Last Updated: Apr 14, 2022
Quick Links: Table of Contents
- How Smart is the Curly-Coated Retriever?
- The Intelligence of Curly-Coated Retriever Compared to Other Dog Breeds
- Is the Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter than a Cat?
- What is the IQ of the Curly-Coated Retriever?
How Smart is the Curly-Coated Retriever?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is a dog breed that is known to be:
- Clever
- Independent
- Intelligent
- Lively
- Sensitive
- Trainable
But, how smart is the Curly-Coated Retriever really?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is the 41st smartest dog when it comes to obedience and working intelligence.
Accordingly, compared to other dogs, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
These facts on Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever is the 41st 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 Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Border Collie? | Ranked 1st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Golden Retriever? | Ranked 4th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Labrador Retriever? | Ranked 7th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Australian Cattle Dog? | Ranked 10th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the German Shorthaired Pointer? | Ranked 17th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Standard Schnauzer? | Ranked 18th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Flat-Coated Retriever? | Ranked 18th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Giant Schnauzer? | Ranked 28th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the English Setter? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Bedlington Terrier? | Ranked 40th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Curly-Coated Retriever? | Ranked 41st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon? | Ranked 46th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Rhodesian Ridgeback? | Ranked 52nd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Bulldog? | Ranked 77th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Basenji? | Ranked 78th out of 79 |
The Three Parts of the Intelligence of the Curly-Coated Retriever
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 Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.
Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the Curly-Coated Retriever, 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 Curly-Coated Retriever Compared to Other Dog Breeds
See how smart the Curly-Coated Retriever is compared to some other dog breeds.
To see how smart the Curly-Coated Retriever is compared to all other dog breeds, see this ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence.
Is the Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter Than the Scottish Terrier?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is smarter than the Scottish Terrier.
This is because the Curly-Coated Retriever ranks 41st 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 41st, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Curly-Coated Retrievers 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!.
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Scottish Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 41st 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 Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter Than the Irish Water Spaniel?
The Irish Water Spaniel is smarter than the Curly-Coated Retriever.
This is because the Irish Water Spaniel ranks 24th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Curly-Coated Retriever is 41st 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 41st, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 24th, the Irish Water Spaniel belongs to the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.
This means that Irish Water Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Irish Water Spaniel | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 41st out of 133 dog breeds | 24th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Irish Water Spaniels are here.
Is the Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter Than the Maltese?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is smarter than the Maltese.
This is because the Curly-Coated Retriever ranks 41st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Maltese is 59th 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 41st, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 59th, the Maltese belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Malteses tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Maltese | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 41st out of 133 dog breeds | 59th 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 Malteses are here.
Is the Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter Than the Basenji?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is smarter than the Basenji.
This is because the Curly-Coated Retriever ranks 41st 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 41st, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 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!.
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Basenji | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 41st out of 133 dog breeds | 78th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
Learn more about how smart Basenjis are here.
Is the Curly-Coated Retriever Smarter Than the Chinese Shar-Pei?
The Curly-Coated Retriever is smarter than the Chinese Shar-Pei.
This is because the Curly-Coated Retriever ranks 41st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Chinese Shar-Pei is 51st 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 41st, the Curly-Coated Retriever belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Curly-Coated Retrievers tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 51st, the Chinese Shar-Pei belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Chinese Shar-Peis tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| Curly-Coated Retriever | Chinese Shar-Pei | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 41st out of 133 dog breeds | 51st 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 Chinese Shar-Peis are here.
Is the Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever is definitely way smarter than a cat because the Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever?
Before discussing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Curly-Coated Retriever, 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 Curly-Coated Retrievers become full-grown and reach mental maturity at the age of one year.
Also, let us make the bold assumption that, as Curly-Coated Retrievers 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 Curly-Coated Retriever will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 2-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever will still have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 3-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever, which will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old child, has an IQ of 200! This is not too surprising because Curly-Coated Retrievers mature and age faster than humans.
A one-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever is twice as smart as a one-year-old human child.
Also, since a 2-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever will have the intelligence of a two-year-old human, then the corresponding IQ of a 2-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever is 100. Similarly, a three-year-old Curly-Coated Retriever 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 Curly-Coated Retriever intelligence. That is what you get when you use human intelligence as a reference to measure Curly-Coated Retriever intelligence.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with all the facts you need to know on Curly-Coated Retriever intelligence.
To learn more about the Curly-Coated Retriever, check out our article where we reviewed the Curly-Coated Retriever breed.
If you do not own the Curly-Coated Retriever yet, and you are planning to get one, check out our list of reputable Curly-Coated Retriever breeders and article on Curly-Coated Retriever price and buying advice.