Scientists from the University of Helsinki, the University of Turku and the Lapland University of Applied Sciences compared the intelligence of more than a thousand dogs belonging to 13 breeds. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The dogs’ intelligence was assessed using the smartDOG cognitive tests. The tests included an assessment of spatial problem solving, logical thinking, impulse control, and ability to read human movements and respond appropriately. One of the tasks was to note under what circumstances a dog would seek help from its trainer in solving a difficult problem.

The researchers limited their analysis to dogs aged 1 to 8 years, as cognitive function may not be fully developed in young dogs and cognitive decline may occur in older dogs. The dogs were tested between March 2016 and February 2022. There were at least 40 animals for each breed.

The scientists found significant differences in social cognition, persistence, behavioral control, and ability to solve spatial tasks between individual dog breeds, but no between breeds differences in short-term memory or logical thinking. However, Belgian malinois, border collies and hovavorts did the best.

Some breed differences are not easily explained by breed function alone. For example, a golden retriever differed significantly from a labrador in performance of an unsolvable task and gesture recognition, even though they both belonged to the retriever group. The researchers stress that it is important to examine differences in behavior between individual breeds, rather than relying solely on classification of breed groups.