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Stanley Coren's Dog Intelligence Ranking

Stanley Coren is a psychology professor and neuropsychological researcher highly acclaimed for his research and understanding of canine behaviour and the human-canine bond.

In 1994, Professor Coren published his book The Intelligence of Dogs, which became his most famous piece of research. Republished in 2006, the book ranks over 100 different dog breeds according to their intelligence.

It's important to remember that, just like all children, every dog is unique and intelligence will vary from animal to animal. However, Professor Coren's research determined that the obedience intelligence in dogs, that is the ability with which they can be trained, does indeed vary.

This variance tends to align with the types of dogs breeders set out to create. For example, working, herding, guarding, hunting, and sporting dogs all require different levels of intelligence and training.

Research Method

According to Professor Coren, 51% of a dog's intelligence stems from its genes while 49% is based on environmental circumstances.

Included in the 2006 republication of The Intelligence of Dogs are three types of canine intelligence: instinctive, adaptive, and working and obedience. Together, they evaluate the animal's problem solving capabilities, obedience, memory, social training and powers of observation.

The latter of the three categories, namely working and obedience intelligence, was, and is still today, the most widely discussed when considering canine intelligence. After all, it relates to a dog's ability to learn from humans, therefore would naturally be used by us as a point of reference.

Below you will find Professor Coren's dog intelligence ranking from the republished edition of his work in which 131 breeds are ranked.

Stanley Coren's Dog Intelligence Ranking

Source: The Intelligence of Dogs by Stanley Coren

Stanley Coren's Dog Intelligence Ranking

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Research Method

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Stanley Coren's Dog Intelligence Ranking

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