Is it true that Afghan Hounds are the dumbest and Border Collies are the smartest breeds?

I've heard this a few times and am wondering if this is true. If it's not, does anyone know which breed is really smartest, and which is the dumbest?

    Is it true that Afghan Hounds are the dumbest and Border Collies are the smartest breeds?

    I've heard this a few times and am wondering if this is true. If it's not, does anyone know which breed is really smartest, and which is the dumbest?...
    Dog Breed Discussions : Is it true that Afghan Hounds are the dumbest and Border Collies are the smartest breeds?...

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    • Well bred Standard poodles are among the brightest and most responsive breeds. Border Collies have a reputation as the worlds best sheep herding dog which comes from it's supreme intelligence. Afghans are not dumb. It is very hard to compare dogs when they are bred for different reasons. I personally have ran into very few breeds that I think are "dumb" Badly trained, some over bred, but not really dumb.

    • I once bought my daughter a Dachshund for her birthday and I swear that dog must have been inbreed. After 6 months I still couldn't get her do her business outside and I got tired of stepping in dog poo so I finally gave the dog away and got her a Schnauzer. That has been a good dog. I also owned a Boarder Collieonce upon a time also. Man did I love that dog. She was awesome. Smartest dog I ever owned and protective of the family and even our other pets. She was something else. She lived to be about 12 years old and I still miss her.

    • Gee why don't you tell my friends who had an afghan that opened their bottom freezer compartment and stole the frozen roasts? They put a hook & eye on the freezer - he learned to nose it up. They ended up with a 60 lb weight in front of the freezer - he knew he needed to move the weight to open the freezer (they saw him try) but didn't quite have the physical strengh. Sam also was a can vampire (bite hole in can, suck its life juices out through hole).The book was heavly based on obedience prefomance which favors retrievers and dogs bred to work under human direction (IE: herding breeds). Afghans (and many other hounds) were bred to go out & get supper by hook or crook - without help ... There is no doubt border collies are bright dogs but don't sell the others short. Its like basing "intelligence" on ONLY the sat verbal score and ignoring the math.

    • Border Collies are very smart, as are German Shepherds. I have had both. The smartest? Hands down my female German Shepherd. I had always heard the Irish Setter was one of the dumbest, and the ones I have known did nothing to dispel that rumor. Just like people, generalizations are just that. There are always exceptions. As others have alluded to here, smart is usually equated with easy of training, but I am not sure that is the best way to determine IQ.

    • That's what they say. Personally, I think hairless chinese cresteds are dumber than any dog on earth. They are sweeter than sweet, don't have a mean bone in their whole body, but stupid as a post.

    • Have to say that collies are the smartest as they learn good and bad very quickly, but the afgan hound was usd by the romans many years ago as hunting dog so I would dissagree that they are dumb the afgan is certainly not dumb.

    • No, not true! There was a book written by a psychologist, not a dog expert, who interviewed professional trainers as to which breeds were most successful in obedience competitions. Afghan Hounds were not popular with these trainers so he branded them dumb. Different breeds have different types of intelligence. Working breeds were selected to follow orders, perfectly. They do well in obedience competitions. Sighthounds, scenthounds and terriers had to think for themselves and make decisions while out of range of man. They learn things quickly, but then question as to why they should do it - they need a reason! There is no right and wrong - each type of intelligence is right for each specific breed. Border collies are great at herding sheep but would not do as well at jobs for which they were not designed. When choosing a breed think of what their ancestors had to do if you want to understand how they think! Oh, and Afghan Hounds can think - they copy what they see, they can open gates, doors, push doorbells when they want to come in - and generally keep life interesting!