Discover the 7 smartest dog breeds. Did your pup make the list?
Determining the smartest dog breeds is difficult. That’s because how you decide canine intelligence can vary.
Do you consider dogs that are obedient and follow commands to be the smartest?
Are dogs that know lots of words more intelligent? Or are stubborn dogs who understand what you want but choose to do otherwise really more intelligent?
Research shows dogs demonstrate several types of brainpower, including instinctive, interpersonal, spatial, working, kinaesthetic, and adaptive intelligence.
Understanding canine intelligence: The four key types
If you want an intelligent pet, here’s our list of the seven smartest dog breeds.
Border Collie
The Border Collie is the premier sheepherder. These workaholic dogs earn their place on the smartest dog breeds list for their intelligence and instinct.
This breed is also affectionate with family members and is good with young children. If you have another dog in your house, these herding dogs can be your older dog’s best mate.
Border Collies have a high adaptive intelligence quotient and show their smarts by remembering and learning from past situations. Here’s why the breed is smart:
- Ability to remember commands and words
- Enjoys getting daily work or tasks
- Initially bred for sheep herding, the dogs are adaptive and good problem solvers
- Often cast in TV shows and films. Remember the herding dogs in “Babe“?
- Able to adapt to challenging situations and work as rescue and search dogs.
Poodle
Poodles are intelligent and active, with a natural ability to retrieve items from water. That’s why people initially used poodles for duck hunting. Their powerful noses and inquisitiveness make poodles a choice for truffle hunting.
Poodles are easy to train and quickly show their abilities to obey, track, retrieve, and hunt.
The dogs learn new commands quickly and follow 95% of commands, while most follow only 50% of orders.
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a top choice for an intelligent guard dog. Police and the military often use dogs for their intelligence and instincts.
The German Shepherd has a tiny brain compared to humans, but it shows that even small things can be powerful. The dogs have large prefrontal cortices, which give them exceptional problem-solving skills.
The American Kennel Club ranks the German Shepherd among the most popular breeds. This herding dog also makes an excellent companion or family dog.
Their intelligence and explosive energy make German Shepherds ideal candidates for advanced training.
German Shepherds can be trained to help people with disabilities, such as vision or hearing impairments, or those who have seizures.
Labrador Retriever
Don’t let the Labrador retriever’s goofy smile fool you. This dog makes the smartest dog breeds list because it’s intelligent and competitive.
The dogs make ideal companions for rigorous sporting activities. Their instincts make Labs natural hunters.
Labradors, like poodles, learn commands quickly and obey 95% of the time. People consider Labradors as bright as a young child, and they can learn about 250 words. These tricksters also deceive other dogs and humans during playtime.
Because Labradors are gentle and easy to train, they often work as service dogs for visually impaired people. Labs are excellent therapy dogs often used to comfort people after crimes or disasters.
Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog is also a herding dog that responds well to obedience training. Also known as Blue Heelers or Queensland Heelers, this compact breed is related to Australia’s famous wild Dingo.
The dogs are agile, intelligent, and energetic. Australian Cattle Dogs enjoy challenging training sessions. But be warned, these wily dogs can routinely outsmart their owners.
Because they are among the smartest dog breeds, Australian Cattle Dogs need plenty of mental stimulation. You can challenge your dog with interactive toys.
If you don’t keep this breed challenged, you risk developing problem behaviors like barking.
Australian Shepherd
Yet another herding dog on this list, the Australian Shepherd, like the Border Collie, is intelligent, energetic, and intuitive.
The dogs learn new commands quickly, but they also know the breed is stubborn. Your Aussie may understand what you want him to do, but that doesn’t always mean he’ll follow the command.
For example, Sydney, my Aussie-Corgi mix, hated the command stay. She’d wiggle and roll over as a puppy when told to stay in one spot.
As an adult, she often got underfoot in the kitchen, so I’d walk her to the doorway and tell her to stay. She’d last a minute or two, then walk to the other entrance and stretch out there. She obeyed the command to stay out of the kitchen but did it in her own way.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Originally bred to herd cattle, these short, energetic dogs are long on brainpower. They quickly learn commands and are excellent problem solvers. There’s a reason these little scamps have long been a favorite of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.
The dogs quickly learn to navigate obstacles.
My dog Nutmeg is different from other dogs. When a toy gets stuck under a chair, most dogs use their paws to push it further back.
But Nutmeg is clever. She twists and grabs the toy with her mouth to free it herself.
Although Corgis can learn many tasks, they can also be stubborn and may not want to perform on command. Or they may want to do things their way rather than yours.
When Nutmeg was recovering after straining a tendon in her right back leg. We had a series of exercises she needed to do each day to strengthen her legs, hips, core, and back.
Some exercises she enjoyed, others she hated. While she would usually do all of them, sometimes, when I commanded one, she substituted one of her favorites.
So instead of getting down on a stretch forward, she would do a quick rollover and then spring up, as if to say, “Ta-da!”
How to spot intelligence in your dog
You don’t need a purebred from this list to have a smart dog. Every dog shows intelligence in their own way.
Here’s how to recognize and nurture your pet’s brainpower:
Signs of a smart dog
Quick problem-solving: Your dog figures out how to reach toys, open doors, or access treats without your help.
Command retention: They remember commands even after weeks without practice.
Emotional awareness: Your dog responds to your mood changes and offers comfort when you’re upset.
Creative disobedience: They understand what you want but find clever workarounds (like Sydney staying out of the kitchen by using a different entrance).
Contextual learning: Your dog behaves differently at the vet than at the park, showing that they understand different situations require different behaviors.
Nurture your dog’s intelligence
Vary training routines: Keep your dog mentally engaged by teaching new tricks or commands regularly, not just repeating the same ones.
Use puzzle toys: Interactive feeders and puzzle toys challenge your dog’s problem-solving abilities.
Play hide-and-seek: Hide treats or toys around the house to encourage their natural hunting and tracking instincts.
Socialize regularly: Exposure to different people, dogs, and environments builds social intelligence.
Reward creative thinking: When your dog solves a problem independently, praise them even if it wasn’t exactly what you intended.
Remember, intelligence isn’t just about obedience. A stubborn dog who chooses when to follow commands may actually be showing high adaptive intelligence by making independent decisions.
Find the smartest dog for your lifestyle
Sara B. Hansen has spent 20-plus years as a professional editor and writer. She’s also the author of The Complete Guide to Cocker Spaniels. She created her dream job by launching DogsBestLife.com in 2011. Sara grew up with family dogs, and since she bought her first house, she’s had a furry companion or two to help make it a home. She shares her heart and home with Nutmeg, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Her previous dogs: Sydney (September 2008-April 2020), Finley (November 1993-January 2008), and Browning (May 1993-November 2007). You can reach Sara @ editor@dogsbestlife.com.