Most intelligent breed of dog

Research by the award-winning Stanley Coren (USA), Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia - and the polling of 200 professional dog obedience judges - has revealed that the most intelligent of all dog breeds is the border collie, followed by the poodle and German shepherd. At the bottom of the list is the Afghan hound. Dogs at the top end of Prof. Coren's scale proved particularly intelligent and even understand a "vocabulary" of 250 words - equivalent to a human child of two!

Breeding is believed to have honed the intelligence of dogs, according to Coren. "When a human points, the wolf looks at the finger," he reports, "while the domestic dog looks where the finger is pointing."

Top 5 and bottom 5 breeds

1. Border collies

2. Poodle

3. German shepherd

4. Golden retriever

5. Doberman pincher

...

106. Borzoi

107. Chow chow

108. Bull dog

109. Basenji

110. Afghan hound