15 of the Smartest Dog Breeds

In 1994, a psychology professor and researcher by the name of Stanley Coren set out to answer every dog lover's burning question: "What is the smartest dog breed?" His book, "The Intelligence of Dogs," was updated in 2006 and remains the authority on, well, the most intelligent dogs. The book ranks more than 100 dogs by varying elements of intelligence, like performance in the tasks it was bred for, capability of independent problem-solving, and aptness for learning from humans. Some come as no surprise—border collies and Australian cattle dogs for example. But as it turns out, there are breeds of all shapes and sizes in the list of the top 10 smartest dogs. Take for example the papillon, a pint-size package of curiosity and agility. Or the rottweiler, lovable hunks who, according to the American Kennel Club, descended from the mastiffs of Roman legions. The top 10 smartest dogs all possess the ability to learn commands in five tries or less and obey the first command 95% of the time or better. Even the breeds in second place boasts the ability to learn new commands with five to 15 repetitions and obeying the first command 85% of the time. So who is the smartest dog out there? Here are 15 of the most intelligent dog breeds.