New Study Ranks Doberman Pinschers As 5th Smartest

[magtie]

Not too shabby :)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-08-how-dogs-think_N.htm

[Dobs4ever]

Magtie - thanks for sharing - although I disagree with: "Based on data from 208 dog obedience judges around the USA and Canada, Coren says that the most intelligent breed is the border collie, with poodles ranked second, followed by German shepherds and then golden retrievers and dobermans. He ranked the breeds and calls the top 20% of dogs, by intelligence, the "super dogs." At the bottom of the list are the hounds, with the Afghan hound ranking last of more than 100 breeds. "

I have read that the Doberman has the mental capacity to understand up to an 8 year olds level. Although I agree that some of the breeds he listed are smart they are not super smart compared to the Doberman which is a thinking breed.

The border collie is probably the most driven - High drive - The poodle I could agree is # 2 behind the Doberman and the German Shepherd could never be ranked before a Doberman. The Doberman is a thinking breed. They do reason and figure things out. IMO the German Shepherds are a little dense so it surprises me that they are up in the top 5 although there outstanding performance as police dogs could justify that ranking I guess. I don't even consider Goldens smart on any level. They are mindless robots with an incredible strong desire to please - that does not equate to smart in my book.

I watch too many of them in the obedience ring and they just leave me cold.No challenge at all. That's how I see it folks. For me there is ONLY one Dog worth owning and it is THE DOBERMAN!

[RKCM]

Thanks for the information dobes4ever and mag........but I have to disagree.....My dobie is the smartest of all of them. And it's based on my research and watching him everyday. There is nothing like a mother's love...or is the bias........lol.

Thought that would give you a laugh. Interesting topic.

[RKCM]

As some of your know, I use to show toys. Now I'm not putting the dogs down, but dobermans are such a wonderful intelligent breed.....they just don't compare.

You know have you ever wondered how smart a dog is that walks about the ring, stands for exam, stacks......does it perfectly over and over again. In showing toy dogs, I always thought it was the beautiful ones, but not necessarily the smartest. Many of the smart toys would find a way to be stubborn, do it different, and surely be bored with the whole ta-do. I'm not saying this applies to dobermans as there are many performance dogs that do well in conformation.....just a thought. I just wonder how you can truly measure intelligence.

[magtie]

i think a good indicator of a dogs intelligence is how he/she interacts with you on a day-to-day basis.

Any dog can learn a trick trough repetition, but it takes a special kind of intelligence to learn things on their own and figure out their environment.

[Gryphon57]

I've had two dobes in all. Lots of other different breeds. Siberian Husky, bouvier , australian cattle dog, bedlington terrier, kerryblue terrier, Neapolitan mastiff...rough collies...and a little chihuahua mix.

Okay, hands down, the dobermans were far superior to the other breeds with the bouvier coming in second. I've also known quite a few GSD;s...none seem to even come close.

The less intelligent dobie..although far more the looker than the other did the following things:

took toast out of the toaster before it popped
took frying bacon out of the pan whilst frying without burning himself...used his little front teeth to flip it out.
managed to get into the fridge
took the bananas off the top of the fridge
tracked the bouvier when he went awol.
Convinced my mom to let him out..only to steel her chair.
Used the big living room mirror to see what i was doing or where I was hiding.
Mother was washing her hair kneeling over the tub....with said towel laid over the side of the tub. Dobe sits quietly by...watching procedure...mother reaches for towel...no towel. Dobie appears to be grinning....mother yells at dog to go get her towel and bring it back..Dobie goes and retrieves towel from bedroom and brings it back.
These are just a couple of things he did.

smarter dobie:

intelligence test administered at 7and one half weeks (for dogs obviously..designed to test ability to learn and reason) test designed for adult dogs....puppy scores genius.
puppy loves empty margerine containers....will throw them all over the house...puppy collects containers via stacking them..then proceeds to throw them all over the house again....this...is a puppy...'bout four months old now.
puppy follows pointing finger to see what is being pointed at
puppy will not take even a piece of steak from a stranger
puppy manages to get car window open..chases a quarter horse being lunged..puppy is kicked....just a glancing blow....no damage......puppy never chases horse again.
puppy loves raw eggs (before i knew better than to give a puppy raw eggs)...puppy loves to play with egg via rolling it with his nose around the house...puppy grows tired of game.....drops egg on hard floor then gobbles til we play game again tomorrow. Puppy , however....is a bit of a coward..heheh....runs to mother's bedroom to awaken her and check front door via pushing mother with head..from behind...and growling...guides..(pushes_) to front door.
All these things I've mentioned were never trained. I was fourteen/fifteen years old...no idea how to train. I've had a lot of experience since then..but anyways..these were a brief account of some of the things my little red dobie..from a backyard breeder in Beaumont Texas (1978/79) would do.


I don't know what happened to this brilliant dog..weather he was stolen or killed. He was five months old last time i saw him in Beaumont Texas.....i left for home in Canada.....my mother had issues with him when i left....and sent him to stay on a farm with a friend (the one with horses..and a hyott doberman)....he went missing on the second day...found his collar but never found him. I would dearly love to know what became of him........i missed him terribly..he was to return to canada with my mom a few months later...but we never recovered him.

We bought the bouvier when we resettled in Ontario and a couple of years later aquired the second red dobie. They lived long happy lives...but i just couldn't bring myself to get another doberman after Jake died. I'm now considering another doberman since the Neapolitan mastiff passed about two years ago at almost thirteen. I do have two small dogs..a bedlington terrier...great little guy...and the kerryblue goofball.....my australian cattle dog lived to almost fourteen...was put down just prior to the mastiff....anyways....I think I have finally gained enough knowledge to go ahead and aquire another dobie...with much experience to draw from as I have made plenty of mistakes in the past and , well, quite frankly, think that I will do extremely well with my next dobe. I love the breed...but this time , i think a black and tan will be in order..don't want to be comparing the poor fellow to the reds...or the little genius. For all those tests that say the border collie is number one..hahaha....I laugh.....I've also been around them..although not owned by one.....but still.....hahahaha...dobes.....human brain...almost!

[KYbert]

i think a good indicator of a dogs intelligence is how he/she interacts with you on a day-to-day basis.

Any dog can learn a trick trough repetition, but it takes a special kind of intelligence to learn things on their own and figure out their environment.

i agree...i have a chocolate lab that is the sweetest dog youll ever meet, w/ repition she can learn anything, but she isnt much of a thinker....my 2 month old dobie however, is always learning how things work on his on

[jack]

I think the reasons german shepherds are ranked so highly is because they are so obedient and therefore will do what they are being told.

My grandparents told me that a police officer once told them why they use the GSDs over Dobermanns, and he said when it comes down to it, Dobermanns will think about what the consequences will be and will go 'hey i might get stabbed, no way!' whereas a German Shepherd will just go and go and go.

IMO: As for dobermanns being smarter than poodles, I do not think so lol, the poodles are very intelligent and I think dobes are straight after them

[Big Dogs]

Well I think we all might be a little bias well that's not entirely true either I for one as my wife would put it am a totally bias person when it comes to Dobes. German Shepherds are great dogs and are used by many police departments for several reasons they are able to tolerate colder temperatures they are more abundant from working dog trainers and last but not least they are more easily passed on to another handler if one should retire or become injured. Dobermans are not easily passed on to another handler they are naturally more Leary of someone new and take time to build the kind of re pore that is needed for that kind of work. A doberman is a thinking dog and posses a great ability to asses situations and people faster than any other dog I have come across in many years of dealing with dogs that being said if one is coming after you I will guarantee one thing you are the sole focus of his attention he doesn't care if you have a knife ,club or any other item and he will accomplish his task with the speed, strength and agility per pound few dogs can match. As far as intelligence I choose to look at it this way they can do the jobs of all the other dogs who were rated higher than them, can that be said of the other dogs?

[Kzoo]

5th smartest... Im gonna have to say at least top 3.... LOL

[My Mateese]

Well I think we all might be a little bias well that's not entirely true either I for one as my wife would put it am a totally bias person when it comes to Dobes. German Shepherds are great dogs and are used by many police departments for several reasons they are able to tolerate colder temperatures they are more abundant from working dog trainers and last but not least they are more easily passed on to another handler if one should retire or become injured. Dobermans are not easily passed on to another handler they are naturally more Leary of someone new and take time to build the kind of re pore that is needed for that kind of work. A doberman is a thinking dog and posses a great ability to asses situations and people faster than any other dog I have come across in many years of dealing with dogs that being said if one is coming after you I will guarantee one thing you are the sole focus of his attention he doesn't care if you have a knife ,club or any other item and he will accomplish his task with the speed, strength and agility per pound few dogs can match. As far as intelligence I choose to look at it this way they can do the jobs of all the other dogs who were rated higher than them, can that be said of the other dogs?
I agree with you. I have a cousin K-9 State Police Shepherds are used.
I used to have a wonderful huge German Shepherd, before my Dobe.
they are both great dogs.

[Ahzuz]

No doubt, Dobbie are very intelligent, thanks for the link.