thrown right in front of him as he returns with a retrieve - and so forth. The distances are reasonable (120 yards or so for a mark and 75 yards for a blind is about as much as the dogs will be asked to do) and the terrain is what you might meet in the field -- fields, open water, the occasional "stick pond" i.e. flooded timber or a flooded cornfield.
To complicate matters, there are two associations that do hunt tests. The Hunting Retriever Club, which is part of the United Kennel Club, pioneered the hunt tests, and then the AKC got on the bandwagon because the hunt tests are much more popular than the field trials. In HRC, the levels are Started (SHR), Seasoned (HR) and Finished (HRCH). A dog that has made its HRCH has done some fancy retrieving under difficult conditions. If your dog gets a certain number of qualifying points you can go to the Grand Hunting Retriever Championship, which is held twice a year at various locations in the country. Our local UKC club just finished sponsoring the Grand last weekend. That is a big, big deal -- kind of puts our club on the map.
In AKC, the levels are Junior Hunter (JH), Senior Hunter (SH) and Master Hunter (MH). The received wisdom is that SHR is easier than JH, and my personal experience bears that out. My older dog is well trained enough that she could pass a Seasoned test now, I took her on a lark to an AKC test and ran her in JH. She handled it with aplomb, but she has a LOT of experience and this is supposed to be a novice dog event but it wasn't. Out of 32 dogs that started on Saturday, only 19 went on to the water test, and quite a number flunked the water.
Friend of mine says that the UKC judges WANT your dog to pass, while the AKC judges delight in flunking you.
Please put me back on your ping list. Thanks.
I owned a full-blooded Chow Chow for 12 years. He had everything figured out. Stubborn is not stupid. He was a purple tongued devil and proud of it. LOL
“Friend of mine says that the UKC judges WANT your dog to pass, while the AKC judges delight in flunking you.”
Doesn’t speak much about AKC judges, does it? When you boil down all the twists and turns and variations, there’s really only one thing being tested: obedience.
If I told my mini doxie not to go for a piece of meat I’d dropped on the floor, I might survive to tell it but I’d be scarred for life.
I will vouch for the Border Collie’s intelligence. My dear departed Barney knew his left from his right and he would have been able to tie shoelaces had he been born with opposable thumbs. It took exactly one “slip-up” (less than 15 minutes) for him to figure out the back door led to his bathroom, he could chase down a frisbee as far as I could throw it and then would leap 6 feet in the air to catch it. He also would carry his frisbee back into the house and put it away in the closet when we were done. He also helped keep me in pretty good shape too! ;-)
Without a doubt, Barney was the most awesome animal I have ever known. Currently though, I have a black lab who is pretty darned smart in her own right. Not quite as smart as the BC, but close. She has an uncanny ability to speak using only her eyes. She’s a lover.
Now... on the other end of the spectrum, the wife has a mini dachshund. Grrrrr... That girl’s ‘bout as sharp as a bowling ball. It’s a good thing she’s cute...
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