Ranking · Updated October 2026
Smartest Dog Breeds Ranked: Coren's Dog IQ List, Newer Studies and Where Indian Breeds Stand
The Border Collie is the smartest dog breed on the best-known ranking, followed by the Poodle and the German Shepherd. Stanley Coren built that list in 1994 from a survey of 199 North American obedience judges, and it measures obedience, not all of intelligence. Newer studies of more than 18,000 dogs find breed explains about 9% of behaviour, and no Indian breed appears on Coren's list.
Key findings
- 190 of 199 obedience judges in Coren's survey placed the Border Collie in their top 10, and 121 placed the Afghan Hound in their bottom 10.
- Coren's top tier of 10 breeds learns a new command in fewer than 5 repetitions and obeys the first command at least 95% of the time.
- Breed explained only 9% of behavioural variation across 18,385 dogs in a 2022 Science study, though trainability-type traits were more breed-linked.
- Of 41 dogs that learned the names of many toys, 23 were Border Collies; a Shih Tzu, a Pekingese and a mixed-breed dog also qualified.
- Trainability had an among-breed heritability of 0.73 in a 2019 study of more than 14,000 dogs, against a mean of 0.51 across 14 traits.
- 42 of the 58 breeds in our guides appear on Coren's list; all 9 Indian native breeds and 7 others do not.
- Coren's top two tiers average 2.1 of 5 on our 'Can stay alone' score, against 3.7 for the 9 Indian breeds.
- Of 59 West Bengal street dogs that approached a pointing test, 47 (80%) chose the bowl a stranger pointed at.
What are the smartest dog breeds?
The Border Collie is the smartest dog breed on Stanley Coren's ranking, the list most people mean by dog IQ. The Poodle is second, the German Shepherd third and the Golden Retriever fourth. The Doberman, Shetland Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler and Australian Cattle Dog complete the top 10.
Coren, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, published the ranking in his 1994 book The Intelligence of Dogs. He sent a long questionnaire to obedience judges of the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club. In a 2009 column he put the replies at 199, about half the obedience judges then working in North America.
The judges agreed strongly at the top and the bottom. 190 of the 199 put the Border Collie in their top 10. 121 placed the Afghan Hound in their bottom 10. Coren ranked a breed only if at least 100 judges had assessed it.
Source: Stanley Coren, The Intelligence of Dogs (1994), survey of North American obedience judges; tier thresholds as reported by Business Insider. Example breeds in brackets.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Border Collie) | 95%+ |
| Tier 2 (Pomeranian) | 85%+ |
| Tier 3 (Samoyed) | 70%+ |
| Tier 4 (Boxer) | 50%+ |
| Tier 5 (Pug) | about 40% |
| Tier 6 (Beagle) | about 30% |
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| Coren rank | Breed | Beginner friendly (1 to 5) | Can stay alone (1 to 5) | Tolerates Indian heat (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Border Collie | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Poodle | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | German Shepherd | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Golden Retriever | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Doberman Pinscher | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Shetland Sheepdog | No guide | No guide | No guide |
| 7 | Labrador Retriever | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Papillon | No guide | No guide | No guide |
| 9 | Rottweiler | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | Australian Cattle Dog | No guide | No guide | No guide |
Our scores show the catch for Indian homes. The Border Collie, ranked first, scores 1 of 5 on both beginner friendliness and coping alone in our Border Collie guide. The Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever are the only top 10 breeds that score 5 for beginners.
Dog IQ level ranking: how the six tiers work
Coren grouped breeds into six tiers by how many repetitions a new command needs and how often the dog obeys the first time. The top tier learns in fewer than 5 repetitions and obeys at least 95% of the time. The second tier needs 5 to 15 repetitions and obeys at least 85% of the time.
The bottom tier may need more than 100 repetitions and obeys about 30% of the time. The Shih Tzu, Basset Hound, Mastiff, Beagle, Pekingese, Bloodhound, Borzoi, Chow Chow, Bulldog, Basenji and Afghan Hound sit there. Most of them are hounds, guards or companion breeds, bred to work on their own or simply to be company.
| Tier | Rank positions | Breeds in tier | Repetitions to learn a new command | Obeys first command |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 1 to 10 | 10 | Fewer than 5 | At least 95% |
| Tier 2 | 11 to 26 | 22 | 5 to 15 | At least 85% |
| Tier 3 | 27 to 39 | 31 | 15 to 25 | At least 70% |
| Tier 4 | 40 to 54 | 43 | 25 to 40 | At least 50% |
| Tier 5 | 55 to 69 | 23 | 40 to 80 | About 40% |
| Tier 6 | 70 to 79 | 11 | More than 100 | About 30% |
| Rank | Tier | Breeds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tier 1 | Border Collie |
| 2 | Tier 1 | Poodle |
| 3 | Tier 1 | German Shepherd |
| 4 | Tier 1 | Golden Retriever |
| 5 | Tier 1 | Doberman Pinscher |
| 6 | Tier 1 | Shetland Sheepdog |
| 7 | Tier 1 | Labrador Retriever |
| 8 | Tier 1 | Papillon |
| 9 | Tier 1 | Rottweiler |
| 10 | Tier 1 | Australian Cattle Dog |
| 11 | Tier 2 | Pembroke Welsh Corgi |
| 12 | Tier 2 | Miniature Schnauzer |
| 13 | Tier 2 | English Springer Spaniel |
| 14 | Tier 2 | Belgian Tervuren |
| 15 | Tier 2 | Schipperke, Belgian Sheepdog |
| 16 | Tier 2 | Collie, Keeshond |
| 17 | Tier 2 | German Shorthaired Pointer |
| 18 | Tier 2 | Flat-Coated Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, Standard Schnauzer |
| 19 | Tier 2 | Brittany |
| 20 | Tier 2 | Cocker Spaniel (American), Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (70 to 99 judges) |
| 21 | Tier 2 | Weimaraner |
| 22 | Tier 2 | Belgian Malinois, Bernese Mountain Dog |
| 23 | Tier 2 | Pomeranian |
| 24 | Tier 2 | Irish Water Spaniel |
| 25 | Tier 2 | Vizsla |
| 26 | Tier 2 | Cardigan Welsh Corgi |
| 27 | Tier 3 | Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Puli, Yorkshire Terrier |
| 28 | Tier 3 | Giant Schnauzer, Portuguese Water Dog |
| 29 | Tier 3 | Airedale Terrier, Bouvier des Flandres |
| 30 | Tier 3 | Border Terrier, Briard |
| 31 | Tier 3 | Welsh Springer Spaniel |
| 32 | Tier 3 | Manchester Terrier |
| 33 | Tier 3 | Samoyed |
| 34 | Tier 3 | Field Spaniel, Newfoundland, Australian Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Gordon Setter, Bearded Collie |
| 35 | Tier 3 | American Eskimo Dog (70 to 99 judges), Cairn Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Irish Setter |
| 36 | Tier 3 | Norwegian Elkhound |
| 37 | Tier 3 | Affenpinscher, Silky Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, English Setter, Pharaoh Hound, Clumber Spaniel |
| 38 | Tier 3 | Norwich Terrier |
| 39 | Tier 3 | Dalmatian |
| 40 | Tier 4 | Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier |
| 41 | Tier 4 | Curly-Coated Retriever, Irish Wolfhound |
| 42 | Tier 4 | Kuvasz, Australian Shepherd |
| 43 | Tier 4 | Saluki, Finnish Spitz, Pointer |
| 44 | Tier 4 | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, German Wirehaired Pointer, Black and Tan Coonhound, American Water Spaniel |
| 45 | Tier 4 | Siberian Husky, Bichon Frise, English Toy Spaniel |
| 46 | Tier 4 | Tibetan Spaniel, English Foxhound, Otterhound, American Foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier (70 to 99 judges), Parson Russell Terrier (70 to 99 judges), Wirehaired Pointing Griffon |
| 47 | Tier 4 | West Highland White Terrier, Havanese (70 to 99 judges), Scottish Deerhound |
| 48 | Tier 4 | Boxer, Great Dane |
| 49 | Tier 4 | Dachshund, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Shiba Inu (70 to 99 judges) |
| 50 | Tier 4 | Alaskan Malamute |
| 51 | Tier 4 | Whippet, Chinese Shar-Pei, Wire Fox Terrier |
| 52 | Tier 4 | Rhodesian Ridgeback |
| 53 | Tier 4 | Ibizan Hound, Welsh Terrier, Irish Terrier |
| 54 | Tier 4 | Boston Terrier, Akita |
| 55 | Tier 5 | Skye Terrier |
| 56 | Tier 5 | Norfolk Terrier, Sealyham Terrier |
| 57 | Tier 5 | Pug |
| 58 | Tier 5 | French Bulldog |
| 59 | Tier 5 | Brussels Griffon, Maltese |
| 60 | Tier 5 | Italian Greyhound |
| 61 | Tier 5 | Chinese Crested |
| 62 | Tier 5 | Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Vendeen (name as printed), Tibetan Terrier, Japanese Chin, Lakeland Terrier |
| 63 | Tier 5 | Old English Sheepdog |
| 64 | Tier 5 | Great Pyrenees |
| 65 | Tier 5 | Scottish Terrier, Saint Bernard |
| 66 | Tier 5 | Bull Terrier, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (70 to 99 judges) |
| 67 | Tier 5 | Chihuahua |
| 68 | Tier 5 | Lhasa Apso |
| 69 | Tier 5 | Bullmastiff |
| 70 | Tier 6 | Shih Tzu |
| 71 | Tier 6 | Basset Hound |
| 72 | Tier 6 | Mastiff, Beagle |
| 73 | Tier 6 | Pekingese |
| 74 | Tier 6 | Bloodhound |
| 75 | Tier 6 | Borzoi |
| 76 | Tier 6 | Chow Chow |
| 77 | Tier 6 | Bulldog |
| 78 | Tier 6 | Basenji |
| 79 | Tier 6 | Afghan Hound |
Published copies of the list run to 79 rank positions and 140 breed names, because many breeds share a rank. Coren's 2009 column says 133 breeds were rated by at least 100 judges each. The other 7, including the Shiba Inu, Havanese and American Eskimo Dog, are marked as rated by only 70 to 99 judges.
Tier 4 is the largest group, with 43 breeds. Tier 1 holds 10 and tier 6 holds 11.
Smartest dog breeds in India: where popular pet breeds rank
Of the 58 breeds in our guides, 42 appear on Coren's list and 16 do not. Seven of our breeds are in the top tier: Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Doberman, Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler.
Five more sit in tier 2: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi at 11, Cocker Spaniel at 18, Belgian Malinois and Bernese at 22, and Pomeranian at 23. Tier 4 holds 11 of our breeds, the most of any tier. Six are in tier 6, among them the Shih Tzu at 70, the Beagle at 72 and the Chow Chow at 76.
None of the 9 Indian native breeds in our guides is on the list. Coren surveyed American and Canadian judges, and breeds like the Mudhol Hound, Rajapalayam and Kombai were not shown in those rings. Absence from the list says nothing about their brains.
dogeats.in count: our 58 breed guides matched to Coren's list. Jack Russell matched to Parson Russell Terrier, Cocker Spaniel to English Cocker Spaniel, English Mastiff to Mastiff.
Show the numbers
| Label | breeds |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 7 breeds |
| Tier 2 | 5 breeds |
| Tier 3 | 5 breeds |
| Tier 4 | 11 breeds |
| Tier 5 | 8 breeds |
| Tier 6 | 6 breeds |
| Not ranked | 16 breeds |
Embed this chart
| Breed | Coren rank | Tier | Indian breed | Beginner friendly (1 to 5) | Can stay alone (1 to 5) | Tolerates Indian heat (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 | Tier 1 | No | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Poodle | 2 | Tier 1 | No | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| German Shepherd | 3 | Tier 1 | No | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Golden Retriever | 4 | Tier 1 | No | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Doberman | 5 | Tier 1 | No | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Labrador Retriever | 7 | Tier 1 | No | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Rottweiler | 9 | Tier 1 | No | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 | Tier 2 | No | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 18 | Tier 2 | No | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 | Tier 2 | No | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | 22 | Tier 2 | No | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Pomeranian | 23 | Tier 2 | No | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 27 | Tier 3 | No | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Samoyed | 33 | Tier 3 | No | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| American Eskimo Dog | 35 | Tier 3 | No | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Miniature Pinscher | 37 | Tier 3 | No | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Dalmatian | 39 | Tier 3 | No | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Australian Shepherd | 42 | Tier 4 | No | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 44 | Tier 4 | No | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Bichon Frise | 45 | Tier 4 | No | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Siberian Husky | 45 | Tier 4 | No | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jack Russell Terrier | 46 | Tier 4 | No | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Boxer | 48 | Tier 4 | No | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Great Dane | 48 | Tier 4 | No | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Dachshund | 49 | Tier 4 | No | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Shiba Inu | 49 | Tier 4 | No | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 50 | Tier 4 | No | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 | Tier 4 | No | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Pug | 57 | Tier 5 | No | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| French Bulldog | 58 | Tier 5 | No | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Maltese | 59 | Tier 5 | No | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Saint Bernard | 65 | Tier 5 | No | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Bull Terrier | 66 | Tier 5 | No | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Chihuahua | 67 | Tier 5 | No | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Lhasa Apso | 68 | Tier 5 | No | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Bullmastiff | 69 | Tier 5 | No | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Shih Tzu | 70 | Tier 6 | No | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Beagle | 72 | Tier 6 | No | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| English Mastiff | 72 | Tier 6 | No | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Pekingese | 73 | Tier 6 | No | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Chow Chow | 76 | Tier 6 | No | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| English Bulldog | 77 | Tier 6 | No | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Bully Kutta | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Cane Corso | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Chippiparai | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Dogo Argentino | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| German Spitz | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Indian Pariah Dog | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Indian Spitz | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Japanese Spitz | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Kangal | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Kanni | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kombai | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Mudhol Hound | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Pit Bull | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Rajapalayam | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Rampur Greyhound | Not ranked | Not ranked | Yes | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Tibetan Mastiff | Not ranked | Not ranked | No | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Three matches need a flag. We matched the Jack Russell to Coren's Parson Russell Terrier at 46. The Cocker Spaniel took the English Cocker Spaniel's 18 and the English Mastiff the Mastiff's 72. The Pit Bull, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Kangal, Tibetan Mastiff, German Spitz and Japanese Spitz are also unranked. Our Shiba Inu, American Eskimo Dog and Jack Russell placings rest on 70 to 99 judges, fewer than Coren's usual 100.
Is the smartest dog breed the easiest to own?
No. Fast learners are not the easiest pets, and the data shows it. Coren's tier 1 breeds average 2.9 of 5 on our beginner score, against 2.2 for tier 6, a gap of less than one point.
Across the 42 ranked breeds, the link between Coren rank and our beginner score is weak, with a Spearman correlation of minus 0.14. The Border Collie and Belgian Malinois both score 1 of 5 for beginners. Our guides put both at two hours or more of exercise a day, and a bored working dog in a flat finds its own jobs.
Time alone tells a clearer story. Our 'Can stay alone' score rises the further down Coren's list a breed sits, with a Spearman correlation of 0.42. The top two tiers average 2.1 of 5; tier 6 averages 3.0 and the 9 Indian breeds average 3.7.
dogeats.in editorial ratings, 1 to 5, from our breed guides (October 2026), averaged by Coren tier. Not ranked = 16 breeds absent from Coren's list.
Show the numbers
| Label | score (1 to 5) |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 2.9 of 5 |
| Tier 2 | 2.6 of 5 |
| Tier 3 | 2.6 of 5 |
| Tier 4 | 2.2 of 5 |
| Tier 5 | 2.6 of 5 |
| Tier 6 | 2.2 of 5 |
| Not ranked | 2.4 of 5 |
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dogeats.in editorial ratings, 1 to 5, from our breed guides (October 2026), averaged by Coren tier.
Show the numbers
| Label | score (1 to 5) |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 2.1 of 5 |
| Tier 2 | 2.0 of 5 |
| Tier 3 | 2.0 of 5 |
| Tier 4 | 2.1 of 5 |
| Tier 5 | 2.6 of 5 |
| Tier 6 | 3.0 of 5 |
| Indian breeds | 3.7 of 5 |
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The scores are dogeats.in editorial ratings, so treat the correlations as a guide, not a law. See our first-time owner rankings and training cost data before choosing.
What do newer dog intelligence studies say about breed?
Newer work tests dogs directly instead of asking judges. A 2019 study in Animal Cognition by Horschler and colleagues used Dognition citizen science data on 7,397 dogs from 74 breeds. Breeds with bigger brains did better on short-term memory and self-control tasks. Brain size did not clearly predict the other tasks, such as following a pointed arm.
A Finnish study of 1,002 dogs from 12 breeds plus a mixed-breed group, published in 2022, found breed differences on 5 of 7 cognitive tests. Breeds differed in reading human gestures, self-control and spatial problem solving. They did not differ on memory or logical reasoning.
The breed results do not line up neatly with Coren. The Border Collie and Australian Shepherd were among the best at self-control in the cylinder test. The Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd were among the weakest there. Yet the Malinois and the Kelpie topped the gesture tests.
| Breed | Dogs tested | Result named by the authors |
|---|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | 163 | Reference breed for all comparisons |
| Mixed breed | 149 | Compared as one group |
| Border Collie | 106 | Among the highest in the cylinder test (self-control); among the most human-directed in the unsolvable task |
| German Shepherd | 82 | Among the lowest in the cylinder test; among the most likely to work fully alone on the unsolvable task |
| Golden Retriever | 74 | Among the most human-directed in the unsolvable task; differed from the Labrador on gestures |
| Spanish Water Dog | 72 | No standout result named in the discussion |
| English Cocker Spaniel | 60 | No standout result named in the discussion |
| Finnish Lapphund | 59 | Lowest score in the human gesture tests |
| Hovawart | 50 | No standout result named in the discussion |
| Australian Shepherd | 49 | Among the highest in the cylinder test; least likely to give up on the unsolvable task |
| Belgian Malinois | 49 | Highest gesture scores with the Kelpie; among the lowest in the cylinder test |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 48 | No standout result named in the discussion |
| Australian Kelpie | 41 | Highest gesture scores with the Malinois; among the most likely to give up on the unsolvable task |
Source: MacLean et al. 2019, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, owner surveys of more than 14,000 dogs from 101 breeds. The mean across all 14 traits was 0.51.
Show the numbers
| Label | h2 |
|---|---|
| Trainability | 0.73 |
| Stranger-directed aggression | 0.68 |
| Chasing | 0.62 |
| Attachment and attention-seeking | 0.56 |
| Mean of 14 traits | 0.51 |
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Genes matter, but less than breed labels suggest. MacLean and colleagues combined surveys of more than 14,000 dogs from 101 breeds with genetic data on 5,697 dogs. Trainability had an among-breed heritability of 0.73, against a mean of 0.51 and a range of 0.27 to 0.77 across 14 traits.
Morrill and colleagues surveyed owners of 18,385 dogs and genotyped 2,155 for a 2022 paper in Science. Breed explained just 9% of behavioural variation in individual dogs. Biddability, a dog's response to direction, was one of the traits most linked to breed.
A 2024 Hungarian study of 129 pet dogs found a general cognitive factor, which the authors call canine g. It stayed consistent for at least 2.5 years in the same dogs.
Which dog breeds learn the most words?
Border Collies dominate, but they do not own the skill. A 2023 study in Scientific Reports tested 41 gifted word learner dogs, which know the names of many toys. 23 of the 41 (56%) were Border Collies and 4 more were Border Collie crosses.
The other 14 included 3 Labradors, 2 Pomeranians, a Shih Tzu, a Pekingese and a mixed-breed dog. The Shih Tzu and Pekingese sit in Coren's bottom tier. 23 of the 41 dogs knew the names of 20 or more toys at the test. The most toy names confirmed for one dog was 86, and the mean was 29. Seventeen of the dogs lived in the USA, 9 in the UK and 5 in Brazil.
Source: Dror, Miklosi, Sommese and Fugazza, Scientific Reports 2023. Dogs from 9 countries tested on the names of their toys.
Show the numbers
| Label | dogs |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 23 dogs |
| Border Collie cross | 4 dogs |
| Labrador Retriever | 3 dogs |
| Pomeranian | 2 dogs |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 1 dog |
| Miniature Australian Shepherd | 1 dog |
| Blue Heeler x Australian Shepherd | 1 dog |
| German Shepherd | 1 dog |
| Toy Poodle | 1 dog |
| Golden Retriever x Miniature Poodle | 1 dog |
| Shih Tzu | 1 dog |
| Pekingese | 1 dog |
| Mixed breed | 1 dog |
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Coren's own estimates are the source of two widely repeated numbers. At a 2009 American Psychological Association talk he said the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the top 20% about 250. He said dogs' mental abilities are close to those of a child aged 2 to 2.5 years, and said dogs can count to four or five.
A 2022 study compared 21 gifted Border Collies with 43 Hungarian and 101 Austrian typical dogs. The gifted dogs were rated more playful, a trait the authors linked to the word-learning skill.
Which Indian dog breeds are the smartest?
No study ranks Indian breeds for intelligence, and Coren's list includes none. The best evidence comes from service work and from street dog research.
Researchers at IISER Kolkata tested 160 adult free-ranging dogs in Kanchrapara, Kalyani and Mohanpur in West Bengal, reported in 2019. About half approached the test at all, which the authors linked to anxiety around strangers. Of those that did, 80% followed a sustained point and 79% a brief point to find hidden food.
Security forces now use Indian breeds. The BSF had deployed over 150 Indian-breed dogs by October 2025, starting with the Rampur Hound and Mudhol Hound. Riya, a BSF Mudhol Hound, won Best Dog of the Meet at the All India Police Duty Meet 2024, beating 116 foreign-breed dogs.
Source: Bhattacharjee et al. 2019, Frontiers in Psychology. 160 adult free-ranging dogs in Kanchrapara, Kalyani and Mohanpur. 'Followed' is the share of dogs that approached and chose the bowl a person pointed at.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| Approached: dynamic point | 50% (30 of 60) |
| Approached: brief point | 48% (29 of 60) |
| Approached: control | 50% (20 of 40) |
| Followed: dynamic point | 80% (24 of 30) |
| Followed: brief point | 79% (23 of 29) |
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| Breed | Where tested or used | What the record shows | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Pariah Dog (street dogs) | IISER Kolkata pointing study, 2019 | 80% and 79% of approaching dogs followed two kinds of pointing cue | Bhattacharjee et al. 2019 |
| Mudhol Hound | BSF and CRPF dog squads | Riya, a BSF Mudhol Hound, won Best in Tracker Trade and Best Dog of the Meet at the All India Police Duty Meet 2024, beating 116 foreign-breed dogs | Awaz The Voice, 25 October 2025 |
| Rampur Hound | BSF dog squads | One of the first two Indian breeds inducted by the BSF; over 150 Indian-breed dogs deployed by October 2025 | Awaz The Voice, 25 October 2025 |
| Kombai | CRPF, Bengaluru | Trained at the CRPF school in Bengaluru, per Mann Ki Baat, October 2025 | Mann Ki Baat, 127th episode |
| Pandikona | CRPF, Bengaluru | Trained at the CRPF school in Bengaluru, per Mann Ki Baat, October 2025 | Mann Ki Baat, 127th episode |
| Rajapalayam, Chippiparai, Kanni, Indian Spitz | No service or cognition data found | Not in Coren's list and not tested in any study we found | dogeats.in search, October 2026 |
| Role | Dogs | Breeds named |
|---|---|---|
| Explosives detection | 262 | Labrador Retriever, Belgian Malinois |
| Tracking | 103 | German Shepherd, Dobermann |
| Narcotics detection | 46 | Labrador Retriever |
| Wildlife protection | 5 | Labrador Retriever |
| Total | 416 |
Foreign breeds still fill most posts. The Railway Protection Force listed 416 dogs in a Home Ministry journal in February 2025. Labradors and Belgian Malinois did explosives work, which took 262 of them, and German Shepherds and Dobermanns tracked.
The CRPF school in Bengaluru trains mongrels, Mudhol Hounds, Kombai and Pandikona, the Prime Minister said in Mann Ki Baat in October 2025. Read more in our army and police dogs report and our Mudhol Hound guide.
Are dogs smarter than other animals? What brain cell counts show
A golden retriever had more neurons in the cerebral cortex than any other carnivore studied in a 2017 paper in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. The two dogs averaged about 528 million cortical neurons, against about 250 million in the cat.
That dog had 627 million, the most of any animal in the study. The lion had 545 million despite a cortex about twice the dog's, 139.9 g against 65.5 g. The brown bear, with the largest cortex, had about 251 million, roughly as many as a cat.
Source: Jardim-Messeder et al. 2017, Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. Species values are averages of the animals studied; the golden retriever is the single highest individual.
Show the numbers
| Label | million neurons |
|---|---|
| Golden Retriever (one dog) | 627 million |
| Lion | 545 million |
| Dog (average of two) | 528 million |
| Striped hyena | 495 million |
| Raccoon | 438 million |
| Brown bear | 251 million |
| Cat | 250 million |
| Banded mongoose | 116 million |
| Ferret | 39 million |
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| Study | Year | Sample | Breeds | Main finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coren, The Intelligence of Dogs | 1994 | Survey of 199 obedience judges (208 in a 2009 APA summary) | 133 breeds rated by 100 or more judges, plus 7 rated by 70 to 99 | Working and obedience intelligence; Border Collie first, Afghan Hound last |
| Horschler et al., Animal Cognition | 2019 | 7,397 dogs | 74 | Bigger-brained breeds did better on short-term memory and self-control, not on other tasks |
| MacLean et al., Proc. R. Soc. B | 2019 | More than 14,000 dogs | 101 | Trainability had an among-breed heritability of 0.73 |
| Gnanadesikan et al., Integr. Comp. Biol. | 2020 | 1,654 dogs | 49 | 5 genetic markers and 188 genes linked to breed differences in cognition |
| Bhattacharjee et al., Frontiers in Psychology | 2019 | 160 free-ranging dogs, West Bengal | Street dogs | About 80% of dogs that approached followed a pointing cue |
| Morrill et al., Science | 2022 | 18,385 dogs (2,155 genotyped) | Purebred and mixed | Breed explained 9% of behavioural variation in individuals |
| Junttila et al., Scientific Reports | 2022 | 1,002 dogs | 13 groups | Breeds differed on 5 of 7 cognitive tests, not on memory or logical reasoning |
| Dror et al., Scientific Reports | 2023 | 41 gifted word learner dogs | 13 breed types | 23 of the 41 were Border Collies |
| Bognar et al., GeroScience | 2024 | 129 pet dogs (99 followed up) | Mixed | Found a general cognitive factor, 'canine g', stable for at least 2.5 years |
Neuron counts hint at capacity, not at what a dog will do with it. Training, age, health and the bond with an owner shape everyday smartness at least as much.
How should you read a dog IQ ranking?
Treat any single list as one view of one kind of intelligence. Coren's ranking tells you which breeds North American judges found quick and reliable in obedience rings in the early 1990s.
- Nine of Coren's top 10 were bred to herd, retrieve or guard alongside people; the Papillon, a toy breed, is the exception.
- Scent hounds and sighthounds, such as the Beagle at 72 and the Afghan Hound at 79, were bred to decide for themselves.
- Breed explained 9% of individual behaviour in the 2022 Science study, so the dog in front of you matters more.
- Bigger breeds did better on memory and self-control in the 2019 Dognition data, a size effect, not a ranking.
- Indian breeds have no rank because they were not tested, not because they failed.
For a pet in India, match the breed to your time, your flat and your climate. A tier 1 dog in a hot 1BHK with long office hours is a poor fit, however clever it is. Our heat risk ranking and the Indian Pariah Dog guide are good next reads.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the smartest dog breed in the world?
The Border Collie, on Stanley Coren's 1994 ranking from a survey of 199 obedience judges. 190 of the 199 judges put it in their top 10. The Poodle is second and the German Shepherd third.
What are the top 10 smartest dog breeds?
Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Doberman, Shetland Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler and Australian Cattle Dog. Coren says these learn a new command in under 5 repetitions and obey the first command at least 95% of the time.
Which is the smartest dog breed in India?
No study ranks breeds kept in India. Of the 58 breeds in our guides, 7 are in Coren's top tier, led by the Border Collie, Poodle and German Shepherd. The Labrador and Golden Retriever are the top 10 breeds that score 5 of 5 on our beginner rating.
What is the least intelligent dog breed?
The Afghan Hound ranks last at 79 on Coren's list, and 121 of 199 judges put it in their bottom 10. The ranking measures obedience, and sighthounds like the Afghan were bred to hunt on their own judgement.
How smart is an Indian street dog?
Smarter than many expect. In a 2019 IISER Kolkata study, 80% of free-ranging dogs that took part followed a stranger's pointing gesture to hidden food. The Indian Pariah Dog is not on Coren's list because it was never assessed.
How many words can a dog understand?
Coren estimated in 2009 that the average dog learns about 165 words and signals, and the top 20% about 250. Rare gifted dogs learn far more: in a 2023 study, 23 of 41 such dogs knew 20 or more toy names.
Does breed decide how smart a dog is?
Only partly. A 2022 Science study of 18,385 dogs found breed explained 9% of behavioural variation. Trainability is one of the more breed-linked traits, with an among-breed heritability of 0.73 in a 2019 study.
Is a Labrador smart?
Yes, by Coren's measure: it ranks 7th of 79 positions, in the top tier. Labradors and Belgian Malinois did the explosives work that took 262 of the Railway Protection Force's 416 dogs in 2025.
Is a Beagle smart?
The Beagle ranks 72nd on Coren's obedience list, in the bottom tier. Scent hounds follow their nose more than commands, so they can be slow to obey even when they are quick to learn.
Methodology and limitations
We took Coren's breed ranking as reproduced by Business Insider and republished by ScienceAlert (10 November 2018). We checked its top 10 and bottom 10 against Coren's own Psychology Today column of 15 July 2009. Tier thresholds come from the same Business Insider list. We cross-checked the full list against a second reproduction by 6abc (ABC Philadelphia), which marks 7 breeds rated by 70 to 99 judges. We standardised breed spellings.
We matched the 58 breeds in our guides to the list by name. Three matches are flagged: Jack Russell to Parson Russell Terrier, Cocker Spaniel to English Cocker Spaniel, English Mastiff to Mastiff. Beginner, alone and heat scores are dogeats.in editorial ratings (1 to 5) compiled from our breed guides, October 2026. Averages and Spearman correlations were computed in Python.
Study figures were taken from the published papers: abstracts and full texts via Europe PMC and publisher pages, opened on 15 October 2026. Indian service-dog figures come from the Home Ministry K9 journal, a published Mann Ki Baat transcript and a news report, each named in the sources.
Sources
- Stanley Coren, Canine Intelligence: Breed Does Matter, Psychology Today (15 July 2009), 199 judges, 133 breeds, top 10 and bottom 10, 190 and 121 judge counts
- Morrill et al., Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes, Science 2022;376(6592):eabk0639, 18,385 dogs surveyed, 2,155 genotyped, breed explains 9% of behaviour
- Junttila et al., Breed differences in social cognition, inhibitory control, and spatial problem-solving ability in the domestic dog, Scientific Reports 2022, 1,002 dogs, 13 breed groups, test results by breed
- Also consulted: Business Insider via ScienceAlert, ranking of dog breeds by intelligence (10 November 2018), 6abc (ABC Philadelphia), Dog intelligence rankings (archive), American Psychological Association via ScienceDaily (10 August 2009), Horschler et al., Absolute brain size predicts dog breed differences in executive function, Animal Cognition 2019;22(2):187-198, MacLean et al., Highly heritable and functionally relevant breed differences in dog behaviour, Proc R Soc B 2019, Gnanadesikan et al., Breed differences in dog cognition associated with brain-expressed genes, Integr Comp Biol 2020, Dror et al., A citizen science model turns anecdotes into evidence by revealing similar characteristics among Gifted Word Learner dogs, Scientific Reports 2023, Fugazza et al., personality traits of gifted word learner and typical border collies, Animal Cognition 2022, Bognar et al., Age-related effects on a hierarchical structure of canine cognition, GeroScience 2024, Jardim-Messeder et al., Dogs have the most neurons, though not the largest brain, Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 2017, Bhattacharjee et al., Free-ranging dogs are capable of utilizing complex human pointing cues, Frontiers in Psychology 2019, Ministry of Home Affairs, National Police K9 Journal, Vol V Issue II (February 2025), Awaz The Voice (25 October 2025), Mann Ki Baat, 127th episode, English text (October 2025), Bhattacharjee et al., Free-ranging dogs show age related plasticity in their ability to follow human pointing, PLOS ONE 2017.
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