Last Updated: Apr 14, 2022
Quick Links: Table of Contents
- How Smart is the Lakeland Terrier?
- The Intelligence of Lakeland Terrier Compared to Other Dog Breeds
- Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter than a Cat?
- What is the IQ of the Lakeland Terrier?
How Smart is the Lakeland Terrier?
The Lakeland Terrier is a dog breed that is known to be:
- Independent
- Bold
- Confident
- Friendly
- Intelligent
- Trainable
But, how smart is the Lakeland Terrier really?
The Lakeland Terrier is the 62nd smartest dog when it comes to obedience and working intelligence.
Accordingly, compared to other dogs, the Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
Lakeland Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
These facts on Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier is the 62nd 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 Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair 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 Collie? | Ranked 16th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Bouvier des Flandres? | Ranked 29th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Airedale Terrier? | Ranked 29th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Affenpinscher? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Silky Terrier? | Ranked 37th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the German Wirehaired Pointer? | 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 American Foxhound? | Ranked 46th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Wire Fox Terrier? | Ranked 51st out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Welsh Terrier? | Ranked 53rd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Sealyham Terrier? | Ranked 56th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Maltese? | Ranked 59th out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Lakeland Terrier? | Ranked 62nd out of 79 |
| How Smart is the Bull Terrier? | Ranked 66th out of 79 |
The Three Parts of the Intelligence of the Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier Compared to Other Dog Breeds
See how smart the Lakeland Terrier is compared to some other dog breeds.
To see how smart the Lakeland Terrier is compared to all other dog breeds, see this ranking of dog breeds based on intelligence.
Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter Than the Dandie Dinmont Terrier?
The Lakeland Terrier is as smart as the Dandie Dinmont Terrier.
This is because the Lakeland Terrier ranks 62nd out of 79. Similarly, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier has the same intelligence rank of 62nd 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 their intelligence rank of 62nd, the Lakeland Terrier and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier belong to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Lakeland Terriers and Dandie Dinmont Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
| Lakeland Terrier | Dandie Dinmont Terrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
Learn more about how smart Dandie Dinmont Terriers are here.
Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter Than the Whippet?
The Whippet is smarter than the Lakeland Terrier.
This is because the Whippet ranks 51st out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Lakeland Terrier is 62nd 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 62nd, the Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Lakeland Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 51st, the Whippet belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Whippets tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| Lakeland Terrier | Whippet | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds | 51st out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Whippets are here.
Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter Than the French Bulldog?
The French Bulldog is smarter than the Lakeland Terrier.
This is because the French Bulldog ranks 58th out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Lakeland Terrier is 62nd 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 62nd, the Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Lakeland Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 58th, the French Bulldog belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that French Bulldogs tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
| Lakeland Terrier | French Bulldog | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds | 58th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! |
Learn more about how smart French Bulldogs are here.
Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter Than the Bulldog?
The Lakeland Terrier is smarter than the Bulldog.
This is because the Lakeland Terrier ranks 62nd out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Bulldog is 77th 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 62nd, the Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Lakeland Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 77th, the Bulldog belongs to the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Bulldogs tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
| Lakeland Terrier | Bulldog | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds | 77th out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
Learn more about how smart Bulldogs are here.
Is the Lakeland Terrier Smarter Than the Finnish Spitz?
The Finnish Spitz is smarter than the Lakeland Terrier.
This is because the Finnish Spitz ranks 43rd out of 79 in the intelligence ranking of 133 dog breeds, while the intelligence rank of the Lakeland Terrier is 62nd 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 62nd, the Lakeland Terrier belongs to the `Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Lakeland Terriers tend to learn new commands after 40 to 80 repetitions!.
On the other hand, because of its intelligence rank of 43rd, the Finnish Spitz belongs to the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Finnish Spitzs tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
| Lakeland Terrier | Finnish Spitz | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 62nd out of 133 dog breeds | 43rd out of 133 dog breeds |
| Learning Ability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 40 To 80 Repetitions! | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
Learn more about how smart Finnish Spitzs are here.
Is the Lakeland 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 Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier is definitely way smarter than a cat because the Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier?
Before discussing the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of the Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terriers become full-grown and reach mental maturity at the age of one year.
Also, let us make the bold assumption that, as Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 2-year-old Lakeland Terrier will still have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old human child, and a 3-year-old Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier, which will have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old child, has an IQ of 200! This is not too surprising because Lakeland Terriers mature and age faster than humans.
A one-year-old Lakeland Terrier is twice as smart as a one-year-old human child.
Also, since a 2-year-old Lakeland Terrier will have the intelligence of a two-year-old human, then the corresponding IQ of a 2-year-old Lakeland Terrier is 100. Similarly, a three-year-old Lakeland 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 Lakeland Terrier intelligence. That is what you get when you use human intelligence as a reference to measure Lakeland Terrier intelligence.
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with all the facts you need to know on Lakeland Terrier intelligence.
To learn more about the Lakeland Terrier, check out our article where we reviewed the Lakeland Terrier breed.
If you do not own the Lakeland Terrier yet, and you are planning to get one, check out our list of reputable Lakeland Terrier breeders and article on Lakeland Terrier price and buying advice.
