What pet has the highest IQ? (2023)

Top 10 most intelligent dog breeds

How smart is your dog? If they are one of the breeds in this list, the chances are that they are amongst the brightest dogs out there. Whilst they may not be able to do mathematics, the dogs in this list all show extraordinary abilities to learn.

It’s not an accident that the breeds in this list are smart – almost all are descended from working dogs. Breeders would select the dogs who performed their jobs best – usually the most intelligent and trainable ones. In doing so, they created breeds with above-average intelligence, who thrive with good training and exercise.

Taking on such an intelligent dog requires lots of hard work. You need to make sure you’re prepared to keep them from getting bored – that means plenty of mental stimulation like games, training, and challenges alongside their normal exercise routine. Speaking of exercise, most of these dogs need plenty of it, so it’s essential to keep track of how much they’re actually getting using a PitPat. Both the PitPat Dog GPS Tracker and the PitPat Dog Activity Monitor include our award-winning activity monitoring so you can find out exactly how much running, walking, playing and rest they’re getting every day.

Border Collie

Border Collies consistently top rankings for intelligence in dogs. They’ve been bred for herding sheep, a job which many still do today, and that is no easy task. With just a few commands from their handler, they need to be able to make quick decisions to drive the sheep where they need to go and work with other dogs and the shepherd to ensure the sheep end up where they are meant to be.

With their incredible agility and speed, Border Collies are perfect for canine sports like agility, obedience, canicross and disc dog, as well as making wonderful companions.

One Border Collie named Chaser could identify and retrieve 1,022 toys by their name in tests, the most any non-human animal has achieved in a study. Chaser also demonstrated an understanding of grammar and an ability to infer the name of a new object by excluding the objects that she already knew – pretty smart if you ask us!

Poodle

Some people may think that the Poodle is nothing more than a showy dog on the arms of the upper classes – but they’d be wrong. Like many of the other dogs on this list, the Poodle is a gun dog, specialising in retrieving game from water. They need to be able to think on their feet and navigate tricky terrain – their smarts come in handy!

The Poodle can put its paw to many jobs and canine sports – from assistance dogs to agility pros, they excel at all sorts and make loyal canine companions.

More recently, the Poodle has become a popular parent breed of many of the nation’s favourite cross-breed dogs such as Cockapoos and Labradoodles.

German Shepherd

The noble German Shepherd is famous for its role as a police dog, but they were originally bred to herd sheep and protect them from predators and other threats. Like the other herding dogs on this list, owners of working German Shepherds needed them to be intelligent and capable of making independent decisions as well as understanding their handler’s commands.

Whether working as a police dog or being a pampered pup at home, German Shepherds are fiercely loyal to their owners and excel in obedience training.

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is not only easily trainable but also makes a fantastic family dog. Their exceptional emotional intelligence makes them pawfect candidates for assistance dogs, even though they were originally bred as gun dogs. They are able to think independently and make quick decisions when working, which is essential in many of their roles.

Doberman Pinscher

Doberman Pinschers were originally bred as guard dogs, but fans of the breed will know them as intelligent, loyal, energetic companions. They are highly trainable and their instinct to protect means that they have impeccable focus and attention. Modern Dobermans are much less aggressive than their working ancestors and can make wonderful house pets with consistent training.

Shetland Sheepdog

The Shetland Sheepdog, also known as the Sheltie, is another herding dog, bred on the Shetland Islands. Farmers needed Shelties to do all sorts around the farm, including keeping birds out of the field and letting their family know when a stranger was approaching the farm. They are intelligent and quick, meaning they dominate agility in their size group, and are often top picks for competitors who don’t want to run a Border Collie.

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador is the quintessential family dog, and though they might act goofy at home, these hardy pooches are actually incredibly easy to train and eager to please. Their breeding as a gun dog means they have to be able to think on their paws, judge scenarios and make a quick decision – the same skills needed to be an exceptional assistance dog.

In fact, not only are Labradors the first choice for assistance dogs, but they’re also put to work with their nose sniffing out all manner of things, from illicit items to medical illnesses in humans.

Papillon

The Papillon is the smallest pooch on this list and perhaps a surprise entry to some. However, when you look past their showy ‘butterfly’ ears, you’ll find a dog with exceptional intelligence, charm and drive. Bred from early Spaniels, it’s no surprise that the Papillon has inherited some of their brain power, and owners are often delighted to find that their dogs can excel in sports like agility and obedience.

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is a misunderstood dog used for many jobs – herding cattle, pulling butcher’s carts, and as police and military dogs. These intelligent dogs have shown their ability to adapt to all sorts of roles – including as beloved family companions – and love to have a job. They thrive with firm and consistent leadership, forming close bonds with their owners.

Australian Cattle Dog

Last, but by no means least, is the plucky Australian Cattle Dog. This sturdy pup was bred to herd cattle over long distances. Dealing with animals much larger than itself requires the Australian Cattle Dog to be tenacious, driven, and quick thinking – qualities that they have in droves. Unique amongst dogs, the Australian Cattle Dog can trace bloodlines back to tamed dingos, themselves described as showing incredible intelligence.

Choosing an intelligent dog breed can be incredibly rewarding, but you need to be prepared to spend plenty of time with them, keeping them mentally and physically challenged. We recommend plenty of exciting walks, canine sports and playtime! You can measure it all and keep track of them if they run off with a PitPat Dog GPS Tracker for just £149 with no subscription.

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Cat IQ vs. Dog IQ: Who’s Smarter?

There has been much research done to try to address the question of whether or not your cat is intelligent. According to the consensus, most people who own pets believe their dogs are more intelligent than their cats.

On the other hand, it’s possible that we don’t give our feline companions enough credit. Tricks are harder to master for cats than they are for dogs. Although they do not help the blind or sniff out bombs, they do not run agility courses at the request of their owners, and they do not sniff out explosives. However, cats can be pretty bright in a variety of other ways.

Over the years, numerous investigations have been conducted to determine the level of intellect cats possess. It can be challenging to get to know a cat’s perspective. However, many individuals believe that their cat possesses some level of intelligence. Most of us can recall funny or exciting things our pets have done. It would appear that many cats have a strong capacity for analytical thinking and finding solutions to problems. Is it possible that these people are just projecting too much of themselves onto their cat’s behavior? Or, could your cat be a genius?

Assessing certain aspects of animals, such as their level of intelligence, can be challenging at times. There is not just one method for determining an animal’s level of intellect, the same as there is with human beings. The best way to gauge someone’s intelligence is to compare it to ours and see how it measures up. This can make life more difficult for certain animals, such as cats. It’s not accurate to say that cats are less intelligent than dogs; instead, they have a distinct kind of intelligence. Even while cats do not possess the same level of brightness as humans, this does not indicate that the cat you own is not a clever animal. The only way to determine whether or not your cat is intelligent is to investigate how cats put their intelligence to work for themselves.

Which is Smarter? Dogs or Cats?

It would be simple to determine if your cat is intelligent by comparing it to a dog. Dog and Cat owners have long debated about which pet is the most intelligent. This is shown in the research cited previously, which directly contrasted cats and dogs. While each pet owner has their idea of their furry companions, according to scientific assessments, which are the most intelligent?

Is your cat clever? Or are they not just as intelligent as dogs? Researchers have discovered that dogs are slightly more intelligent than cats. They are far more teachable. This is primarily dependent on their capacity for interpersonal interaction. Dogs are capable of learning significantly more complex tricks and talents. They also have heightened senses compared to humans, which they use to perform duties for their owners. This is most typically observed in canines with a keen sense of smell. They can also be trained to execute sophisticated jobs like seeing-eye dogs.

As we have seen earlier, dogs may be slightly smarter than your cat. This intelligence can be attributed to the fact that dogs have been domesticated significantly longer than cats. Due to their closer biological resemblance to humans, dogs are easier to evaluate by having them do predetermined activities. As they are unwilling to undertake arbitrary activities for humans, cats are more challenging to test. It is possible that cats, like dogs, may use their heightened awareness to perform tasks for humans. However, it would not be easy to convince a cat to do so. Your cat may still be intelligent, but not in a way that is comparable to a dog’s intelligence.

Do Fewer Neurons Imply That Your Cat Is Not Intelligent?

Numerous cat academics have sought to address the question, «Is your cat intelligent?» Recent research has sought to quantify the number of neurons your cat possesses. The study concentrated on neurones, perceiving their quantity as a valuable indicator of general intelligence. The experiment determined the number of neural connections to the cerebral cortex. This region of the brain is responsible for the majority of mental labor. It is fundamental to the intelligence of humans and many other organisms. It is a good starting point for determining whether your cat is intelligent.

A study shows dogs have twice as many brain connections as a typical cat. Does this imply cats are less intelligent than dogs? They do not necessarily lack intelligence, but they lack the connections between regions of the brain that generally allow for intelligent behavior. It does indicate that their brains are less similar to ours than those of dogs. However, this is not entirely unexpected. Researchers have discovered that early canines evolved from wolves with brain structures that intuitively seek social interaction, much like early humans. This makes it easier to compare them.

These neurons have nothing to do with brain size. The brain size does not correlate with the number of higher processes occurring therein. A little dog will continue to possess more neurons than a giant cat. Despite being smaller than dogs, cats have fewer neurons. This does not fully answer the question of whether your cat is intelligent. This study provides only one perspective.

Does Brain Size Matter?

Because the brain relies on neurons to process information, the greater the number of neurons in an animal’s cerebral cortex, the greater the amount of data it can likely process and the greater its mental capacities. To begin with, dogs, having larger brains, possessed more than twice as many neurons in their cerebral cortex as domestic cats, with approximately 530 million cortical neurons compared to 250 million for the cat. (In comparison, the human brain contains billions of neurons.) This suggests that canines are capable of more sophisticated and adaptable behavior than cats.

However, it was not simply the case that the dog was smarter than the cat. The brain of the Golden Retriever contained more cortical neurons than those of the African lion and brown bear, even though the lion and bear had far larger cerebral cortices than the dog. In other words, the dog’s brain was more densely packed with neurons. It appears that thousands of years of domestication have not diminished the intelligence of our canine companion.

Before dog lovers tell their cat-loving friends, «I told you so,» it is crucial to remember that the sample size was extremely small. In the study, there was only one cat and two dogs. The neuron counts were too disparate to be explained by individual variation alone. However, it is almost clear that the tendency would remain the same despite adding more animals.

Importantly, the scientists did not conduct animal IQ testing on living dogs and cats or watch the animals’ behavior. The findings are based solely on brain cells. Even though dogs are more intelligent than cats, there is little evidence that they utilize their total mental capacity. In reality, no animal is better at being a cat than a cat, and no animal is better at being a dog than a dog. And which one makes the ideal pet? It varies entirely on whom you ask.

Is Your Cat Intelligent in Various Ways?

The brain anatomy of a cat is around 90% identical to that of a person. This may not seem like much, but this 10% difference is significant. Although cats have fewer neuron connections to the cerebral cortex than humans and dogs, they surpass us in other areas. Cats have significantly more developed visual regions of the brain than dogs. These regions are more developed than those of the majority of mammals, including humans. This indicates that your cat has superior visual intelligence to ours. This enhanced sense can provide kids various benefits, although it may be difficult to observe when they play with toys all day.

This is why comparing cat intelligence to human intelligence is somewhat flawed. To determine whether or not your cat is intelligent, you must understand that they are intelligent differently than humans. The intellect of cats may not appear advantageous to humans, but it is essential for cats. If your cat were evaluating your IQ, they would deduct points for your lack of hunting prowess! Cats live a different lifestyle and have other demands than humans. Thus it is only logical that their intelligence differs.

When comparing cats and dogs, domestication levels must be taken into account. Cats are substantially less domesticated than dogs, according to experts. A dog’s mind and daily activity are entirely focused on social interaction with people. In contrast, we do not share the same relationship with a cat. While we can determine a dog’s intellect based on how well it performs on human-created tests, this is not the case for cats.

Related: The 10 Highest IQs Cat Breeds In The World

References

• [1] ^ American Kennel Club: Are Dogs Really Smarter Than Cats?
• [2] ^ PBS.org: Which are smarter, cats or dogs? We asked a scientist