Smartest Medium-sized Dogs

We all know that dogs are very intelligent but which breed is the smartest? Without accurate and scientific ways of measuring a dog's intelligence like our IQ tests, we can only deduce a dog's intelligence based on the observations and experiences of dog trainers and dog owners. Based on research by Stanley Coren, the renowned author of The Intelligence of Dogs,

- the average dog can understand about 165 words, including signs, signals and gestures. They can also count to about 5...
- The smartest dogs, he calls them the "super breeds," are on par with a 2½-year old, recognizing up to 250 words...
More in article.

And what are these "super breeds", the answer below:

1. Border Collie *

2. Poodle *

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever *

5. Doberman Pinscher

6. Shetland Sheepdog

7. Labrador Retriever

8. Papillon

9. Rottweiler

10. Australian Cattle Dog *

* medium dog breeds

Four medium-sized breeds have made it into this list including the No. 1 smartest dog breed of all - the Border Collie. Guess it's good to be medium-sized isn't it :-)

However, dogs that do not make it into the super smart club do not need to be disheartened, some are simply too independent and have too much personality to learn and obey commands readily. And since canine intelligence is typically measured by how easily the dog is able to master commands, it is little wonder that such canines are labelled as "unintelligent", when they are not.

Source:
http://www.petmedsonline.org/top-10-smartest-dogs-in-the-world.html, http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/07/smart.dogs/index.html,
http://www.stanleycoren.com/e_intelligence.htm

Tags: smartest dog breeds, medium dogs, medium-sized dogs, intelligence of dogs.