Public opinion reflects new stance
Origin: Afghanistan
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
This ancient dog breed has a high prey drive, which means training it requires a lot of patience and perseverance.
Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Playful and energetic, the breed's independent nature makes it hard to train, though they learn quickly.
Origin: China
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Aloof and independent, chow chows learn quickly but they are also not exactly known for being obedient.
Origin: Russia/Belarus
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Independent and quiet, borzois aren't the easiest to train as they become bored quickly with repetitive tasks.
Origin: China
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Pekingese dogs are their own boss and they often see themselves as the king of the home, so training is best accomplished when owners set boundaries.
Origin: Great Britain/France
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Devoted and tenacious, they need activities to be engaging to keep their interest.
Origin: China
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Shih tzus are obstinate, but when trained properly, they pick up on commands easily.
Origin: United Kingdom
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Bullmastiffs need an authoritative voice and consistency during training as they tend to be stubborn.
Origin: China (Tibet)
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Obedient and alert, lhasa apso dogs need positive reinforcement as they tend to be obstinate.
Origin: Mexico
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Chihuahuas are lively, devoted, and eager to learn.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Active and protective, these dogs need to be trained from a young age as they tend to be stubborn.
Origin: Italy/Switzerland
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars
Tied with: Scottish terrier.
These gentle giants can also be stubborn and must be trained when young.
Origin: France/Spain
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Confident and fearless, this breed needs to be trained in a calm, consistent, and patient manner.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Old English sheepdogs are competitive dogs and learn quickly.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Tied with: Japanese Chin, Tibetan terrier, Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, and Dandie Dinmont terrier.
Lakeland terriers need engaging activities, but they learn easily.
Origin: China/Africa
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
This breed is intelligence and easy to train, though they need a gentle approach.
Origin: Italy
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Italian greyhounds learn easily, though they might become stubborn without consistency.
Origin: Belgium
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars
Tied with: Maltese.
Alert but inquisitive, these dogs can be relatively difficult to train as they can be quite self-important.
Origin: China
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Intelligent and friendly, pugs can be stubborn at times but generally do well obedience training.
Origin: Wales
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Norfolk terrier.
Fearless and even-tempered, these dogs can be quite reluctant, making training challenging.
Origin: Scotland
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Training these fearless dogs requires patience and perseverance.
Origin: Japan
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Boston terrier.
Alert and responsive, Akita dogs learn tricks easily.
Origin: Spain
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Welsh terrier and Irish terrier.
Ibizan hounds learn quickly and eagerly, but they can be stubborn at times, so they do best with firm commands.
Origin: Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia)
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Loyal and intelligent, these dogs are also strong-willed and stubborn.
Origin: China
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Tied with: wire fox terrier and whippet.
Shar-Peis become bored easily, so they need diverse and interesting activities.
Origin: United States
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Friendly and devoted, Alaskan malamutes are eager to learn and please.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Staffordshire bull terrier.
Clever but stubborn, dachshunds learn quickly but need a firm voice.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Great Dane.
Boxers are trained easily as they learn very quickly.
Origin: Scotland
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Scottish deerhound.
Westies are friendly but independent and learn quickly if properly instructed.
Origin: Netherlands/Germany
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: greyhound, American foxhound, otterhound, English foxhound, and Tibetan spaniel.
Its intelligence and eager-to-please nature means this breed learns very quickly.
Origin: Russia
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: King Charles spaniel and bichon frise.
Independent and stubborn, huskies tend to only follow obeys that make sense to them in the moment.
Origin: United Kingdom
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: American water spaniel, black-and-tan coonhound, and German wirehaired pointer.
Social and gentle, these dogs learn quickly and can be trained easily if done properly.
Origin: Iran/Egypt
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Finnish Spitz and pointer.
Aloof and reserved, salukis are hard to train but can be taught to be obedient.
Origin: United States
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Kuvasz.
Aussies learn easily and quickly as they are eager to please.
Origin: Ireland
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: curly-coated retriever.
Patient and thoughtful, these dogs learn easily.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: soft-coated wheaten terrier and smooth fox terrier.
These intelligent dogs learn quickly but they can be stubborn at times.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Energetic and sensitive, these intelligent dogs learn easily.
Origin: Malta/Egypt
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: clumber spaniel, English setter, miniature pinscher, Australian silky terrier, and affenpinscher.
These dogs are intelligent, playful, and sociable, making them easy to train.
Origin: Norway
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
While very intelligent, the Norwegian elkhound is also very independent.
Origin: Ireland
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: Kerry blue terrier and cairn terrier.
Energetic and independent, these dogs learn quickly but need adequate amount of space to thrive.
Origin: Scotland
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars
Tied with: bearded collie, American Staffordshire terrier, Australian terrier, Newfoundland, and field spaniel.
Alert and confident, the Gordon setter needs an affectionate approach to training.
Origin: Russia
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Samoyed dogs get bored easily, so they need varied and engaging activities.
Origin: Wales
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Intelligent but stubborn, this breed needs a firm approach to training.
Origin: France
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: border terrier.
Obedient and loyal, the briard is intelligent and eager to please.
Origin: United Kingdom
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: Bouvier des Flandres.
These terriers learn quickly as they understand commands easily.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
They learn fast, but they are strong-willed and stubborn at times.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: puli and Chesapeake Bay retriever.
As a terrier, Yorkies tend to be stubborn and independent despite being intelligent.
Origin: Wales
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Companionable and devoted, corgis learn easily and are eager to learn new commands.
Origin: Hungary
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
The Vizsla is happy to learn and eager to please, but it can be stubborn.
Origin: Ireland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Inquisitive and intelligent, the Irish water spaniel learns very quickly, but it only responds to its handler.
Origin: Germany/Poland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These extroverted dogs are fairly easy to train as they are eager to please.
Origin: Switzerland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: Malinois.
These faithful dogs are also eager learners.
Origin: US/UK
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These dogs are eager to learn as well as sociable and trusting.
Origin: France
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Intelligence and obedient, the Brittany is easy to train and well-behaved.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: English cocker spaniel and flat-coated retriever.
These dogs learn fast and are eager to learn, but the can have stubborn tendencies.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
This highly trainable breed is intelligent, obedient, and cooperative.
Origin: Netherlands/Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: rough collie.
Agile and obedient, this breed is known for listening to new commands and learning quickly.
Origin: Belgium
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars
Tied with: Groenendael.
Independent and curious, the schipperke is intelligent, albeit stubborn.
Origin: Belgium
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Attentive and protective, these dogs learn very quickly.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Fearless and obedient, these schnauzers are fast learners.
Origin: Wales
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These corgis require few repetitions to learn new commands.
Origin: Australia
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Responsive and alert, the Australian cattle dog is willing and able to learn a wide variety of tricks.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Independent and fearless, rottweilers are highly intelligent but also dominant, so handlers have have a firm voice.
Origin: France
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These little dogs are intelligent, obedient, and eager to learn.
Origin: Canada
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Labs consistently ranks at the top of most popular breeds thanks to their nature that combines intelligence, sweetness, and sociability.
Origin: Scotland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Gentle and responsive, these dogs are good listeners and fast learners.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Fierce and obedient, these dogs need few repetitions to learn a new command.
Origin: Scotland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Confident, kind, and reliable, golden retrievers learn very quickly and are extremely adaptable.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Watchful and obedient, these dogs are famous for their workaholic personalities.
Origin: Germany/France
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These incredibly smart dogs quickly understand what is expected of them and can learn a wide variety of tricks and games.
Origin: United Kingdom/Ireland
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
These famously intelligent dogs owe their learning capabilities to their tenacious and responsive nature.
See also: Fur-tastic hacks: time-saving tricks for pet parents
Origin: Belgium, France, England, or Scotland
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Gentle but stubborn, bloodhounds can be pretty reluctant to learn new tricks, but they absolutely can.
Origin: Croatia
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
Dalmatians love to be praised, thus learn easily. But they need discipline.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 4 of 5 stars.
The Manchester terrier is discerning, loyal, and learns easily.
Origin: Germany
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Energetic and powerful, the Weimaraner learns quickly but can be quite stubborn.
Origin: France
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Keen and patient, French bulldogs are quick to learn simple tasks.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 5 of 5 stars.
Playful but alert, these spaniels are always ready to please.
The following dogs are classified as "above average working dogs." They require from 100 to 500 repetitions to learn new commands and obey a first command 20% of the time or better.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars
Tied with: Mastiff.
Beagles are intelligent but independent, which makes training somewhat challenging. Once trained, they're highly obedient.
Origin: England
Intelligence: 3 of 5 stars.
Jovial and sociable, bulldogs can also be incredibly stubborn.
Dog breeds are broken down into all kinds of categories to help owners understand the ones that make the best fit for them. One of those categories is intelligence, which can be helpful when you're looking for a working dog, among other reasons. The website Dog Breeds List ranks breeds according to the animals' ability to understand and obey first commands. For example, those in the top 10 need fewer than five repetitions and obey the first command 95% of the time.
Click through the gallery and find out how your best friend ranks.
How smart is your dog? This breed intelligence ranking will tell
How clever is your furry friend?
LIFESTYLE Dogs
Dog breeds are broken down into all kinds of categories to help owners understand the ones that make the best fit for them. One of those categories is intelligence, which can be helpful when you're looking for a working dog, among other reasons. The website Dog Breeds List ranks breeds according to the animals' ability to understand and obey first commands. For example, those in the top 10 need fewer than five repetitions and obey on first command 95% of the time.
Click through the gallery and find out how your best friend ranks.