Smartest Dog Breeds

My daughter just read an online article that said the smartest dog breeds were:  Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, and Poodle.

We disagree.

I have no idea about poodles, so I'll let them slide.

I know Border Collies are smart because the herd and move cattle, horses, sheep, etc.  More on this later.

But hounds - including beagles - get a bum rap on this. These lists assume that obeying and training constitutes intelligences. Oh contraire.

Retrievers - Labs or Goldens - obey and are very trainable because a characteristic of the breed is to be so. They were bred to follow the commands and instructions of the hunter:  "Go get that duck I just shot down. I'm tired of walking."  Off bounces 70 pounds of canine eager to please and obey. Who's the smart one - the dog or the hunter?

On the other hand, consider the hound. The hunter stands around, maybe riding a horse, while the hound does all the work. It finds the prey, follow the prey, flushes it out, and then makes the kill. The hunter then walks up, picks up the fallen critter and smiles for his picture. In this case, who's the smartest?  Who did all the work. That's right, the hound.

So I vote that hounds are smarter. And having watched my strategize against each other (yes plot and plan), I feel I've seen it with my own eyes. The downside of the hound's intelligence and instinct to do it himself is that he's stubborn:  "Why should I listen to you?  I do all the work while you stand there and take all of the credit."  Meanwhile, the retrievers do what you want and smile up at you with that big goofy grin that says "boy oh boy are you smart. You made do a stupid trick for a lousy kibble."

I'll agree that border collies are smart. They do both - work independently and follow the master's commands. So I'll give 'em that one. But what do you think?  Who's smarter - hounds or retrievers? Give your vote in the comments.

Comments

[Jordans Sneakers]

I understand what you are saying, but you just seem to have forgotten that there are some other people in the world who view this issue for what it really is and may not agree with you. You may be turning away a lot of people who might have been fans of your blog.

[Julie]

I'm not saying that retrievers aren't great dogs. They are. And they are well recognized to be much more trainable than hounds - a desirable trait. I just feel that hounds get a bum rap about their intelligence. But that's why I asked you to vote. Defenders of the hounds and the retrievers - share your opinion!

[Raeshawn Parsons]

You know what I think you're right but it depends of the occation. I have had the liberty to have owned German Shepherds, Goldens, American Stafs. and my baby Zeeza who is a basset hound. I think you really hit the nail on the head when it came to the hound and the retrieve thoughts. Retrieves have been bred for decades to do exactly what the human says even if the humans says "jump off that bridge." There is no dout in my mind that the retriever would do it. The Hound would most likely think for himself and go the other way, unless food was involved then the outcome might be different.
If humans disappered from the face of the earth (Wouldn't that be great) there is no dout in my mind that the hound would be able to hunt, kill and form a pack to survive. Retreivers have only one thing on their mind, to please the master but when the masters gone what then? Sure they can open doors and think on their paws but when there is no more food in the garbage cans who's going to feed them? They are RETRIEVERS not hunters, unlike hounds. My vote is for the hounds because they can think for themselves and don't have to follow the every breath of humans.