Top 10 Smartest and Dumbest Dog Breeds - Some interesting choices.
Meh. It looks to me like they were going with most popular dogs. I’d like to know what they’re basing intelligence on.
That being said, I think my Boston Terrier’s pretty darn smart and he wasn’t even on the list. pout 
I can believe that popularity counts; they put Golden Retrievers high up on the smart list. Most of the Golden Retrievers that I’ve met are rock dumb. Very sweet and lovable, but dumb.
I’ve known a really smart Golden, who was a guide dog. Then you have my mom’s Golden, who is dumber than a box of rocks. Sweet as all heck, but there’s nothing going on upstairs there!
I have two labs - the black one is smart as a whip and the yellow one is more, shall we say, one stop ahead of the short bus. 
This delights me a little, if only for the fact that I have the displeasure of knowing some people who breed Afghan hounds who are the most insufferable, snotty pricks about how awesome their (imho) funny-looking, aloof, conceited dogs are. Good to see some confirmation that their irritating pride is misplaced.
Even as a puppy, this poodle knows she’s smarter than you are.
Half grown, she’s smart enough to take other dogs for a walk.
My uncle had an Afghan. Dumbest thing in the world.
That picture of the Afghan made me want to smack somebody. Geez, who DOES that to an innocent animal?
In case anyone doesn’t want to click through the whole thing:
Smartest[ol][li]Border collie (most intelligent)[]Poodle[]German shepherd[]Golden retriever[]Doberman pinscher[]Shetland sheepdog[]Labrador retriever[]Papillon[]Rottweiler[]Australian cattle dog[/ol]Dumbest[ol][]Afghan hound (stupidest)[]Basenji[]Bulldog[]Chow chow[]Borzoi[]Bloodhound[]Pekingese[]Mastiff[]Beagle[*]Basset hound[/ol][/li]Yeah, I agree it’s a total popularity contest. (Where’s the Australian shepherd? Figured the Australian cattle dog would cover it?)
On the other hand, the beagle is the 5th most popular breed in America, and it gets on the ‘stupid’ list. Ooh, and the bulldog is #12 on the popularity list, and it’s way at the top of the stupid list.
On yet a third hand, the top-10 most popular and the top-10 “most intelligent” lists have ::counts:: four overlapping breeds (Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden retriever, poodle). So that’s more indicative of bias in the article.
On the fourth and final hand (these are dogs, after all), perhaps there’s selection bias. That is, the breeds are popular because of their intelligence?
But you see, bulldogs drool and everyone knows only drool=stupidity. 
Lab = friendly, playful.
German shephard = highly trainable, loyal.
Golden retriever = playful, sporty, friendly.
Poodle = Topiariable? I have nothing.
Intelligence likely plays a factor, but for the vast majority of dog-owners, there’s something else specific to their chosen breed that appeals to them.
FWIW, the lists are taken from the rankings in Stanley Coren’s book “The Intelligence of Dogs” (1994), which were based on questionnaires completed by 199 obedience judges from the American & Canadian Kennel Clubs.
Owner of two BTs, checking in. Thank you for sparing me the bother of reading the list only to be disappointed that Boston Terrorists are not even on the list.
That said… I have a bumper sticker (not on my car) that says “My boston terrier is smarter than your honor student.” In most cases… I think that’s usually true.
Coursing dogs, tracking hunting dogs and flock protecting dogs have been traditionally been considered “dumb.”
Herding dogs, the “working” breeds and ( perhaps to a lesser extent ) retrieving hunting dogs have traditionally been considered “smart.” Or at least smarter.
The division is based mostly on the responsiveness of breeds to commands and instructions from humans. Border Collies get that high ranking because they have been bred to actively respond to commands and thus are easy to train. A herd protection dog like a Komondor on the other hand has been bred to hang out with sheep all day without active oversite and chase away predators. They don’t need, nor did they get, much in the way of training. Coursing and tracking dogs are supposed to be single-minded, relentless pursuers moving ahead of their human minders - again response to verbal commands is not at a premium.
Toy dogs were usually just bred by rich people to look neat, more or less - intelligence I would imagine is pretty random. I’ve never known a Papillon, so I have no idea on those guys ;).
It may be that having to be responsive to human instruction does actually make for a more analytical doggy consciousness, however limited. But ultimately our concept of intelligence in canines pretty much comes down to trainability and may not reflect the reality of what lurks in the dark, diseased mind of your average psychopathic Chow Chow :p.
Despite my limited experience (dog owner since 2005), I vehemently disagree with the notion that obedience = intelligence. IMHO, it’s the creative ways in which dogs can be disobedient or know intuitively that mama’s not happy that measures a dog’s intelligence.
Dogzilla, I want that bumper sticker!
Boston Terrorist indeed!
I am 99% sure that the picture of the labrador retriever is actually a mother golden and her pup. Lab puppies aren’t that fuzzy. And the mom looks like she has a fluffy chest like a golden.
Anyone else agree or am I seeing things??
Nope - I agree. Sure looks like Goldens to me.
And that’s why I’d put beagles and basset hounds on the other list! They may not be terribly trainable, but they are not stupid. They have dozens of clever and unique ways of getting into trouble, and they’re smart enough to know that you can’t really *make *them do anything. They’re like the incorrigible teenage delinquents of dogdom!
Komondors not be intelligent, but for God’s sake, they have natural dreadlocks! How many dogs can you say that for?
And now you know why I am Dogzilla.
The IRL dogzilla steals shit. From me, from people, from other dogs. She’ll fake you out on purpose. Run to the window and bark like mad, so you’ll get up to see what she’s barking about. As soon as you get up, she jumps down and runs to the spot you were sitting in. It was all a ploy to get the warm spot on the couch. :dubious: Tell me that’s not smart.
My dog used to do that exact same thing!! He would run to the back door & bark to be let out and when we would get up to unlock the door, he’d run back and jump right onto the chair we had been sitting on!