When posed with the question if you want an intelligent dog or not, most are bound to answer “Yes.” Of course everyone wants a smart companion that can solve problems and figure things out just like in the movies. Right?

To be able to answer the question, we first have to define intelligence – there are different types of smarts, both in people and in pets. When it comes to dogs, we normally classify three types:

Instinctive Intelligence is what a dog is bred to do, and does naturally without special training. Herding breeds, for example, will often herd without being trained to do so.

Adaptive Intelligence is what a dog can learn by itself.

Obedience Intelligence is what a dog can be taught to do.

Most people think of obedience intelligence when discussing dog smarts, but there are more factors that weigh into that category than just brainpower. Some breeds are, for instance, more willing to please humans than others, and they will be easier to train.

Dogs with a high adaptive intelligence are good at figuring things out. That can be great in many situations – and not so great when the dog teaches itself to open doors and drawers.

When you decide what breed to get, think of what you really want from your dog. Do you want a high-energy brainac, or someone that will learn tricks and do what you tell them?

Which breed is smartest?

Border Collies are generally considered the smartest dogs. They rank high in all three forms of intelligence.

Afghan Hounds are considered the least smart when it comes to obedience intelligence. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the dumbest when it comes to adaptive intelligence.

Cats are generally smarter than dogs when it comes to adaptive intelligence, and they’re really good at using their paws. Dogs are more willing to be trained and score higher on obedience intelligence.

Just how smart is a dog?

The average pooch can learn 165 words. The smarter breeds can learn around 250 words, and the smartest (Border Collies) over 1,000 words. On top of that, dogs have an understanding of basic arithmetic. Depending on breed they can count at least up to four or five, and they understand addition and subtraction.

Many believe that dogs don’t understand time, but that’s not entirely true. We haven’t been able to measure a dog’s perception of time, but they certainly know that some events happen in order.

Can I make my dog smarter?

Yes, a dog’s brain needs training just like a human’s. Dogs raised in a stimulating environment will learn faster and become smarter than dogs that are raised in a boring environment. New challenges and experiences help develop the brain.

Buying a toy for the pooch can be much like buying a present for a toddler – the box turns out to be more interesting than what’s in it. 

We’ve written several posts about dog toys before, discussing examples of good dog toys, whether dog toys are important, and how to get the most out of dog toys, but there’s still one aspect to cover: what dogs like.

Dogs are very much individuals, and toys that appeal to one dog might do nothing for another. Some dogs think a tennis ball is bliss, others find it completely uninteresting. Personal preferences aside, most dogs agree that toys that taste good, make noise, or can be torn apart are interesting. Hard and quiet toys are less interesting that soft and noisy toys.

Dogs need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise, and new toys are more interesting than old toys. For that reason it can be a good idea to keep most of your dog’s toys tucked away and rotate them on a weekly basis – that way they will stay interesting longer.

Dogs are more interested when their person plays with them. If we’re exceed, they’re excited. Playing alone is pretty boring, but playing with their human is the best thing ever.

Naturally, keep an eye on your dog when playing with toys that can be torn apart and swallowed.

Some people have a decidedly sunnier outlook on life than others who tend to expect the worst. Up until most of us have thought this is a human trait, but it turns out that dogs can also have a predisposition towards optimism or pessimism.

This new information comes from the University of Sydney, and started as a doggy personality test to determine the best service dogs for particular tasks. Dogs with a more pessimistic look on life tend to be more careful and reluctant to take risks – which makes them better guide dogs for the disabled.

Optimistic dogs are more persistent and tend to do better in, for instance, search-and-rescue settings where a pessimistic dog might give up. The optimistic dogs also recover quicker when something bad happens.

//youtu.be/gpUyrmpdfvI