The ‘dumbest’ or least intelligent dog breeds were the Afghan Hound, The Chow Chow, the Borzoi and the Bulldog. As a result, he was able to collect valuable data and infamously rank most of the popular recognized breeds. They can be a challenge for inexperienced owners who don’t have the patience or time to dedicate to properly training a Chow Chow into a well-behaved pup. Generations of Shih Tzu’s have fulfilled this purpose with flying colors, but have left something to be desired in the area of their intelligence and trainability – skills that were not necessarily for them to fulfil their function within a royal family. Border Collie. These Are the 25 Smartest Dog Breeds, According to Science. They like to think they are pack leaders, and will take ownership of the house if you give them the opportunity. Old English Sheepdogs are loveable fluffy bunches of fur. Meet the 19 least intelligent dog breeds Nov 9, 2019 Nov 9, 2019 ... To celebrate National Puppy Day on March 23, here are 25 adorable photos of dogs to brighten up your day. We just want you to be aware that you may be spending a little more time training than you initially expected. A Border Collie named Rico made news for being able to understand more than 200 words. 1 - the least popular breed in the country. +6. Old English Sheepdogs are very popular, and you’ve seen them in many movies on-screen like “Hook” and “The Little Mermaid.”. His findings eventually led to his renowned book: “The Intelligence of Dogs.” But generally speaking, the fifteen different breeds below may be a little more challenging to train. However, training a bulldog can be a long and frustrating process which requires a lot of patience and dedication. According to Coren, these dogs are able to learn a new command in under five seconds and follow it at least 95 percent of the time. © 2020 Love Your Dog, All rights reserved. 3. The Mastiff is a perfect example of a hard-working and... Basset Hound. While their independence can be frustrating at times, they are generally a well-tempered pup! Most dogs are smart, but in different ways. They can struggle with learning new commands and do not generally have very good recall. Drawing from Coren's research, Stacker has compiled the breeds that ranked in the lowest half of working and obedience intelligence. Subscribe to List25. This can make training a challenge and is the reason they are on our list. By User:Squigman - Own work, Public Domain, Link. Henry Steinman + 7 years ago. They are indeed intelligent, but like the Pyrenees, they bore easily and tire quickly of routine commands. Our lead editor here at Love Your Dog can attest to the Mastiff being notoriously difficult to train, as she has two of them herself – one Fluffy Mastiff and an American Mastiff. These dogs had to hear commands 80 to 100 times or more before they obeyed them 25% or less of the time. The Basenji is a unique breed, medium-sized and coming in 87th in popularity, according to the AKC. Rottweiler’s tend to have bad memories and difficulty concentrating. The Great Pyrenees is a breed of mountain dog, and they were bred to guard their flock from potential threats. However, they aren’t the sharpest when it comes to picking up new skills. This spunk, however, can oftentimes be translated into defiant and stubborn behavior that makes them very difficult to train. The Final Word. Data comes from the most recently available American Kennel Association survey, and dog breeds are sorted from No. 50 to No. Italian Greyhounds were bred to chase. Just like human intelligence, the intelligence of dogs can be measured in many different ways. Like the Chihuahua, this breed has a stubborn streak, and is used to being treated like they are the center of the universe. This tends to be the case with many toy breed dogs, as their personalities all … They are not great at learning new things and can have difficulty with remembering commands. Bullmastiffs like English Mastiffs are gentle giants. Instinctive intelligence refers to a dog’s ability to perform the tasks it was bred for, such as herding, pointing, fetching, guarding, or supplying companionship. 1. Don’t let this list prevent you from considering any of these dogs. Last Updated: January 5, 2021 | 13 min read. Despite this low ranking, many Basenji owners are completely devoted to the breed. Here's a sneak peek at the puppies taking the field. Bull Terriers are feisty and have plenty of attitude. The Mastiff makes our list of the dumbest dog breeds for this reason. Some speculate that their dopey faces, which are certainly not the most attractive, have contributed to the perception that this breed isn’t the brightest. They are notoriously strong-willed and slow to pick up tricks. They can become easily distracted or disinterested, giving them low points for obedience intelligence. Although they are indeed intelligent dogs, they can be stubborn and not very well mannered pooches. This large dog can weigh well over one hundred pounds and is known for being very calm and wonderful with children. They are very food motivated and do well with consistency. These pets are available for adoption from the Humane Society of Missouri. Lowest Intelligent Dog Breeds. Border Collie. While they are more intelligent than their English Bulldog cousins, you’ll still spend more time training this breed than you would a Golden Retriever pup. The 2021 Puppy Bowl will air Sunday, Feb. 7 on discovery+ and Animal Planet. It was inevitable to write this list after we posted the top 10 most intelligent dogs. These pups are gentle, affectionate, even-tempered, friendly, persistent, dependable, brave—but you won’t see any dominating an agility course or sniffing out trails. 19. Bloodhound 6. It’s popularity has endured to this day as the 20th most popular breed of dog, according to the American Kennel Club. Using that information, we then looked at the least intelligent dogs by obedience intelligence. This breed is very intelligent, but their stubborn streak will mean that traditional obedience training is going to be a headache, and you’ll need to be extremely consistent. Read on to find out if your pooch made the list. The World's 10 Least Intelligent Dog Breeds 11 Shih Tzu. The top 25 most intelligent dog breeds While all dogs make for best friends, some are more lovably clueless than others. Poodle: Germany: 3. In "The Intelligence of Dogs," University of British Columbia psychology professor Stanley Coren examined rankings from dog obedience judges of 110 breeds. You have permission to edit this collection. Many argue this skill alone proves this breed cannot be classified as “stupid.” However, it’s no secret that training a Bloodhound can be a difficult and long process. With consistent training, a Maltese can become an amazing dog for families of any size. Because Pugs were bred to be a companion dog, they do want to please their owners. They can take awhile to properly train. 1 of 19 Using data from a University of British Columbia professor, PetBreeds has compiled a ranking of the least-intelligent dog breeds. They include: 1. Trainability, or a dog’s ability to learn from humans, has often been linked to its intelligence. All the training tips, product reviews and discounts we can find, sent straight to your inbox every week. Yes, this applies to dog breeds, as silly as it may sound. They are not always food motivated, but do well with positive praise and should not be overcorrected during training sessions. This task is likely to take lots of dedication and patience. You have probably seen or heard about how smart some dogs are. Here are the 25 dogs that he says are best in show when it comes to working intelligence (i.e., learning commands). Related: Top 17 Dog Breeds With Floppy Ears. Any dog on this list can learn tricks, but the breeds below are the ones you’ll have a hard time training if you are a first time dog owner. Still, they score quite low in picking up obedience lessons and therefore are considered amongst the lesser intelligent breeds. With every positive quality comes a negative. Least intelligent dog breeds: Bulldogs. One of the most daunting parts of owning a dog is figuring out how to train it. Pugs make great family companions (even the odd-looking ones), you’ll just need to spend more time training them without losing your patience. Lowest Intelligence Breeds English Mastiff. Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence, Height: 22 inches & up (male), 21 inches & up (female), Height: 27-32 inches (male), 25-29 inches (female), Weight: 100 pounds & up (male), 85 pounds & up (female), Height: 10-11 inches (male), slightly smaller (female), Weight: 110-130 pounds (male), 100-120 pounds (female), Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence, A bloodhound is shown in the ring during the Hound group competition during the 140th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Top 10. But when it comes to working intelligence (i.e. The Afghan Hound is an ancient breed, beloved for their docile and affectionate personalities, which have often been described as “cat-like.” Their independent and aloof nature leads to a generally disobedient pup who can be difficult to housebreak and train. Ranking the 63 smartest dog breeds. From Retrievers to German Shepherds, check out the most popular dog breeds. 16 Least Trainable Dog Breeds 11 Dog Breeds That Need the Least Exercise 11 Safest Dog Breeds. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer), Height: 25-27 inches (male), 23-25 inches (female), Weight: 90-110 pounds (male), 80-100 pounds (female), Height: 28 inches & up (male), 26 inches & up (female), Weight: 75-105 pounds (male), 60-85 pounds (female), Weight: 50 pounds (male), 40 pounds (female), Height: 17 inches (male), 16 inches (female), Weight: 24 pounds (male), 22 pounds (female). It’s hard to find what will motivate this breed, as they can tend to be quite self-involved. While they love to be doted on, the Pekingese tends to have a dominant and independent personality. Power and devotion have often caused owners to overlook a Rottweiler’s general intelligence, which it turns out, does not rank the highest. Either way, they are slow to pick up tricks which has landed them on our list. This is a breed that should be no surprise when it comes to the list of the least obedient dog breeds. They are quick learners as long as you can actually capture and hold their attention. English Mastiffs are notoriously stubborn dogs. Still, many are up to the challenge! The Basset … They are known for standing their ground against their owners wishes. Canine intelligence, just like human intelligence, can be viewed on a spectrum – not just “intelligent” and “unintelligent.” However, our best test for understanding a dog’s intelligence is by how quickly they can learn new tasks. They get bored very quickly, and will respond in a slow manner when given commands. They are often labeled as one of the dumber dog breeds. Because of their big fluffy look, they often look like a dumber dog breed than they actually are. Basset Hounds are sweet and blissfully ignorant of most commands. The Shih Tzu is a small toy breed of dog that was a favorite amongst royals for centuries. Training will need to be broken up into smaller training sessions through the day, as they don’t do well in longer training sessions. The Maltese is actually a very intelligent breed, and not one of the dumbest dog breeds in our opinion. 4. But when it comes to working intelligence (i.e. They can make absolutely wonderful family pets though, as long as they are socialized and trained early. Therefore, training can be a great indicator for a breed’s working and obedience intellect. Like previous breeds we’ve discussed, it’s possible the Scottish Terrier’s comprehension is not the issue here but their willingness to learn. The strikingly beautiful dog is mild mannered, has a sweet temperament and is very good with kids, making them excellent companions and family dogs. Giving a canine a series of tasks to master is the closest thing we have to an IQ test. The beagle and bulldog are among the dog breeds on the bottom of Coren's list. Unfortunately, however, a long history of inbreeding has, in some opinions, made this breed less sharp. They can have a stubborn streak, but pushing them too assertively is not the answer as you’ll likely have an even more difficult pup on your hands at that point. The droopy face and ears, impassive demeanour, homely face and ungainly little legs make for an... 9 (tie) Mastiff. To scientifically prove the smartest breed, you would need to compare at least 30 dogs from each breed. Their lack of intelligence is usually overlooked for their beautiful features and unwavering devotion to their owners, making them still a popular breed choice and top competitors in Dog Shows. There are some dog breeds out there that unfortunately aren’t as smart as some other breeds. 1. The dogs below each will take around 40 to 80 repetitions before they will learn a specific command. But, of course, looks aren’t everything! While this doesn’t necessarily mean this breed lacks intelligence, they are certainly a handful to train and are not instinctually obedient. This pup is not short on energy or spunk. Because French Bulldogs have lots of personalities, you’ll need to make sure you are very consistent with their training regimen.