Video of the program.
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3998170n?source=search_video
I have two border collies and sometimes I question that they are the smartest.
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As a long time owner/friend of Labradors, and someone whose sister breeds Goldens, I have to agree with your comments. Goldens are sweet dogs, but brains are not the breed’s long suit. My Labs run and play rings around her Goldens at the annual family get-together. All the dogs are comatose by the end of the day, but my Labs want to get up the next morning and do it all over again. Her Goldens, on the other hand, have “Do Not Disturb” and “Room Service” hang tags at the end of their beds. Obviously Labs are the smarter breed . . . . Ya think?
THe smart list seems fairly reasonable to me. But I don’t think I buy the dumb list. I’d put these dogs on the dumb list for sure...
pomeranian
pug
husky
yorkshire terrier
I just watched the video link you provided. I dispute the assertion that the GSD is smarter because he wasn't fooled by the fake throw. The GSD may be smarter, but I don't think that test proved it. The golden is more enthusiastic about retrieving. That's all that test proved, imo.
There is no way Basenjis are the 2nd stupidest dog breed!! We’ve owned five of them, and they are very smart. They just aren’t biddable, meaning they may or may not do the bidding of a human. We love our Basenjis.
Most of our dogs have been dumped in the area, or strays in one way or another. Even though the only one we ever bought was a cocker, we have had several that were purebred.
The golden was smart, but mostly just goofy and anxious to please.
Our sheltie was very smart. It took us several weeks to find out he could bark. Our cocker was as dumb as a box of rocks. The rescued greyhound was also dumb, and mostly wild. He had been dumped in the area and just barely let us feed him. He would steal our stuff and we would find it in his nest in the woods.
We have had a number of other strays, but the smartest of all are the blue heelers. They are Australian cattle dogs with different coloring. They are high energy though, and need room to run.
Having helped rescue dozens of Goldens and a few labs, and having spent time around some friends' labs, I am not at all surprised that Goldens are considered smarter than Labs. Goldens are very smart dogs, and a lot of them tend to be a bit more independent-minded, which makes them sometimes seem stubborn. They know exactly what you are asking them to do, but they are working out in their mind whether or not they are going to decide to do it.
Basset Hounds dumb? LOL Not a chance. They’re the most expert people-trainers ever.
I was agreeing with their list until this one:
#2 Dumbest: The Basenji is considered the second least intelligent dog breed, but hey, it could be worse.
I owned a Basenji and was around another for years. I found them to be extremely intelligent.
The smartest and best dog I ever had was a bearded collie.
Best dog all around, just like an American, is a mongrel mutt!
As for beagles being dumb, I have a part beagle....stoopidist dog I ever owned.
I will vouch for the Border Collie’s intelligence. My dear departed Barney knew his left from his right and he would have been able to tie shoelaces had he been born with opposable thumbs. It took exactly one “slip-up” (less than 15 minutes) for him to figure out the back door led to his bathroom, he could chase down a frisbee as far as I could throw it and then would leap 6 feet in the air to catch it. He also would carry his frisbee back into the house and put it away in the closet when we were done. He also helped keep me in pretty good shape too! ;-)
Without a doubt, Barney was the most awesome animal I have ever known. Currently though, I have a black lab who is pretty darned smart in her own right. Not quite as smart as the BC, but close. She has an uncanny ability to speak using only her eyes. She’s a lover.
Now... on the other end of the spectrum, the wife has a mini dachshund. Grrrrr... That girl’s ‘bout as sharp as a bowling ball. It’s a good thing she’s cute...
I gotta argue with putting Bassets on the dumb dog list.
For a while, we had our dogs confined to part of the house by using one of those wireless fence systems. (The antennae wire was under the floor.) Our Basset, Bear, learned the first time that the collar meant business when the fast beeping started. (It took our Lab a few jolts to get that concept.) But Bear also learned that the slow beeps were merely a warning. Furthermore, he learned that the collar would issue that warning beep at the end of the hallway. So, Bear would sit at the end of the hall at 6AM with the collar beeping to wake us up. He used that collar as a pager.
i don’t agree that border collies r the smartest. my friend has a border collie/blue heeler mix and he’s a dumbass.