Cleverest Dogs in the World: Stanley Coren, PhD Assessment

How clever dogs are has been a subject of disputes for centuries, till Stanley Coren’s paper “The Intelligence of Dogs”. Born in 1942 Mister Coren got a degree in neuropsychology and has been widely known as the dogs’ behavior researcher. He tested over 200.000 dogs before making the list of the cleverest dog breeds.

These are (starting from the smartest breeds): Border Collies (very often seen on TV, haven’t you noticed?), Poodle, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Doberman Pincher. Unfortunately, Mr. Coren only assessed breeds that are recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club or American Kennel Club (back in 1884 it only recognised 9 breeds, while recently The Norwegian Lundehund, Entlebucher and Xoloitzcuintli were recognized as well).

Border Collie Poodle German Shepherd Golden Retriever Doberman Pincher

Dogs’ behavior keeps amazing their owners and stories fly far farther. There are multiple stories while dogs would rescue their masters by dialing emergency by holding the cell phone in the mouth (buttons are programmed to call emergency if kept for over 3 seconds pressed), while dogs would be sent to the butcher shop with money and a notice paper in his mouth – finally with a packet full of meat for his master’s dinner, while dogs would mourn for their deceased masters staying off meal for days…

Smart Dog Story:

One Sunday morning a lady says to her husband: “What a clever dog we have got! He fetches us a newspaper every single morning. Aren’t it sweet?”

“Many dogs can do that these days” – says her husband

Then the lady continues: “You are probably right, but then I can’t remember we ever subscribed for any…”