Last Updated: Apr 14, 2022
Quick Links: Table of Contents
- How Smart is the Border Collie?
- Border Collie Intelligence. A Second Opinion
- The Intelligence of Border Collie Compared to Other Dog Breeds
- Is the Border Collie Smarter than a Cat?
- What is the IQ of the Border Collie?
How Smart is the Border Collie?
The Border Collie is a dog breed that is known to be:
- Intelligent
- Energetic
- Alert
- Responsive
- Tenacious
- Loyal
- Protective
But, how smart is the Border Collie really?
The Border Collie is the 1st smartest dog when it comes to obedience and working intelligence.
Accordingly, compared to other dogs, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
These facts on Border Collie 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 Border Collie is the smartest dog breed.
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.
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 Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest 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 Border Collie? | Ranked 1st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Pomeranian? | Ranked 23rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Vizsla? | Ranked 25th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Samoyed? | Ranked 33rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Gordon Setter? | Ranked 34th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Clumber Spaniel? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the English Setter? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Silky Terrier? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier? | Ranked 40th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the American Water Spaniel? | Ranked 44th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Black and Tan Coonhound? | Ranked 44th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Boxer? | Ranked 48th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Alaskan Malamute? | Ranked 50th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Irish Terrier? | Ranked 53rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Scottish Terrier? | Ranked 65th out of 79 |
Border Collie Intelligence. A Second Opinion
We reviewed another research study to find out more about the intelligence of the Border Collie. This other study is The Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) study.
This study was done by research veterinarians from the University of Pennsylvania.
In the study, the researchers asked owners of different dog breeds, including owners of the Border Collie to describe how trainable their dogs are.
314 Border Collie owners were asked to describe
how easy it was to train their Border Collie in the CBARQ research survey.We analyzed what these Border Collie owners said about the trainability of their Border Collies and compared that to what other owners said about other dog breeds (125 other breeds).
Dogs that are easy to train are always very eager to listen to their owner. These dogs are not stubborn. These dogs obey simple commands, and they learn very quickly.
Also, dogs that are easy to train tend to do well at fetching objects when asked to. Furthermore, this category of dogs also responds positively to correction and ignores distraction.
According to the results from the CBARQ research, Border Collies are very much easy to train.
In fact, the Border Collie ranks 3rd out of 124 dog breeds for easiness to train.
Based on our further analysis of the CBARQ research data, we found that the Border Collie has a trainability score of 97.3 %.
Other dog breeds that are very much easy to train just like the Border Collie are listed in the table below:
| Trainability Rank | Breed | Trainability Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgian Tervuren | 100.0 % |
| 2 | Belgian Malinois | 99.2 % |
| 3 | Border Collie | 97.3 % |
| 4 | Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever | 95.3 % |
| 5 | Irish Water Spaniel | 95.0 % |
| 6 | Portuguese Water Dog | 91.9 % |
According to the CBARQ research data, the dog breeds that are most easy to train are the:
According to the CBARQ research data, the dog breeds that are most difficult to train are the:
However, it is important to note that trainability does not always equal intelligence.
This is because a dog can be smart and stubborn at the same time. A smart but stubborn dog will be hard to train.
Visit this page to see the complete temperament profile (trainability, aggression, shyness, prey drive, etc) of the Border Collie according to the result of the CBARQ research study.
The Three Parts of the Intelligence of the Border Collie
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 Border Collie belongs to the Herding Dogs group.
Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Border Collie, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.
Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.
Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.
Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.
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 Border Collie Compared to Other Dog Breeds
See how smart the Border Collie is compared to some other dog breeds.
To see how smart the Border Collie is compared to all other dog breeds, see this ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence.
Is the Border Collie Smarter Than the Bernese Mountain Dog?
The Border Collie is smarter than the Bernese Mountain Dog.
This is because the Border Collie ranks 1st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Bernese Mountain Dog is 22nd 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 1st, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 22nd, the Bernese Mountain Dog belongs to the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.
This means that Bernese Mountain Dogs tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.
| Border Collie | Bernese Mountain Dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1st out of 133 dog breeds | 22nd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Bernese Mountain Dogs are here.
Is the Border Collie Smarter Than the Basenji?
The Border Collie is smarter than the Basenji.
This is because the Border Collie ranks 1st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Basenji is 78th 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 1st, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 78th, the Basenji belongs to the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Basenjis tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
| Border Collie | Basenji | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1st out of 133 dog breeds | 78th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
Learn more about how smart Basenjis are here.
Is the Border Collie Smarter Than the Beagle?
The Border Collie is smarter than the Beagle.
This is because the Border Collie ranks 1st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Beagle is 72nd 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 1st, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 72nd, the Beagle belongs to the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Beagles tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
| Border Collie | Beagle | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1st out of 133 dog breeds | 72nd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
Learn more about how smart Beagles are here.
Is the Border Collie Smarter Than the Pointer?
The Border Collie is smarter than the Pointer.
This is because the Border Collie ranks 1st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Pointer is 43rd 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 1st, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 43rd, the Pointer belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Pointers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| Border Collie | Pointer | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1st out of 133 dog breeds | 43rd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Pointers are here.
Is the Border Collie Smarter Than the Golden Retriever?
The Border Collie is smarter than the Golden Retriever.
This is because the Border Collie ranks 1st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Golden Retriever is 4th 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 1st, the Border Collie belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 4th, the Golden Retriever belongs to the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Golden Retrievers tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
| Border Collie | Golden Retriever | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1st out of 133 dog breeds | 4th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Golden Retrievers are here.
Is the Border Collie 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 Border Collie 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 Border Collie is definitely way smarter than a cat because the Border Collie 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 Border Collie?
Before discussing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Border Collie, 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 Border Collies become full-grown and reach mental maturity at one year of age.
Also, let us make the bold assumption that, as Border Collies 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 Border Collie will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 2-year-old Border Collie will still have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 3-year-old Border Collie 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 Border Collie, which will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old child, has an IQ of 200! This is not too surprising because Border Collies mature and age faster than humans.
A one-year-old Border Collie is twice as smart as a one-year-old human child.
Also, since a 2-year-old Border Collie will have the intelligence of a two-year-old human, then the corresponding IQ of a 2-year-old Border Collie is 100. Similarly, a three-year-old Border Collie 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 Border Collie intelligence. That is what you get when you use human intelligence as a reference to measure Border Collie intelligence.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with all the facts you need to know on Border Collie intelligence.
To learn more about the Border Collie, check out our article where we reviewed the Border Collie breed.
Also, to learn more about the temperament and behavior of the Border Collie, check out our article on the temperament profile of the Border Collie. This will tell you what Border Collies are really like.
If you do not own the Border Collie yet, and you are planning to get one, check out our list of reputable Border Collie breeders and article on Border Collie price and buying advice.