The Border Collie takes the top spot as the most intelligent dog. Which I do not dispute.

I do however think that free thinking dogs like the Jack Russell Terrier are a hell of a lot more intelligent than where the current dog IQ test ranks their breed.

The miniature Schnauzer is ranked something like 12th. I don’t think Schnauzers are dumb dogs at all, they are sweet little things that strive to please. In my experience with a few JRT’s and a lot of miniature schnauzers it is my opinion that the JRT is more intelligent than the dog IQ tests say.

Maybe I just had the pleasure of working with a few highly intelligent examples but I don’t think that is the case.

The obedience part of the test probably hurts JRT’s a bit but as someone who has trained a JRT to do tons of tricks in a very short amount of time I think they are a hell of a lot smarter than many think.

I’m not trying to act like the captain in Crimson Tide and claim the JRT is the most intelligent dog ever but in my experience they are a hell of a lot smarter than the 12th ranked mini schnauzer. I think the schnauzer’s tendency to want to please its owner verses the JRT’s indifference at times to commands does not indicate a lack of intelligence among JRTs.


Those who have owned (or been owned by) a Jack Russell how would you rank their intelligence?

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
The obedience part of the test probably hurts JRT’s a bit but as someone who has trained a JRT to do tons of tricks in a very short amount of time I think they are a hell of a lot smarter than many think.

A lot of people called me and my wife crazy for getting a JRT 9 years ago. And we haven't regretted it one single second . Smartest dog, best dog we ever had, including during my childhood. At times, almost human like, it's scary.

Owner of 2 JRTs here, one still alive. They are highly intelligent and it's easy to teach them tricks (especially with toys or treats). They are also incredibly stubborn (or persistent as they like to think) and the training must be constant and consistent. Once they get an idea in their head, good luck getting it out. Because I love to torture myself I got males. The one that's still alive just turned 9 and is unneutered. He obeys me (most of the time) but can be an absolute hellion when I'm not around.


I've been around some pretty smart dogs; poodles, German/Dutch Shepards, etc. They're all capable of doing what 95%+ of the average owner wants them to do. I'd say my JRTs are right up there with the best of them but where other dogs are more affectionate and laid back mine were highly independent and if I didn't give them problems to solve, they'd find their own and solve them. That said, they truly have their own character unlike other dogs. I've handled a lot of "smart breeds" and while they're smart and good dogs, nothing really stands out from one to the next. The personality of both my JRTs are so different from other dogs (and each other) and are unique to them. Little mannerisms, preferences, the way they like to do things, how they argue and "protest" etc. It is like having a little kid that you love most of the time but occasionally want to bang your head against the wall in frustration.

quote:

The Border Collie takes the top spot as the most intelligent dog. Which I do not dispute.

Our Border Collie, Ava, pays attention to conversations between my wife and I, even when it's not about her. She always seems to know what's going on. When we go for walks, she always seems to know if we are going to stay in the neighborhood or not. When we are headed to the river she goes right to the back of the 4Runner, without us even talking about where we are going.

Of course, she always knows (from body positioning) which way I'm going to throw the frisbee.

My dog is so smart, she has me trained.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
My dog is so smart, she has me trained.

That's the rule, not the exception.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

The Border Collie takes the top spot as the most intelligent dog. Which I do not dispute.

Our Border Collie, Ava, pays attention to conversations between my wife and I, even when it's not about her. She always seems to know what's going on. When we go for walks, she always seems to know if we are going to stay in the neighborhood or not. When we are headed to the river she goes right to the back of the 4Runner, without us even talking about where we are going.

Of course, she always knows (from body positioning) which way I'm going to throw the frisbee.

My experience with our late BC is identical to yours. She constantly had us laughing at her being so smart, intuitive. Now we've got a Bordoodle and she's very similar. The part about wife and I having conversations is so true.

I've never had a JRT but I did spend some quality time with a father and son pair. This was when I had by BC and the three would hike with my friend and I. They were smart, well trained, my friend was really good with animals.

Try having a Malamute in the house.

If mine is not at least as smart as the average Border Collie, that means the BC is scary smart.

Currently trying to train my Mal to get a beer out of the fridge, close the door, and bring me the beer.

The last part he is reluctant to do since seeing how I open said beer, learning from that, and deciding he likes the taste of beer.

Okay, not that bad but, you get the picture (he won't bring me the beer cause he likes the coldness)

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:

Currently trying to train my Mal to get a beer out of the fridge, close the door, and bring me the beer.

The last part he is reluctant to do since seeing how I open said beer, learning from that, and deciding he likes the taste of beer.

Okay, not that bad but, you get the picture (he won't bring me the beer cause he likes the coldness)

It can be done, see the scene in the 2007 movie Shooter. But, gettign him to read the label and bring you the right brew, as well as closing the fridge door afterwards might be a challenge!

Now, if you could get him to mix up a Margarita, that would really be something!

Back on the subject, not a JRT, but the smartest dog I ever knew was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier "Freisha," our beloved family dog from circa 1953-1966. "Dirty Dawg," my college roommate's Border Collie was also a pretty smart feller, but I think the Terriers win this contest.

I feel that dogs, in general, are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. For example, they rarely end their sentences with a preposition.

My GSD is probably on the lower end of the spectrum. This one ain't too bright... The last one, that dog was trained within a week, by week two, she was speaking Hebrew and doing your taxes. This one, not so much.

JRT's... Smart dogs! But not smart enough to figure out that they are small dogs. Every one I've ever dealt with thinks it's the size of a small car.

My JRT was as smart as she wanted to be, or, when it suited her.
Her problem solving and reasoning ability was off the charts.

I think most people who have never spent a lot of time with a JRT, don’t see through the stubbornness to recognize the intelligence.

A relatives JRT was very smart and active. So active she picked up the nickname 'Springs-in-butt'.
Smartest dog I ever saw was our Shakespear


Dad was a vet and we saw a lot of dogs

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:

Currently trying to train my Mal...

We had a JRT that was very smart. He could discern among his toys when we’d go ask him to get his stuffed bird or his bone or his rope etc

My thought on smart dogs, after having had Beagles, Springer Spaniels, Cattle Dog mixes, Belgian Sheepdogs, and a Chow mix: they are different KINDS of smart, within the context of what they were bred to do. One I initially thought was a little slow really was not at all. He was just a different variety of smart.

My Dog Skip is a great book about growing up with a JRT.

I don't know. One list I just looked at listed Golden Retrievers as 4th on the list. Don't get me wrong, I love Goldens and have been around some really great ones, and have also been around some that were dumber than a box of rocks. Lovable, but dumb. While I think some generalities can be drawn for breeds, I think a lot of it also comes down to the individual dog, their breeding and probably most important the time, attention and training given to them by their owner.

My current dog, Bandit is one of the smartest dogs I've ever had. The vet that worked with the rescue I adopted him from ran a doggie DNA test on him and it came back as 50% German Shepherd and 50% Karelian Bear Dog. As one of my coworkers stated, "That's a spicy mix." First night I had him I needed to leave and go pick up my daughter at the airport. I didn't know yet how he would behave in the house when left alone so I locked him in his kennel. We came home from the airport and found him wandering around the house, he had disassembled his kennel from the inside and let himself out. When I talked with the staff at the vet's office who housed him while he was in rescue their response was, "Yeah, he did that a lot while we had him. We'd open the office in the morning and find him wandering around." He knows how to operate the power window switches in the backseat of my truck, that's why the child safety locks are on now. His latest trick that I'm really not thrilled about, he's figured out how to release himself from his prong collar.

Unfortunately I think some owners confuse stubbornness as a lack of intelligence in dogs. It's not that the dog is dumb, it's just the owner needs to learn how to be smarter than their dog.

I think dogs in general are getting smarter. Probably due to continued living with and being trained by people which some small parts are begin to be passed on as the generations go on. Our KC Cavalier which we had home at 10 weeks, immediately responded to commands we never even attempted to teach him as a very young puppy.

i vote jrt as the most annoying breed

I'd put Border on short list we might consider in retirement, have had friends with them and most impressed.

The right lab can be pretty smart too, we lucked into one of those from a litter of close friends who had been VERY selective in the line. She'd learn just about anything in a week or two of persistent effort, encouragement and some treats.

Best example, that someone reminded us of this weekend, was how we didn't waste the command "Shake" on some goofy fake human movement with her paw.

Labs love to retrieve, we have a lake cabin so she spent about half her summer days in the water swimming after bumpers and other floating toys. Had her trained that when exiting the water at back of pier instead of shaking all over whoever had the misfortune of sitting there she'd walk out to you halfway down the pier, still completely dripping wet, circle behind and to your left, sit and deliver and then wait for you to step away in front of her and say SHAKE before she shook off the water. People thought this was the most genius thing ever, but for her it was just part of the routine to get that damn toy back into the water!

Miss that ol' dog.