[oranges]

Hi,

I was watching Judge Alex and there was this woman with a toy poodle that said it couldn't be a poodle because the dog is dumb. That is besides the point, but what she also said was that poodles are the second smartest dogs. Border collies are the smartest. Is this true, I had always assumed that labs are the smartest dogs. So is it true, that borders are the smartest and poodles are number two in the area of smartness?

Mike

[emma_pen]

I guess it depends what you mean by 'smart'. Different breeds are very intelligent for different reasons. Labradors are intelligent for one purpose, Collies are intelligent and focused for another.

[ILOVEDOGS:)]

It also depends on how the trainer is, the dogs upbringing, if the dog is introduced to different things, etc. Their really is no one breed that is smarter than another. I know people say their is, but it's just really goes by what breeds are more common. Their is no scientific proof.

[petshopgirl]

I have found that dogs can be like people. Some are smart, some are not so smart. I've seen poodles that are big show offs and others that are shy. I see how border collies can be really smart but I feel that if you want a smart border collie you should be active in training it properly. Labs can be smart but I have seen so many different personalities in labs. I think people like them because they are good family dogs.

Some smart dogs are incredible con artists and nothing can get by them (like the dogs that know how to unlatch doors and undo locks).

[Halious]

Some dog breeds are smarter than others. It is true that stimulation and handling are important in expanding a dog's intelligence, but some breeds are predisposed to intelligence. The pure breeds tend to be dumber than mutts, from my experience. However this is not true in all cases. Larger dogs seem to comprehend anything you try to teach them better than the smaller toy breeds. This is because the mass inbreeding programs practiced centuries ago, in order to turn these dogs into 5 pound decorations, have effected the capacity of these dogs to grasp concepts of every day living. To answer your question about smartest breeds(I assume you mean pure bred dogs); The poodle and labrador are far from the top. The border collie, though fairly smart, doesn't deserve top spot. You see when people refer to "smart dogs", they usually refer to trainability. Trainability has little to do with intelligence. Think about it. Is it smarter to sit on command, or to ask "why should I sit?"? Border collies and poodles are both quite easy to train. But if you fall through the ice and scream a command they have never heard before, like "HELP" they will stare at you with a dumbfounded look, and probably run a course of commands they know trying to make you happy, while you freeze to death.

True intelligence lies in dogs such as Alaskan malamutes and St. Bernards. Dogs which can assess the situation, and act accordingly(i.e. grab your sleeve, pull you from the water and lead you to shelter). Dogs with the capability to think for themselves are, perhaps not as much of an asset as a trainable dog, in day to day life, but they will be better companions if you don't need a dog for a specific purpose. So if you need a dog to heard sheep, get a border collie. To retrieve game from water, a poodle(full size. toy poodles are useless little s***s) or labrador is a good choice. If you really want a smart dog, go for a dog with a proven track record for independant thought(primarly the medium to large working breeds and especially the primitive breeds). I Don't know if you will read this since the thread is a year old, but I thought I might shed some light on a thread where all I hear is "It all depends on how you train them."(except you emma. you were on the right track. just a little vague). Anyway, everyone have a good day. Laters

[timalee maccausland]

it's not really the breed, its the dog i think. but if we are going by breed dobermans are very smart.

[holly girl]

As I can see I would say border collies and Siberian huskies are very or highly intelligent animals. The husky is not as easy to train but allot more independent, and likely to survive if needed on his own.

[ecolover]

I own a lab puppy. She is very, very intelligent! May be they are the smartest dogs.