According to Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at Columbia University, USA, who conducted in-depth interviews with 208 dog trainers from various regions, 63 small animal veterinarians, and 14 experts studying guard and guard dogs, and based on a wealth of valuable information provided by the Vancouver Dog Obedience Club, they completed a very complex and extensive questionnaire ranking the dogs’ work obedience and intelligence. The current rankings are announced as follows:
1. Border Collie
2. Poodles
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman
6. Shetland Sheepdog (Shetland Sheepdog)
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Lottweiler
10. Australian Catherder
Dogs ranked 1-10 mostly understand the meaning of new commands after hearing them five times and easily remember them. When the owner gives a command, they are more likely to follow it than 95%. Moreover, even if the owner is far away, they will respond within seconds of hearing the command. Even if the people training them lack experience, they can learn well.
11. Welsh Corgi
12. Miniature Schnauzer
13. English Jumping Hound
14. Belgian Teflun
15. Schippike / Billy Shepherd
16. Scottish Collie
17. German Shorthair Pointer
18 British Cocoa/Standard Schnauzer
19. Brittany Hound
20. American Coca
21. Weimaraner
22. Bernese Mountain Dog
23. Squirrel Dog
24. Irish Water Spaniel
25. Vizsla dog
26. Cardeacon Welsh Corgi
Dogs ranked 11-26 seem to need to learn 5-15 times before they can master simple commands. Their chance of following the first command is 85%. For slightly complex commands, their reactions may sometimes be a bit slower, but with regular practice, this delay can be eliminated. When the owner is farther away, their reactions may be a bit slower, but even with limited trainer experience, there are still ways to train these dogs to be excellent.
27. Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Pulley/Yorkshire Ridge
28. Giant Schnauzer
29. Universal Ridge
30. Berry Terrier
31. Welsh Jumping Hound
32 Manchester Ridge
33. Samoyed Terrier
34 Newfoundland Dog / Australian Ridge / Stafford County Ridge, USA / Gordon Squat Hunting Dog / Long-whiskered Sheepdog
35. Kane Ridge / Kelly Blue Ridge / Ireland Ridge
36. Norwegian Millet Hound
37. Monkey Face Ridge / Silk Fur Ridge / Miniature Dog / Pharaoh King Hound / Clumber Long-haired Lop Retriever
38. Lowegeng
39. Dalmatian
Dogs ranked 27-39 are above average. After repeating the command 15 times, they only show a half-understood response, requiring a lot of extra practice, especially at the beginner stage. They have a 90% chance of responding to the first instruction, and their performance depends on how long they practice. Overall, their performance is as good as higher-ranked dogs, but their movements are less smooth and coherent, and their reaction times are a bit slower. If the owner stands a bit farther away, they may not respond to your commands. If the trainer lacks experience, is too strict, or impatient, these dogs will perform poorly.
40. Bellington Ridge
41. Irish Wolfhound
42. Kuvasz dog
43. Saluki Hound
44. Knight Charlie King Spaniel / German Bristle Pointer
45. Siberian Sled/Bichon Frise
46. Tibetan Mastiff/Lingdi/English Foxhound / American Foxhound / Griffon
47. West Highland White Ridge
48 Boxer Dog / Great Dane
49. Dachshund
50. Alaskan Malamute
51. Shar Pei
52. Rhodesian Ridgeback
53. Ireland Ridge
54. Boston Ridge / Akita dog
Dogs ranked 40-54 have average intelligence and obedience. During the learning process, they only understand the basic task after 15-20 rehearsals. To achieve satisfactory performance, it may take 25-40 repetitions. Without practice, they may forget previously learned movements. They have a 50% chance of responding to the first command, but the prerequisite is that they must first retrain themselves. If the owner stands very close, the dogs perform better; if the distance increases, the dog’s behavior worsens. More skilled trainers can train these dogs to be as good as smart ones, but those lacking experience or patience might not be able to handle them.
55. Sky Ridge
56 Xili Han Geng
57. Pug
58. French Bulldog
59. Maltese dog
60. Italian Lingdi
61. Chinese Crested Dog
62. Dandi Dingmeng Ridge / Tibet Ridge
63. The English Old Style Shepherd
64. Pyrenean Mountain Dog
65. Scottish Ridge / Saint Bernard
66. Niutougeng 67. Chihuahua
68. Lhasa Apso
69. Bullmastiff
For dogs ranked 55-69, achieving perfect command performance may require 40-80 repetitions. Even after so much practice, it still cannot become a permanent habit. If practice is interrupted for a while, dogs will act as if they have never learned these movements. After practice, the dog’s chance of responding to the first command is 30%. Most of the time, these dogs are easily distracted and only follow their owner’s commands when they feel happy. If the owner stands a bit far from the dogs, they will have to spend a lot of time yelling at them, as they are likely to ignore them. Usually, these dogs are described as “independent, indifferent,” and so on. An experienced dog trainer, if willing to spend a lot of time and devote firm and kind attention to the dogs, can make these dogs respond immediately to commands. However, their performance will at best be just passable.
70. Shih Tzu
71. Basset Hound
72. Mastiff/Bigao
73. Pekingese
74. Blood Dike
75. Soviet Russian Shepherd Dog
76. Chow Chow Dog
77. Tiger Dog
78. Seeing a lucky dog
79. Afghan Hound
For dogs ranked 70-79, learning commands usually requires hundreds of practice sessions and then requires extra practice. Otherwise, they forget as if they’ve never learned the movement. Even if they get used to it, they still can’t respond to the owner’s commands every time. The first response is only 25% of the time. Sometimes, they may turn their heads away from the owner, such as deliberately ignoring them or deliberately challenging the owner’s authority. When responding to commands, their actions are usually slow, uncertain, or reluctant. Some dogs have to wear collars to obey, and once they take them off, they become lawless. Ordinary trainers may not be able to control the behavior of these dogs.
