I came across a list of smart dog breeds recently, and found it quite interesting. The article didn’t happen to mention where the information came from, or how it was derived, but still it was fun.

Intelligence of dog breeds is an important factor in choosing a dog. The more intelligent ones can be more satisfying to train… but if you don’t train these dogs enough, they may find things to do that you won’t like! Our LarryDog is part #10 (Australian Cattle Dog) and #3 (German Shepherd), with some Chow and maybe other things. He’s one of the smarter dogs we’ve had.

Of course, intelligence and trainability aren’t exactly the same. Our Basenji, Sunbeam, was incredibly smart — typical of her breed — but training? If she felt like it. I was once on a email list for Basenjis with the motto “Where it takes 100 people to outsmart 1 Basenji.”

The online bookstore Dogwise has a lot of great breed books and other things to help you choose a dog breed that will suit you.

Click here to go to the category Choosing a Dog at Dogwise.