Meet the 19 least intelligent dogs
Using data from UBC psychology professor Stanley Coren’s "The Intelligence of Dogs," we found and ranked the least intelligent dogs by obedience intelligence.
The least intelligent of man's best friend
One of the most daunting parts of owning a dog is figuring out how to train it.
Trainability, or a dog’s ability to learn from humans, has often been linked to its intelligence. Of course, it’s important to remember that all dogs are different and may have personality traits that aren’t stereotypical of their breed. But it can be a very helpful and telling correlation.
In "The Intelligence of Dogs," University of British Columbia psychology professor Stanley Coren examined rankings from dog obedience judges of 110 breeds. Using that information, we then looked at the least intelligent dogs by obedience intelligence.
The breeds that make up this list are sorted by tiers, starting at "fair" and going down to "lowest degree of working." They are further sorted by overall intelligence.
19. Old English Sheepdog
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 22 inches & up (male), 21 inches & up (female)
Weight: 60-100 pounds
Life Expectancy: 10-12 years
18. Great Pyrenees
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 27-32 inches (male), 25-29 inches (female)
Weight: 100 pounds & up (male), 85 pounds & up (female)
Life Expectancy: 10-12 years
16. Tie: Scottish Terrier and Saint Bernard
Scottish Terrier
- Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Height: 10 inches
- Weight: 19-22 pounds (male), 18-21 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 12 years
Saint Bernard
- Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Height: 28-30 inches (males), 26-28 inches (female)
- Weight: 140-180 pounds (male), 120-140 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 8-10 years
15. Bull Terrier
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 21-22 inches
Weight: 50-70 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-13 years
14. Chihuahua
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 6-9 inches
Weight: 3-6 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-20 years
13. Lhasa Apso
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 10-11 inches (male), slightly smaller (female)
Weight: 12-18 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
12. Bullmastiff
Tier: Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 24-17 inches
Weight: 110-130 pounds (male), 100-120 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy: 7-8 years
11. Shih Tzu
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 8-11 inches
Weight: 9-16 pounds
Life Expectancy: 10-16 years
10. Basset Hound
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: up to 15 inches
Weight: 40-65 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-13 years
8. Tie: Mastiff and Beagle
Mastiff
- Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Height: 30 inches & up (male), 27.5 inches & up (female)
- Weight: 160-230 pounds (male), 120-170 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 6-10 years
Beagle
- Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
- Height: 14-16 inches (male), 13-15 inches (female)
- Weight: 22-24 pounds (male), 20-22 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
7. Pekingese
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 6-9 inches
Weight: up to 14 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-14 years
6. Bloodhound
A bloodhound is shown in the ring during the Hound group competition during the 140th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Mary AltafferTier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 25-27 inches (male), 23-25 inches (female)
Weight: 90-110 pounds (male), 80-100 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy: 7-9 years
5. Borzoi
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 28 inches & up (male), 26 inches & up (female)
Weight: 75-105 pounds (male), 60-85 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy: 9-14 years
4. Chow Chow
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 17-20 inches
Weight: 45-70 pounds
Life Expectancy: 8-12 years
3. Bulldog
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 14-15 inches
Weight: 50 pounds (male), 40 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy: 8-10 years
2. Basenji
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 17 inches (male), 16 inches (female)
Weight: 24 pounds (male), 22 pounds (female)
Life Expectancy: 13-14 years
1. Afghan Hound
Tier: Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
Height: 25-27 inches
Weight: 50-60 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-18 years
