15 Smartest Dog Breeds for the Ultimate Canine Companion

The amazing intelligence of dogs is one of the many reasons why they are man’s best friends. Still, there’s also quite a bit of variation between different dog breeds. Are some dogs less intelligent than others? Let’s go over the Top 15 intelligent dog breeds.

1. Border Collie

The Border Collie is widely recognized as the most intelligent dog breed known to man. Dozens of later crossbreeds were made with this breed specifically because of how impressively smart this British herding dog is. Most modern Australian breeds, in particular, tend to have at least a tinge of the Border Collie in them, so it’s not surprising that many of them also rank very high in dog intelligence charts such as this one.

2. German Shepherd

When most people think of intelligent dogs their minds almost always go straight to the German Shepherd. And that’s not an accident nor is it undeserved. This shepherd breed has done almost any canine job humanity has invented with great success – herding, guard and watchdog duties, police and military dog, service and support animal, and so on. So, while the German Shepherd loses narrowly to the Border Collie in most intelligence, trainability, and obedience training competitions, it’s always a very close second.

3. Poodle

The Poodle is often objectified as just a pretty breed for wanna-be aristocrats because of how gorgeous its hair is, especially when cut and styled by a groomer. However, many people fail to consider just how insanely smart these dogs are. A pure water retriever breed, the Poodle is narrowly beating the other popular retriever breeds in terms of intelligence, as well as obedience, trainability, and sociability. So, if you thought that all those “doodle” crossbreeds exist only because of the Poodle’s coat, think again and don’t underestimate this breed’s IQ.

4. Golden Retriever

A close second among the retriever/gun dog breeds and fourth overall, the Golden Retriever is another impressively smart canine. These dogs’ fantastically social nature prevented them from being used as guard, watch, or police/military dogs, however, together with #6 on this list, they are the quintessential service/support dogs for a reason.

5. Shetland Sheepdog

Many people rank Shelties higher and it is true that #5 feels almost low for this awesome breed. Still, it’s a well-deserved Top 5 place for this awesome shepherd breed. While they are not as popular pets as some other breeds here, likely because of the “sheepdog” tag or their huge coats, Shelties do make for wonderful family pets and super intelligent pets to interact and have fun with.

6. Labrador Retriever

The breed most people think of when they hear about “retrievers”, the lab’s intelligence is never in question. Like the Goldie, labs are widely used as service animals, as well as hunting dog companions, and they are also the most popular pet dog breed in recent years. Although there is some debate about the intelligence of the different lab colors. Many claim that black labs are the smartest as they are preferred for hunting, yellow labs are the most social ones, which is why they are preferred as service dogs, and brown labs are most often chosen as family pets. This might just be selection bias, however, and all three lab colors are incredibly intelligent anyway.

7. Papillion

This breed might surprise some as many people don’t associate small dog breeds with high intelligence. While there is some partial truth behind this stigma – shepherd and retriever dogs tend to be the smartest breeds and they are mostly large – the Papillion does deserve its place here. Dogs from this breed consistently top many charts and obedience competitions, and they are the ideal choice for anyone who wants an extra smart but extra small pet dog.

8. Doberman Pinscher

Another breed out of the mold so far, Dobermans are mostly used as guard and working dogs, not as shepherds or retrievers. Still, their high intelligence is undeniable as long as you have the firm and experienced approach the breed needs. So, while smart, the Doberman is not recommended for beginners.

9. Rottweiler

What we said about the Doberman can pretty much be said about the Rottweiler too. These dogs may have originally started as cattle dogs in the days of Ancient Rome but since then they’ve mostly been used as guard dogs, which means that they need to be excellently socialized to be safe around strangers. With the right owner, however, the Rottie’s incredible intelligence can shine and make it into a phenomenal pet.

10. Australian Cattle Dog

A unique cross between the native Australian Dingo and several European breeds including the Border Collie, the Australian Cattle dog is a highly intelligent, gorgeous, very energetic, hard-working, and fun pet. Like most Australian breeds, it is not overly popular outside of the Land Down Under but it definitely should be.

11. English Springer Spaniel

Another frequently underestimated gun dog breed, the Spaniel barely misses on the Top 10 but is right up there with the smartest canines on the planet. Social, active, trainable, and obedient, English Springer Spaniels are great for first-time owners and experienced ones as well.

12. Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Corgis may be famous for their stumpy legs and for being the Queen of England’s favorite breed but did you know that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is actually a herding dog breed? The same goes for the Cardigan Welsh Corgi too, even though people don’t pay as much attention to that Corgi type. And, as a (former) herding breed, the Corgi indeed boasts impressive intelligence.

13. Belgian Tervuren

A close relative to the German Shepherd, the Tervuren is about as intelligent too. The breed is slowly rising in popularity too as people are becoming more and more aware of the German Shepherd’s inherent health problems and want a similarly gorgeous and smart dog with better health. If this sounds appealing to you, definitely consider the Belgian Tervuren. And if the extra fluffy coat scares you, keep in mind that the German Shepherd is also a major shedder – it’s no accident that they are called “German Shedders”. So, a Tervuren isn’t actually worse in this regard either.

14. Miniature Schnauzer

Schnauzers are rarely associated with intelligence but they should be. They are the highest-ranking terrier breed in terms of intelligence and that’s because – unlike most other terriers – the schnauzers have also been used for and bred for other working tasks too. So, from another point of view, they are here as a working dog breed more so than as a terrier breed.

For you, as a pet owner, this likely doesn’t matter much and the main takeaway is that schnauzers are incredibly smart and fun to live with. Still, their inherent terrier-like stubbornness means that a bit of experience or know-how in raising a canine is welcome.

15. Belgian Shepherd

Another close cousin to the German Shepherd and the Belgian Tervuren, the Belgian Shepherd boasts a lot of the same qualities, including the very high intelligence. You may have also heard about the Belgian Malinois – often cited as a separate breed, the Malinois is a sub-breed of the Belgian Shepherd and also impresses with its intelligence. That’s why Malinois dogs are more and more often replacing German Shepherds as police and military dogs – they have comparable intelligence, more athletic bodies, more energy, and much better health.

Of course, all this needs to be taken with a few pinches of salt. For starters, like people, dogs are individuals. This means that can easily have a Border Collie that’s stubborn, doesn’t like training, and seems disinterested in learning even the most basic commands or playing tricks. Much in the same way, you can be easily surprised by the ingenuity of many breeds we don’t often associate with high intelligence such as dachshunds or pugs.

This leads to a second factor people often fail to consider – how do we actually measure dogs’ intelligence? And the answer is – by measuring their trainability and obedience through tests and competitions. And this is fine but there’s a catch – trainability and obedience aren’t exactly the same as intelligence. After all, that’s not how we measure intelligence in people - you’d hardly describe many of the smartest people known to history as “trainable” and “obedient”.

So, who is to say how smart scent hound breeds like the dachshund really are? It’s to be expected that they are not overly obedient, after all – they are scent hounds, they weren’t bred to be obedient. In fact, most Doxie owners would testify that their dogs are disturbingly ingenious and resourceful when they decide to be explicitly disobedient. So, could it be that we’ve got it all wrong?

Regardless, when most people look for an “intelligent” pet, they do mean a dog that they can train and teach things. So, even if our measurements aren’t entirely adequate, the 15 breeds above are indeed the most trainable, obedient, and interactive pet dog breeds you can find.