Is your dog smarter than a two-year-old child?

William Atkins
Sunday, 09 August 2009 18:46

Science - Biology

According to a Canadian researcher, dogs are about as intelligent as a 2 to 2.5 year-old human child. However, not all dogs are equal in their IQs. Can you guess the smartest and dumbest dogs around? Yes, Professor Spot hangs around outside the library!


Stanley Coren is a professor at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Coren is also a canine researcher in the area of dog behavior.

His canine behavior study recently found that the average dog is able to count and understand words and gestures on the level with a two-year-old human toddler.

However, the smartest of the dog breeds are equal to a 2.5-year-old human child.

Coren used tests originally designed for human children. He found that dogs display three types of intelligence: instinctive (which is learned from their environment), working, and obedience (which is basically ‘school smarts’).

He stated that the average dog understands about 165 words, which includes signals, gestures, and signs. Dogs are also able to count to about five.

In an interview, Coren quipped, "I mean, we're not going to make them an accountant or something." [CNN International: “Your family dog may be smarter than your toddler”]

However, Dr. Coren also mentioned that the smartest breeds of dogs are able to understand up to about 250 words.

Find out which breeds are the smartest dogs, according to Dr. Coren, and which ones are the not-so-smartest ones, all on page two.