LOL! THIS is sure to get some comments!

Dashonthedash wrote:
Greyhounds are a perfect example: they never make the list of most intelligent dog, but they are extremely clever.

Sight hounds frequently make "dumbest breed" lists. Afghans, salukis, greyhounds, etc. One issue is that these dogs are not easily trained in the traditional manners that other breeds are and they aren't as biddable as, say, labs. They aren't motivated by the same things.

We have five purebred chihauhaus and one I feel is a chi/pom mix that gets upset when I tell her she has pom in her. She is my dumb one. We also have one foster chi. All my chi's were foster doggies and enjoy getting involved in our daily activities, totally understands what we are saying...have totally fallen in love with the breed. If we didn't become foster parents we would have never have found out how intelligent and loving the breed is. They are a great breed and the best snugglers. Then comes our collie...she thinks she's a chi. LOL!

Pawz4me wrote:


But the author seems to be the one lacking in intelligence. She seems to have profoundly confused being independent, stubborn or active with being dumb. None of those things equates to dumb (often quite the contrary). They do make dogs more challenging to train, and so clueless owners often think they equal dumb.

I agree!

I would say that this was a list of least bidable dogs, rather than least intelligent, meaning they tend to be independent and don't really rely on humans for affirmation.

I've had an Irish Setter before - very intelligent dog, but very independent (i.e. stubborn?) and didn't care if I gave her lots of attention or not. She'd rather have been out running around, nose to the ground, trying to roust something out of the woods! Unfortunately, she was also know to escape the yard from time-to-time and bring home souvenirs from the neighbors' yards: a bedroom slipper, a woman's bathrobe (really!), a man's boot, shirts, etc. Apparently, she thought swiping things off people's clotheslines was great fun...We would then have to find the items' rightful owners - quite embarrassing. Irish setters are quite the clown breed, right up there with boxers. :o

BTW, Kelly was a smiler, too - scared my husband to death when we first adopted her. She was in the back yard, and we had gotten home from the store. She came running up to the gate, tail wagging furiously, so hubby went in to pet her, at which point, she smiled at him, still wagging her tail. He was so scared he leaped the 4 foot chain link fence in a single bound! I'd seen smiling dogs before, and I knew she wasn't being aggressive. I never laughed so hard in my life!! :B

Awesome dog with our 2 year old daughter - Kelly put up with a LOT more than she should have had to, without even a hint of aggressive behavior - sweet girl!!

The problem with dog intelligence lists is that most of them rate intelligence on either trainability or problem solving. Many dogs are just so stubborn that they think they are just above "common" tricks. Greyhounds are a perfect example: they never make the list of most intelligent dog, but they are extremely clever. Their ancestors were owned by pharaohs and European royalty, so their attitude is similar to that of cats: "What's in it for me?". A perfect example was my first greyhound, Willow. When she needed to, she could solve the most difficult dilemma, but tricks? Heaven forbid!! Her friend Max the GSD could learn a new trick in 5 minutes with only a few small biscuits. Willow would just watch him go through his paces because she knew what was next: she would follow him into the kitchen where they would BOTH get treats. Why go through all that trouble when she could let Max do all the work and she would reap part of his reward? I called her his "agent". :B

Great story about Millie. Thanks. Enjoy that special dog.

A male Gordon setter is the dumbest creature known to man! I can't believe bloodhound didn't make the list!

I love that story about Wish List, Desert Captain!

Dog Folks wrote:
Desert Captain: Is Millie a retired racier?

We had two of them and learned that we had to teach them "how" to be dogs. One of them had never walked in grass!

Their lives from birth to retirement is very different than a regular dog.

They are one of the best companion dogs you could ever ask for. I miss ours and we talk about them at least daily.

Yes, she is a retired racer. We were lucky when we got her as she had been in a foster home with 2 other Grey's and a mutt for two months. This really flattened the learning curve for her and us.

Typically when they first come off the track they have never seen a sliding glass door, grass, cars etc. and it takes a lot of patience to acclimate them to living in a home. Even after 5 years with us she continues to evolve.... getting more spoiled everyday! :B

Permit me a little thread drift here...

After our Dalmatian passed my bride swore no more dogs, just too hard when they go. For 14 months the house was so empty and I kept lobbying for another pooch. As Christmas approached she began to have second thoughts but knew better than to share them with me. She spoke to her gal pals about how she was about ready to commit to another dog.

Being a very organized person, (retired social worker), she sat down and made out a list entitled "my next perfect dog will be".... not a shedder, gentle, easy to walk and care for etc., etc.. Then on Christmas eve she surprised me with the announcement that she was ready for a new dog. I was on the AGR (Arizona Greyhound Rescue), website in mere minutes. After a week of interviews and seeing dozens of dogs that were in need of a good home our AGR counselor hooked us up with Millie and the rest as they say is history.

When they take Grey's off the track to find them homes they change their names so as to give them a new identity to go with their new life. Six weeks later we received a package from AGR with Millie's racing history. Would you believe her racing name was...."Wish List?" :B

I always used to think that German Shepherds were the smartest dogs; then I got my first greyhound. Since then, I haven't had a GSD that wasn't outsmarted by a greyhound (frequently) :B