Posts

These Are The ‘Smartest’ Dog Breeds, According to a Canine Psychologist

/in , /by

Smartest dog breeds

There’s no easy way to rate dog intelligence. It can be focused on more than one thing.

As canine psychologist Stanley Coren wrote back in the ’90s, there’s adaptive intelligence (i.e., figuring stuff out), working intelligence (i.e. following orders), and instinctive intelligence (i.e. innate talent) – not to mention spatial intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and more.

Indeed, as animal behaviourist Frans de Waal has argued, humans tend to judge animal intelligence in limited and unfair terms and often bungle the experiment.

While labs at Yale, Duke, and around the world are studying this question, for now, we do at least have data on one metric: working intelligence.

Coren, in his book, The Intelligence of Dogs, featured the results of a lengthy survey of 199 dog obedience judges.

The responses, he said, were remarkably consistent; however, he noted that many judges pointed out that there are exceptions in every breed and that a lot comes down to training.

Here’s what he found:

Top tier – the brightest working dogs, who tend to learn a new command in less than five exposures and obey at least 95 percent of the time.

'Smartest' Dog Breeds, According to a Canine Psychologist

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

Second tier – excellent working dogs, who tend to learn a new command in five to 15 exposures and obey at least 85 percent of the time.

Smartest dog breeds

11. Pembroke Welsh corgi
12. Miniature schnauzer
13. English springer spaniel
14. Belgian Tervuren
15. Schipperke, Belgian sheepdog
16. Collie Keeshond
17. German short-haired pointer
18. Flat-coated retriever, English cocker spaniel, Standard schnauzer
19. Brittany spaniel
20. Cocker spaniel, Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever
21. Weimaraner
22. Belgian Malinois, Bernese mountain dog
23. Pomeranian
24. Irish water spaniel
25. Vizsla
26. Cardigan Welsh corgi

Third tier – above-average working dogs, who tend to learn a new trick in 15 to 25 repetitions and obey at least 70 percent of the time.

27. Chesapeake Bay retriever, Puli, Yorkshire terrier
28. Giant schnauzer, Portuguese water dog
29. Airedale, Bouv Flandres
30. Border terrier, Briard
31. Welsh springer spaniel
32. Manchester terrier
33. Samoyed
34. Field spaniel, Newfoundland, Australian terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Gordon setter, Bearded collie
35. American Eskimo dog, Cairn terrier, Kerry blue terrier, Irish setter
36. Norwegian elkhound
37. Affenpinscher, Silky terrier, Miniature pinscher, English setter, Pharaoh hound, Clumber spaniel
38. Norwich terrier
39. Dalmatian

Fourth tier – average working dogs, who tend to learn a new trick in 25 to 40 repetitions and obey at least 50 percent of the time.

Smartest dog breeds

40. Soft-coated wheaten terrier, Bedlington terrier, Smooth-haired fox terrier
41. Curly-coated retriever, Irish wolfhound
42. Kuvasz, Australian shepherd
44. Cavalier King Charles spaniel, German wirehaired pointer, Black-and-tan coonhound, American water spaniel
45. Siberian husky, Bichon Frise, English toy spaniel
46. Tibetan spaniel, English foxhound, Otterhound, American foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Parson Russel terrier, Wirehaired pointing griffon
47. West Highland white terrier, Havanese, Scottish deerhound
48. Boxer, Great Dane
49. Dachshund, Staffordshire bull terrier, Shiba Inu
50. Malamute
51. Whippet, Wirehaired fox terrier
52. Rhodesian ridgeback
53. Ibizan hound, Welsh terrier, Irish terrier
54. Boston terrier, Akita

Fifth tier – fair working dogs, who tend to learn a new trick in 40 to 80 repetitions and respond about 40 percent of the time.

Smartest dog breeds

55. Skye terrier
56. Norfolk terrier, Sealyham terrier
57. Pug
58. French bulldog
59. Brussels griffon, Maltese terrier
60. Italian greyhound
61. Chinese crested
62. Dandie Dinmont terrier, Vendeen, Tibetan terrier, Japanese chin, Lakeland terrier
63. Old English sheepdog
64. Great Pyrenees
65. Scottish terrier, Saint Bernard
66. Bull terrier, Petite Basset Griffon, Vendeen
67. Chihuahua
68. Lhasa apso
69. Bullmastiff

Sixth tier – the least effective working dogs, who may learn a new trick after more than 100 repetitions and obey around 30 percent of the time.

Smartest dog breeds

70. Shih Tzu
71. Basset hound
73. Pekingese
74. Bloodhound
75. Borzoi
76. Chow chow
77. Bulldog
78. Basenji
79. Afghan hound

There are, again, exceptions. Coren talks in his book about a trainer who managed to win obedience competitions with multiple Staffordshire bull terriers (#49).

There are also, again, other ways of measuring intelligence.

Coren tells us about a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (#20) he owned that was in some ways too smart for competitions.

“He was so bright and attentive that he read my every motion, head turn, and even the direction that I was looking with my eyes, as a command,” he writes by email.

“That made him very difficult to compete with in obedience trials, since, for instance, a glance with my eyes in the direction of the high jump might be interpreted by him as a command and that would send him off, taking the jump beautifully of course, but nonetheless disqualifying us from that round of competition.”

De Waal, in Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? spoke in defence of the Afghan hound (#79), noting that they may not be unintelligent but rather independent-mined, stubborn, and unwilling to follow orders.

“Afghans,” he wrote, “are perhaps more like cats, which are not beholden to anyone.”

Source: Science Alert

Ectropion vs Entropion – And what else?

/in , , , , , /by

Ectropion

Ectropion vs Entropion – And what else?

While most of are well informed of what Entropion in dogs is, we also find a fair amount of bulldog suffering from Ectropion. What is the difference between the two and are there similarities in how they are treated?

Entropion is the turning in of the edges of the eyelid so that the eyelashes and fur rub against the eye surface. It is the most frequent inherited eyelid defect in many dog breeds. It may also follow scar formation and severe involuntary winking due to pain in the eye or the surrounding area. The turning in of eyelashes or facial hairs causes discomfort and irritation of the conjunctiva and cornea. Long term entropion can cause scarring, abnormal colouring, and possibly the formation of slow-healing sores on the cornea.

Early spasms of entropion may be reversed if the cause is removed or if pain is lessened. Turning the lid hairs back away from the eye with stitches in the lid, injections of medication into the lid close to the area where the lid is turning in, or using anaesthetics to block the nerves in the eyelids are some of the methods that have been used to lessen the pain. Very young puppies with this condition may sometimes be treated with temporary stitches that are removed in 2 to 3 weeks. Established entropion usually requires surgery to correct the defect.

What about Ectropion?

Ectropion is a slack eyelid edge that is turned out, usually with a large notch or “crack” in the eyelid. It is a common abnormality affecting both eyelids in a number of dog breeds, including the Bloodhound,Bull Mastiff, English Bulldog, Great Dane, Newfoundland, St. Bernard, and several Spaniel breeds.

Scars in the eyelid or facial nerve paralysis may produce ectropion in one eyelid in any species. Exposure of the conjunctiva to environmental irritants and secondary bacterial infection can result in long term or recurrent conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva). Topical antibiotics may temporarily control infections, but surgical lid-shortening procedures are often necessary to resolve the condition. Repeated, periodic cleansing of the affected eyelid with mild decongestant solutions can control mild cases. To protect your pet’s eyesight, follow your veterinarian’s treatment program carefully.

While these may be the most common of eye disorders, we also have to look at Lagophthalmos and abnormalities of the eyelashes. Lagophthalmos is an inability to fully close the eyelids and protect the cornea from drying and trauma. It may result from extremely shallow orbits, a common condition in breeds with short, broad, flattened heads (brachycephalic breeds, such as Bulldogs and Pugs, for example). It may also be caused by an abnormal protrusion of the eyeball due to a mass in the eye socket, or facial nerve paralysis. Scarring, abnormal colouring, and the formation of slow-healing sores of the cornea are common problems with this condition. Unless the cause can be corrected, treatment involves frequent use of lubricating ointments and surgical shortening or closure of the corners of the eye either temporarily or permanently. Excessive nasal skin folds and facial hair may aggravate the damage caused by Lagophthalmos.

Abnormalities of the eyelashes include extra eyelashes or misdirected eyelashes on the edge of the eyelid. These conditions may cause watering eyes, development of blood vessels in the cornea, and slow-healing sores and scarring in the cornea. In many instances, irregular eyelashes are very fine and do not cause signs of irritation or damage the eye. However, eyelashes in an unusual position sticking out through the back of the eyelid can cause profound pain. If the extra lashes cause damage to the cornea or conjunctiva, it may be necessary to surgically cut out or freeze and remove the eyelash follicles. Irregularities of the eyelashes are common in some dog breeds and are probably inherited.

Source: English & French Bulldog Rescue SA – August 2024 Newsletter