Last Updated: Apr 14, 2022
Quick Links: Table of Contents
- How Smart is the Australian Terrier?
- The Intelligence of Australian Terrier Compared to Other Dog Breeds
- Is the Australian Terrier Smarter than a Cat?
- What is the IQ of the Australian Terrier?
How Smart is the Australian Terrier?
The Australian Terrier is a dog breed that is known to be:
- Alert
- Compassionate
- Courageous
- Even Tempered
- Loyal
- Spirited
- Intelligent
But, how smart is the Australian Terrier really?
The Australian Terrier is the 34th smartest dog when it comes to obedience and working intelligence.
Accordingly, compared to other dogs, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
These facts on Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier is the 34th 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 Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working 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 German Shepherd Dog? | Ranked 3rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Belgian Tervuren? | Ranked 14th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Giant Schnauzer? | Ranked 28th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Australian Terrier? | Ranked 34th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Kerry Blue Terrier? | Ranked 35th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Finnish Spitz? | Ranked 43rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the American Water Spaniel? | Ranked 44th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the English Foxhound? | Ranked 46th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Whippet? | Ranked 51st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Japanese Chin? | Ranked 62nd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Old English Sheepdog? | Ranked 63rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Great Pyrenees? | Ranked 64th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Saint Bernard? | Ranked 65th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Scottish Terrier? | Ranked 65th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Lhasa Apso? | Ranked 68th out of 79 |
The Three Parts of the Intelligence of the Australian Terrier
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 Australian Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Australian Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape..
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 Australian Terrier Compared to Other Dog Breeds
See how smart the Australian Terrier is compared to some other dog breeds.
To see how smart the Australian Terrier is compared to all other dog breeds, see this ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence.
Is the Australian Terrier Smarter Than the Black and Tan Coonhound?
The Australian Terrier is smarter than the Black and Tan Coonhound.
This is because the Australian Terrier ranks 34th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Black and Tan Coonhound 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 34th, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 44th, the Black and Tan Coonhound belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Black and Tan Coonhounds tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| Australian Terrier | Black and Tan Coonhound | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34th out of 133 dog breeds | 44th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Black and Tan Coonhounds are here.
Is the Australian Terrier Smarter Than the Airedale Terrier?
The Airedale Terrier is smarter than the Australian Terrier.
This is because the Airedale Terrier ranks 29th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Australian Terrier is 34th 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 34th, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 29th, the Airedale Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Airedale Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
| Australian Terrier | Airedale Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34th out of 133 dog breeds | 29th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Airedale Terriers are here.
Is the Australian Terrier Smarter Than the Standard Schnauzer?
The Standard Schnauzer is smarter than the Australian Terrier.
This is because the Standard Schnauzer ranks 18th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Australian Terrier is 34th 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 34th, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 18th, the Standard Schnauzer belongs to the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.
This means that Standard Schnauzers tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.
| Australian Terrier | Standard Schnauzer | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34th out of 133 dog breeds | 18th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Standard Schnauzers are here.
Is the Australian Terrier Smarter Than the Samoyed?
The Samoyed is smarter than the Australian Terrier.
This is because the Samoyed ranks 33rd out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Australian Terrier is 34th 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 34th, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 33rd, the Samoyed belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Samoyeds tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
| Australian Terrier | Samoyed | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34th out of 133 dog breeds | 33rd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Samoyeds are here.
Is the Australian Terrier Smarter Than the Irish Setter?
The Australian Terrier is smarter than the Irish Setter.
This is because the Australian Terrier ranks 34th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Irish Setter is 35th 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 34th, the Australian Terrier belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Australian Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 35th, the Irish Setter belongs to the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Irish Setters tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
| Australian Terrier | Irish Setter | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 34th out of 133 dog breeds | 35th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Irish Setters are here.
Is the Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier is definitely way smarter than a cat because the Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier?
Before discussing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Australian Terrier, 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 Australian Terriers become full-grown and reach mental maturity at the age of one year.
Also, let us make the bold assumption that, as Australian Terriers 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 Australian Terrier will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 2-year-old Australian Terrier will still have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 3-year-old Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier, which will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old child, has an IQ of 200! This is not too surprising because Australian Terriers mature and age faster than humans.
A one-year-old Australian Terrier is twice as smart as a one-year-old human child.
Also, since a 2-year-old Australian Terrier will have the intelligence of a two-year-old human, then the corresponding IQ of a 2-year-old Australian Terrier is 100. Similarly, a three-year-old Australian Terrier 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 Australian Terrier intelligence. That is what you get when you use human intelligence as a reference to measure Australian Terrier intelligence.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with all the facts you need to know on Australian Terrier intelligence.
To learn more about the Australian Terrier, check out our article where we reviewed the Australian Terrier breed.
If you do not own the Australian Terrier yet, and you are planning to get one, check out our list of reputable Australian Terrier breeders and article on Australian Terrier price and buying advice.