Are you struggling to train your dog? Doesn't your dog show enough eagerness to learn new things? One of the most challenging parts of having a dog is teaching them, which is closely associated with a dog's intelligence. Some dogs learn words and commands faster, while others require a lot of repetition and patience.
The dogs who learn faster are called intelligent dogs, while the late learners have been tagged as "dumb" or "less intelligent."
However, is a dog's intelligence only about learning commands? Who are the least intelligent dog breeds? How does it get measured? In today's detailed post, we will briefly discuss all of these.
What is the Dog Intelligence?
Dog intelligence refers to the process of acquiring information and conceptual skills, storing them in memory, retrieving them, combining them, and comparing them. Another deciding factor is the dog's capability to use these skills in new situations.
In 1994, Stanley Coren, a professor of canine psychology at the University of British Columbia, wrote "The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide to the Thoughts, Emotions, and Inner Lives of Our Canine Companions." In this book, he explained it beautifully.
Coren has divided the dog's intelligence into points. The points are:
- Instinctive intelligence
- Adaptive intelligence
- Working and obedience intelligence
1. Instinctive Intelligence
Instinctive intelligence includes a dog's ability to perform tasks such as herding, pointing, fetching, guarding, or supplying companionship. It denotes the features that dogs are "born to do." Thus, it varies depending on the breed and origin country.
For example, Huskies are sled dogs. So, naturally, they can run fast in the snow, pull weights easily, and have solid physical characteristics. On the other hand, German Shepherds are guard dogs. They are born with curiosity and learning desires and are highly adaptive. These are the skills dogs are born with and don't need to learn at all.
2. Adaptive Intelligence
Adaptive intelligence is the capability to learn things from human beings and the environment. This type of brainpower also helps in socializing and problem-solving skills. You must deal with your dog's capability if you are trying to train. Do remember that this capability also varies depending on the breed.
For example, Afghan Hounds have the lowest adaptive intelligence, which makes them the least intelligent dog. They face issues in understanding a new command and grasping the ways of executing it. At the same time, Border Collie is the most intelligent dog. It can learn 1000 proper nouns in a lifetime. So, do not compare.
3. Working and Obedience Intelligence
Working and obedience intelligence is evaluated based on the dog's capability of following instructions. This feature has also been tagged as "obedience." Stupendous dog breeds refuse to follow their "trainers' instructions and receive tags such as less intelligent," dumb," stupid," etc.
However, that is not true. For example, bulldogs are one of the most stubborn dog breeds. They don't like to learn new tricks and words. However, according to this breed's immediate owners, they follow instructions but sometimes pause before that. After repeating nicely, it does the task. So, it's not true that they are dumb; they need patience, technique, and repetitive instructions to convince them.
Related: How to Train a Stubborn Dog?
As the parameters of a dog's intelligence are clear, it is time to address the question of the day: What are the least intelligent dog breeds? Let's have a look at that.
What are the Least Intelligent Dog Breeds?
Professor Stanley Coren's book The Intelligence of Dogs lists the least intelligent dogs. His list is solely based on their adoptive intelligence and obedience level. If a dog fails to take, remember, or obey instructions, it has been listed as a "less intelligent dog."
These less intelligent dog breeds need 80 to 100 repetitions to understand a new command. Also, they follow the first command only 25% or fewer times. However, that doesn't mean they have no special abilities. They do have their natural talents.
According to Professor Stanley Coren, here is the list of the "least intelligent' dogs" and some of their unique abilities.
1. Afghan Hound
Afghan Hounds are known for their beauty, hunting capability, and lowest level of intelligence. The origin country of the Afghan Hound is Afghanistan. It is also known as Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, and Galanday Hound.
The Afghan Hounds have the lowest level of adaptive intelligence but are also talented.
Special Abilities:
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Protector Dogs: Afghan Hounds are among the best hunting dogs. This breed belongs to the sighthound family and has excellent visionary power, speed, and jumping capability. These features make it a good protector of its family.
- Survival Powers: Afghan Hounds are one of the oldest breeds. In the northern province of Balkh, the walls still have their pictures. This skill helps them survive in most adverse situations, such as too hot, snow, extreme humidity, etc. Because of this, they rarely fall sick. However, they have a long, thin, and sensitive tail. It gets hurt easily.
2. Basenji
According to the author of this list, the Basenji is the second least intelligent dog. Surprisingly, they hold the first position in the list of 'following the first request.' So, it is clear that they might have lower adaptive intelligence but higher obedience (if trained properly). The origin of the Basenji is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are also hunting breeds.
Special Abilities:
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Decision-Making Power: Basenji has decision-making power. However, they often use this power for their benefit, such as hunting for food. So, most trainers use food to train them.
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Loyalty: This breed is extremely loyal, protective, and courageous., making it a perfect family dog. However, the owner needs to be careful about other small animals. Experts say Basenjis can be introduced to small pets with care and restrictions.
- Company Dog: Basenji's are high-spirited. They love to play and to be with humans. So, Basenji can be your breed if you are looking for companions. Before that, please keep in mind that they are escaping masters. This breed can climb trees and run the long distance. So, you have to pay attention to that.
3. Bulldog
Bulldogs belong to the United Kingdom and have long been a symbol of the British national spirit. However, they are not intelligent enough and hold the third position on the Coren list of the least intelligent dog breeds. Bulldogs are pretty stubborn and learn only a few commands. Professor Coren has advised us to be careful while training bulldogs.
Special Abilities:
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Guard Dog: Bulldogs are courageous, fearless, and protective. Their athletic body makes them an excellent guard dog.
- Kid-friendly: Current data shows bulldogs are friendly and compassionate with kids and families. They also have a calm tenacity, making them ideal for apartments.
4. Chow Chow
Chows are not intelligent and are hard to train. They have so much lower intelligence that Professor Coren said, 'There is probably furniture out there that is more trainable than chows.'
Historically, chows hail from China and are only bred for meat and fur.
Special Abilities:
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Alertness: Chow Chows are pretty alert dogs. They are aloof from strangers and are not social with other dogs, which makes Them good guard dogs. They can stay active and protect the house with a bit of exercise. However, this breed is not suitable for hot and humid areas. They are sensitive to high temperatures and avoid exercise at that time.
- Family Pets: Chows are not good with strangers but are compassionate with family members. They are also quite friendly and caring with kids, making them ideal family pets.
5. Borzoi
Next breed is Borzoi. Borzoi dogs originate from Russia and Belarus. This breed is also difficult to train, not only because of its lower intelligence. Borzoi dogs love their independence and sometimes become stubborn about maintaining it, making the whole training period troublesome.
Experts have stated that Borzoi's trainer needs to be patient, consistent, and good-humored. So, although they are fifth on the list of the least intelligent dog breeds, teaching them is not impossible.
Special Abilities:
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Gentle Dogs: The Borzoi breed is known for its gentle, graceful, affectionate, and independent nature. It loves spending time with family. However, sometimes, it keeps aloof from its favorite human being to enjoy its 'me time.' Due to this, it is often called 'the aristocrat of dogs'.
- Pet Friendly: Borzoi's are good and caring with other pets and kids, making them an ideal family pet. However, due to their sighthound instincts, they chase smaller animals. This can be controlled by proper training.
6. Bloodhound
The bloodhound is the sixth least intelligent dog breed. They are independent and sometimes stubborn, which makes training them properly. However, due to their extraordinary sniffing, tracking, and chasing ability, they are pretty popular as guard dogs.
Bloodhounds rank high in instinctive intelligence. Experts have suggested that this breed needs lots of positive reinforcement, patience, and consistency from its owners to achieve training goals.
Bloodhounds originally hail from the United Kingdom and Belgium.
Special Ability:
- Scenting Power: Bloodhounds have remarkable scenting power. They have forty (about 230 million) times more scenting ability than humans, which helps them find the culprit smoothly. Data has shown that a Bloodhound takes only 60 seconds to see the natural predator.
7. Pekingese
The Pekingese is the seventh least intelligent dog breed. It is originally from China and was the companion of Chinese Royalty in ancient times. It is now known as one of the most popular companion dogs. Its loyal and affectionate temperament makes it perfect for this. That's why the lower level of intelligence has not significantly impacted its popularity.
Special Abilities:
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Independent Thinking: Pekingese are lap dogs with opinions. Their strong will and independent thinking help strengthen their relationship with their owner.
- Good companion: Pekingese have been famous as lap dogs since ancient times. They are highly compassionate towards family and kids. Despite their little body, they are pretty alert dogs. They bark if they sense something fishy.
8. Beagle
The beagle is in the 8th position on this list. It is not only the least intelligent dog breed but also doesn't howl or bark at strangers, making it a poor guard dog. However, beagles are friendly and playful dogs. They love spending time with family. Beagles do have separation anxiety. It means they get hyper and can start destroying things when left unattended.
Special Abilities:
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Kid-friendly Dog: Beagles are excellent with children. They are highly energetic and play with them, making them one of the most popular pet dogs.
- Good Sense of Smell: Beagles are not considered guard dogs due to their overly friendly nature. On the contrary, they have a solid ability to smell and can alert their owner.
No dog is dumb or less intelligent. Dogs do have abilities and uniqueness. We must be patient with them to help them understand our point and enhance their talents.
How Do We Measure Dog's Intelligence?
Here are some standard tests that you can do to test your dog's IQ level. These tests are designed to help evaluate their learning ability, information-retaining capability, socialization power, reasoning skills, and problem-solving skills.
However, please remember that you are not supposed to do all these tests on the same day. Be patient and funny, and playfully do these tests. Also, show a positive attitude to your dog even if they fail the test. It will help your dog to enjoy the process.
The IQ tests are:
1. Towel Test
Put a large towel or blanket over your dog's head. Be gentle; otherwise, your dog might get scared. Now, watch how long it takes your dog to get free. If your dog takes 15 seconds, then the reward is 3 points. Suppose it takes 15-30 seconds, 2 points. Give 1 point if it takes more than 30 seconds.
2. Treat Test
Turn three empty cups or bowls upside down. Place your dog's favorite treat under one of them. You must do this when your dog is watching. After placing the treat, distract your dog for a few minutes. Then, allow your dog to find the treat. If he goes to the right cup directly without hesitation, give him 3 points. However, they scored 2 points in two attempts. Give 1 point if your dog looks under the other two buckets first.
3. Rearrange the Favorite Spot
Every dog has a favorite spot in every room or house. Rearrange the furniture or accessories in that spot. If your dog goes straight to his favorite sport, give him 3 points. However, if he takes 30 seconds to get his favorite sport, give him 2 points. Reward him with 1 point for giving up and finding a new spot.
4. Hide the Treat
Hide your dog's favorite treat under a low chair or bed. However, the bed or the chair should be that lower where your dog's paws can reach but not the head. If he finds the treat within one minute, score 3 points. 2 points for using his nose or paws, and score 1 for giving up on the treat.
5. Walk Test
In this test, you are supposed to take the leash and key at a time when you don't take him for a walk. If he gets excited immediately, score 3 points. However, if you need to give hints like walking towards the door, etc., the reward is 2 points. However, if your dog looks confused and remains sitting, give him 1 point.
Related: 5 Ways To Train Your Dog How To Walk On A Leash
6. Arrange Barriers
You have to work a bit for this test. You must place a piece of cardboard five feet wide and taller than your dog when he's on two legs. He can't oversee.
Now, attach two boxes on either side to support the structure. In the center of the cardboard, cut a 3-inch-wide rectangular shape. This rectangular shape should run from about 4 inches from the top to about 4 inches from the bottom.
You have to toss a treat or his favorite toy from the opposite side of the barrier. If he overcomes the barrier within 30 seconds, the reward is 3 points. For more than 30 seconds, the reward is 2 points, and if he gets stuck, the reward is 1 point.
Once you are done with all of these tests, let's prepare a scorecard for your dog.
- 16 points or higher - Brilliant!
- 13 to 16 points - Above average
- 9 to twelve points - Average
- 5 to 8 points - Below average
- 1 to 4 points- It's okay if you love your dog.
Train Your Least Intelligent Dog with a Doodle Couture Collar!
As the final say, we want to convey one message, that is, your dog can have lesser adaptive intelligence but that does not make him less intelligent anyway. Do you know why? It is because all the dogs understand the love language best and know how to love unconditionally.
Additionally, they can learn the basic manners and commands with time and effort. Use the collars from Doodle Couture to enhance your bond with your dog and make them obedient. Do not forget to compliment and hug them once they follow your instructions. Happy cuddle, folks!
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