What is the smartest dog in the world?

For the first time the list of the most intelligent dogs was made by the Canadian professor of psychology Stanley Koren in 1994, his book "Intellect of Dogs" withstood already 16 reprints and was awarded translation into 26 languages, among which Russian, unfortunately, no.

Criteria, according to which the author determined the mental abilities of dogs, only three: instinctive intelligence, adaptive intelligence and the intellect of obedience. The author himself argues that such an assessment is rather subjective, in view of the fact that many breeds were specially bred for performing certain tasks. For example, hunting and driving dogs have a lesser propensity to execute certain orders only because their main job is independence and the ability to make quick decisions. The most intelligent dog in the world, according to Stanley Koren, should be well trained and be able to carry out all orders of the owner. The Canadian identified several groups of dogs. Below are not all, but only some, the most famous species.

1. Breeds that have the lowest ability to learn. This means that the development of a team pet requires about a hundred repetitions, and on their implementation from the first time account for at least 25%. This list includes such dogs as the Basenji, the Russian Greyhound, Beagle, Pekingese, English Bulldog, Mastiff, Basset Hound, Chow Chow, Shih Tzu and others.
2. The next group are dogs with abilities below the average. They need 40-80 repetitions to memorize commands, and the completion percentage exceeds 30: Chihuahua, St. Bernard, Scotch Terrier, French Bulldog, Lionrette, Skye Terrier, Pug, Chinese Crested Dog and others.
3. Average ability to train (25-40 repetitions, and 50% success) was shown by such dogs as Australian Shepherd, Irish Wolfhound, Pointer, Fox Terrier, American and English Foxhound, Greyhound, Sharpey, Boxer, Great Dane, Dachshund, Pointer, Siberian Husky and others.
4. Next comes a list of breeds that are close to the title "the most intelligent dog in the world". These are representatives of breeds whose ability to train, judging by judges of the United States and Canada, are judged above the average: Yorkshire Terrier, Bearded Collie, Australian Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Dalmatian, English setter, Samoyed dog.
5. Before the title of "the most intelligent dog in the world" dogs with excellent abilities did not hold out: Pomeranian Spitz, Bernese Mountain Dog, English Cocker Spaniel, Kurzhaar, American Cocker Spaniel, Belgian Shepherd, Mittelschnauzer, Collie, Zwergschnauzer, Welsh Corgi.
6. And finally, dogs that have excellent abilities for training. They need less than 5 repetitions to learn a new team, while the percentage of their performance ranges from 95% or higher. In the category "the most intelligent small breeds of dogs" the representatives of the breed papillon (8th place) and poodle (2nd) are in the lead. However, as already noted above, obedience is not the most necessary quality for indoor dogs. Here the palm tree belongs to service dogs: German Shepherd (3rd place), Rottweiler (9th), Labrador (7), Doberman (5). The title "the most intelligent dog in the world" was awarded to a shepherd breed - a border collie.