Last Updated: Apr 14, 2022
Quick Links: Table of Contents
- How Smart is the American Water Spaniel?
- The Intelligence of American Water Spaniel Compared to Other Dog Breeds
- Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter than a Cat?
- What is the IQ of the American Water Spaniel?
How Smart is the American Water Spaniel?
The American Water Spaniel is a dog breed that is known to be:
- Energetic
- Friendly
- Intelligent
- Obedient
- Protective
- Trainable
But, how smart is the American Water Spaniel really?
The American Water Spaniel is the 44th smartest dog when it comes to obedience and working intelligence.
Accordingly, compared to other dogs, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
These facts on American Water Spaniel intelligence are from the published work on dog intelligence and behavior by the renowned Prof. Stanley Coren. Coren is a Canadian Psychology Professor and Dog Researcher.
In the 1990s, Prof. Coren did extensive scientific research where he `measured` what is called the Working or Obedience Intelligence of more than 130 different dog breeds.
Note that the working/obedience intelligence of a dog is one of the three intelligence components that constitute a dog`s total intelligence
. But it is the only intelligence component that can be measured and compared among dog breeds.Later on, we will further explain what the working/obedience intelligence means, and what the other two parts of a dog`s intelligence are.
For his research on measuring and ranking the intelligence of dog breeds, Prof. Coren consulted with:
- Over two hundred dog obedience judges
- Over sixty veterinarians, and
- Fourteen guard dog experts
From his research data, Prof. Coren ranked dog breeds according to their obedience intelligence from the smartest to the least smart.
According to the study, the smartest dog breed is the Border Collie. Border Collies are so smart that they can understand any new command that you are trying to teach them after repeating the command to them five times or fewer.
The least smart dog breed is the Afghan Hound. The Afghan Hound is one of the dog breeds with the lowest degree of Working/Obedience intelligence. It will take 80 to 100 repetitions or more for an Afghan Hound to learn a new command.
As mentioned earlier, the American Water Spaniel is the 44th smartest dog breed.
Furthermore, Coren placed dog breeds into one of six intelligence categories:
- Brightest Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions
- Excellent Working Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions
- Above Average Working Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions
- Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions
- Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions!
- Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs: Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More!
The American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
However, note that obedience intelligence is one of the many things that make a good dog. The fact that a dog breed has a low obedience intelligence DOES NOT MEAN the dog breed with not excel at other things.
Intelligence is just one of the many things that make dogs the excellent human companions that they are.
See the intelligence ranking of a few selected dog breeds in the table below: (note, although 133 dog breeds were studied, there are 79 positions because some breeds tied for the same position)
Click here to see the intelligence rank of all 133 dog breeds.
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| How Smart is the Australian Cattle Dog? | Ranked 10th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Belgian Sheepdog? | Ranked 15th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Irish Water Spaniel? | Ranked 24th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Welsh Springer Spaniel? | Ranked 31st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Silky Terrier? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Pharaoh Hound? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Kuvasz? | Ranked 42nd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Black and Tan Coonhound? | Ranked 44th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the American Water Spaniel? | Ranked 44th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Jack Russell Terrier? | Ranked 46th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Pug? | Ranked 57th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the French Bulldog? | Ranked 58th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Borzoi? | Ranked 75th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Basenji? | Ranked 78th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Afghan Hound? | Ranked 79th out of 79 |
The Three Parts of the Intelligence of the American Water Spaniel
As mentioned earlier, Prof. Coren ranked dogs based on what is called the `Working/Obedience` Intelligence.
The `Working/Obedience` Intelligence is one of the three parts of a dog`s overall intelligence.
All the three parts that make up a dog`s overall intelligence are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard or hunt dogs will have a high `guarding` or `hunting` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding or hunting.
- Adaptive Intelligence: This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not specific to a dog breed. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence (and therefore its overall intelligence) by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This intelligence type is the subject of this article. This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed. Furthermore, the working/obedience intelligence of one dog breed can be compared to that of another dog breed to see which dog is smarter
You can tell what type of instinctive intelligence a dog breed will have based on the dog group the dog belongs.
The American Water Spaniel belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.
Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the American Water Spaniel, were bred to help hunters catch and retrieve feathered game..
The natural breed-specific working/obedience intelligence is a heavy chunk of a dog`s overall intelligence.
According to Prof. Coren, 51 percent of a dog`s intelligence comes from its genes while 49 percent of a dog`s intelligence comes from the dog`s environmental circumstances. Environmental circumstances include how much training you give to a dog.
In short, it will be much easier to train a naturally smart dog.
However, we should mention that a dog breed should not be judged based on its intelligence alone.
There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get.
The most important factor to consider is how compatible a dog breed`s overall temperament is with your lifestyle.
The Intelligence of American Water Spaniel Compared to Other Dog Breeds
See how smart the American Water Spaniel is compared to some other dog breeds.
To see how smart the American Water Spaniel is compared to all other dog breeds, see this ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter Than the German Shepherd Dog?
The German Shepherd Dog is smarter than the American Water Spaniel.
This is because the German Shepherd Dog ranks 3rd out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the American Water Spaniel is 44th out of 79 in the ranking of the intelligence of 133 dog breeds (133 and not 79 because some breeds tied for intelligence in the same spot).
Because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 3rd, the German Shepherd Dog belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that German Shepherd Dogs tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
| American Water Spaniel | German Shepherd Dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 44th out of 133 dog breeds | 3rd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart German Shepherd Dogs are here.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter Than the Bichon Frise?
The American Water Spaniel is smarter than the Bichon Frise.
This is because the American Water Spaniel ranks 44th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Bichon Frise is 45th out of 79 in the ranking of the intelligence of 133 dog breeds (133 and not 79 because some breeds tied for intelligence in the same spot).
Because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 45th, the Bichon Frise belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Bichon Frises tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| American Water Spaniel | Bichon Frise | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 44th out of 133 dog breeds | 45th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Bichon Frises are here.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter Than the Scottish Terrier?
The American Water Spaniel is smarter than the Scottish Terrier.
This is because the American Water Spaniel ranks 44th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Scottish Terrier is 65th out of 79 in the ranking of the intelligence of 133 dog breeds (133 and not 79 because some breeds tied for intelligence in the same spot).
Because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 65th, the Scottish Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Scottish Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
| American Water Spaniel | Scottish Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 44th out of 133 dog breeds | 65th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
Learn more about how smart Scottish Terriers are here.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter Than the Irish Terrier?
The American Water Spaniel is smarter than the Irish Terrier.
This is because the American Water Spaniel ranks 44th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Irish Terrier is 53rd out of 79 in the ranking of the intelligence of 133 dog breeds (133 and not 79 because some breeds tied for intelligence in the same spot).
Because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 53rd, the Irish Terrier belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Irish Terriers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| American Water Spaniel | Irish Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 44th out of 133 dog breeds | 53rd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Irish Terriers are here.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter Than the Toy Fox Terrier?
The Toy Fox Terrier is smarter than the American Water Spaniel.
This is because the Toy Fox Terrier ranks 40th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the American Water Spaniel is 44th out of 79 in the ranking of the intelligence of 133 dog breeds (133 and not 79 because some breeds tied for intelligence in the same spot).
Because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the American Water Spaniel belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that American Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 40th, the Toy Fox Terrier belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Toy Fox Terriers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| American Water Spaniel | Toy Fox Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 44th out of 133 dog breeds | 40th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Toy Fox Terriers are here.
Is the American Water Spaniel Smarter than a Cat?
Dogs have more neurons in their brains than cats. In fact, a dog has twice the number of brain neurons of a cat (500 million versus 250 million neurons).
This is according to a research study in which the scientist counted the number of brain neurons in dogs and in cats.
Brain neurons are used for processing information. Hence, it is likely that the American Water Spaniel will have a better information processing power than a cat
Thus, if we are to use the number of neurons in an animal`s brain as a measure of intelligence, then the American Water Spaniel is definitely way smarter than a cat because the American Water Spaniel has twice as many brain neurons as a cat.
However, intelligence is a very complex concept that may not be explained simply by how many neurons an animal`s brain has. Learn more here.
What is the IQ of the American Water Spaniel?
Before discussing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the American Water Spaniel, let us first define what Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is. IQ is simply a measure of how mentally advanced a person is relative to that person`s chronological age (the typical age that is calculated from birthday).
For example, a 2-year-old child with the mental capacity of a 4-year-old has an IQ of 200 (that is 4 divided by 2, multiplied by 100).
This is an old but simple definition of IQ.
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a dog has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child.
Let us assume that American Water Spaniels become full-grown and reach mental maturity at the age of one year.
Also, let us make the bold assumption that, as American Water Spaniels get older, they do not get significantly smarter than a 2-year-old human child (You Can`t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks).
Thus, a one-year-old American Water Spaniel will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 2-year-old American Water Spaniel will still have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 3-year-old American Water Spaniel will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and so on.
Then, from the way IQ is defined, a one-year-old American Water Spaniel, which will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old child, has an IQ of 200! This is not too surprising because American Water Spaniels mature and age faster than humans.
A one-year-old American Water Spaniel is twice as smart as a one-year-old human child.
Also, since a 2-year-old American Water Spaniel will have the intelligence of a two-year-old human, then the corresponding IQ of a 2-year-old American Water Spaniel is 100. Similarly, a three-year-old American Water Spaniel will still have the mental capacity of a two-year-old human, making its IQ 66, and so on.
These may sound odd. But this is because the concept of IQ was designed to test human intelligence and not American Water Spaniel intelligence. That is what you get when you use human intelligence as a reference to measure American Water Spaniel intelligence.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with all the facts you need to know on American Water Spaniel intelligence.
To learn more about the American Water Spaniel, check out our article where we reviewed the American Water Spaniel breed.
If you do not own the American Water Spaniel yet, and you are planning to get one, check out our list of reputable American Water Spaniel breeders and article on American Water Spaniel price and buying advice.