Smartest Dog Breeds Ranked

Traditional Breeds

1. Border Collie (smartest)

2. Poodle

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Doberman Pincher

6. Shetland Sheepdog

7. Labrador Retriever

8. Papillion

9. Rottweiler

10. Australian Cattle Dog

11. Brittany

12. Great Dane

13. English Setter

14. Akita Inu

15. Saint Bernard

16. Australian Shepherd

17. Chesapeake Bay Retriever

18. Collie

19. Alaskan Malamute

20. Siberian Husky

21. Alaskan Husky

22. German Shorthaired Pointer

23. Irish Setter

24. Pembroke Welsh Corgi

25. English Springer Spaniel

26. Weimaraner

27. Jack Russell Terrier

28. Bearded Collie

29. Old English Sheepdog

30. Bernese Mountain Dog

31. Rhodesian Ridgeback

32. English Shepherd

33. Pointer

34. Newfoundland

35. Field Spaniel

36. Gordon Setter

37. Parson Russell Terrier

38. Bichon Frise

39. Shiba Inu

40. Cocker Spaniel

41. Elkhound

42. Lakeland Terrier

43. Belgian Shepherd

44. Airedale Terrier

45. Boxer

46. Irish Red & White Setter

47. Yorkshire Terrier

48. Dachshund

49. Cairn Terrier

50. Havanese

51. West Highland White Terrier

52. American Bulldog

53. Bedlington Terrier

54. Harrier

55. Kerry Blue Terrier

56. Patterdale Terrier

57. Miniature Pincher

58. Pharaoh Hound

59. Plott Hound

60. Welsh Terrier

61. Whippet

62. Greyhound

63. Samoyed

64. Italian Greyhound

65. Redbone Coonhound

66. Dandie Dinmont Terrier

67. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

68. Manchester Terrier

69. American Hairless Terrier

70. Keeshond

71. Silky Terrier

72. Skye Terrier

73. French Bulldog

74. Tibetan Mastiff

75. Bull Terrier

76. Rat Terrier

77. Lhasa Apso

78. Shih Tzu

79. Schnauzer

80. American Pitbull Terrier

81. Boston Terrier

82. Maltese

83. Pomeranian

84. Pug

85. English Bulldog

86. Chinese Shar-Pei

87. Chihuahua

88. Chinese Crested

89. Basset Hound

90. Beagle

91. Mastiff

92. Pekingese

93. Bloodhound

94. Russian Wolfhound

95. Chow Chow

96. Bulldog

97. Basenji

98. Afghan Hound (dumbest)

Doodles

1. Bordoodle (Border Collie - Poodle)

2. Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever - Poodle)

3. Labradoodle (Labrador Retriever - Poodle)

4. Aussiedoodle (Australian Shepherd - Poodle)

5. Sheepadoodle (Old English Sheepdog - Poodle)

6. Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog - Poodle)

7. Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel - Poodle)

8. Yorkipoo (Yorkshire Terrier - Poodle)

9. Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Poodle)

10. Schnoodle (Schnauzer - Poodle)

11. Maltipoo (Maltese - Poodle)

Bordoodle, Border Doodle or Borderdoodle

There’s a bit of confusion going on in the doodle world about the name of the Border Collie and Poodle cross. One of the most frequent questions we receive is, “Why do some people call these dogs Border Doodles and others call them Bordoodles"? Well, there is a really good reason. 

When the breed first became popular, most organizations that recognize this breed such as Continental Kennel Club, Designer Breed Registry,  Dog Registry of America, and others named this dog the “Borderdoodle” and people came to know the breed as the Borderdoodle or Border Doodle. This seemed to make the most sense because it was crossed with the Border Collie and the Poodle. This is why, in the beginning, our original "kennel" name was Mountain Rose Borderdoodles (eventually converting our official kennel name to Mountain Rose Bordoodles).

Over the years, several of the breed organizations shortened the name to Bordoodle. This led to the rest of the registries eventually changing their registry name from Borderdoodles to Bordoodles. So, today the technical "Official" name for this breed is Bordoodle. Because Mountain Rose was there in the very beginning, we were lucky to acquire and own both Internet URL (domain names) names www.borderdoodles.com as well as www.bordoodles.com.

Bordoodle vs Aussiedoodle

Are you considering an Aussiedoodle vs a Bordoodle? While both breeds have their base coming from herding dogs (the Australian Shepherd and the Border Collie), Bordoodles and Aussiedoodles could not be more different. In the past, many years ago, we professionally trained both Australian Shepherds and Border Collies to herd. There is a BIG difference in how each breed is used.
 
Australian Shepherds are used primarily in close herding quarters such as corrals, cattle chutes, etc... and work well with aggressive cows and bulls. They use "bark and bite" when herding and are very brave dogs... which is why Australian Shepherds are known to also chase cars.

Aside from their superior athletic ability, Border Collies possess a much higher intelligence and a tremendous reasoning ability above that of all other dogs. Border Collies herd with their eyes and body language, not "bark and bite". This is why Border Collies are the preferred dog when working with sheep. Border Collies are the only herding dog that can receive multiple commands and follow them out in sequence. They are the only dog on earth where you can teach them to make a wide sweep on a herd (cows or sheep) on the open range, and they understand why they are doing it. This shows tremendous reasoning ability and self-restraint. They are the only herding dog that you can send over the hill out of site to bring back the herd on their own. Border Collies consistently win the National and International herding competitions, as well as the agility competitions worldwide. The astonishing icing on the cake, but to no surprise, Border Collies are also ranked as the #1 smartest dog on earth. These amazing traits along with their strong inborn desire to please also make them the most trainable dog on earth as well. 

Bordoodles combine the positive attributes of the Border Collie (#1 smartest dog) with the tremendous benefits of the Standard Poodle (#2 smartest dog and non-shedding). If there is a drawback to this breed, I would have to say that it may lie in the offense of you being stopped so often by people to ask what breed of dog you have… Well, I suppose this actually pretty fun!