Many pet dog owners tend to believe that the smartest dogs are those who belong to the herding breeds.  Some dog owners may contend this, saying that their dog (which does not belong to the herding breed) is extremely smart.  But what is the measure of a dog’s IQ?  Unlike humans, there is no psychological test to determine this.

The smartness of a dog depends on how excellent the dog works together with humans. That is, a dog who can obey spoken human commands or can anticipate what his master wants done is considered a smart dog.  And since herding breeds have been working with humans for hundreds of years, these dogs have ingrained in their genes the obedient traits much admired by humans.  They are also known for their agility.  Thus herding dogs command the throne of being smart dogs.

Herding breeds have been trained to remember the previously given commands of their masters.  Thus, these dogs appear to know early on what the master wants to accomplish.  For example, the shepherd brings his flock out into the pastures in the morning and then brings them back again to the fence in the afternoon.  The dogs are exposed to such regularity of schedule and they know exactly what to do in order to help the shepherd.  These dogs can also help each other.  This is why dogs can work as a team.

Some herding breeds are the following:

Appenzell Cattle Dog            Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Kelpie                  Australian Shepherd
Bearded Collie                     Beauceuron
Belgian Malinoi                     Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren                  Border Collie
Bouviers des Flandres           Briard
Canaan Dog                        Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Catahoula Leopard               English Shepherd Page
Fila Basileiro                        German Koolie
German Shepherd Dog         Huntaway
McNab                                Miniature Australian Shepherd
Old English Sheepdog           Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Polish Lowland Sheepdog      Puli
Rottweiler                            Rough Collie
Samoyed                             Shetland Sheepdogs
Smooth Collie                       Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog

Some of the herding breeds listed above appear similar to each other.  But others look so different from each other that it will take some form of imagination to believe that they belong to the same group.

Herding breeds are high-energy dogs or “hyper dogs”.  This means that they need to be given enough activities and responsibilities.  Otherwise, their relatively active minds and restless bodies will lead them to mischief and trouble.  A dog owner who has a pet Collie may find that this dog gets wreaks havoc on the gardens.  The most probable reason for this is that the Collie was not getting enough exercise.

Even though herding breeds are considered the smartest dogs, other breeds of dogs can still become as smart, if not smarter.  This is because most dogs have a great desire to please their masters.  With the right training, a dog can become a person’s smartest ally.