How smart is YOUR Chihuahua? I’m sure if I asked that question in a group of 20 Chihuahua owners, I’d get different answers. Some will say that Chihuahuas are dumb, others say they are very smart. Of course, my three Chis are the smartest in the world. 😉 Does it even matter how smart your Chihuahua is?
The only reason it matters to me is that people ask me that question all the time. So, I’m going to answer it once and for all …. scientifically. You can’t argue with science, can you?
How Do We Measure Dog Intelligence?
Stanley Coren, a professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver attempted to answer that question by doing a research study on the intelligence of different dog breeds.
So how exactly did he measure dog intelligence? He asked 199 obedience trial judges from the Canadian and the American Kennel Club to participate in his research.
Stanley Coren (born 1942) is a psychology professor, neuropsychological researcher, and writer on the intelligence, mental abilities, and history of dogs. He works in research and instructs in psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia. He writes for Psychology Today in the feature series Canine Corner ~ Wikipedia
The way the research was done is the judges measured and ranked how each dog breed did in obedience trials according to the professor’s criteria. What was that criteria?
- The number of repetitions it took for a dog to learn a new (unknown) command.
- The success rate (%) that a dog obeys a known command on the first attempt.
There were much criticism and skepticism regarding the test from both the American and Canadian Kennel Club and the dog phycology community alike.
Many feel that there is much more to a dog’s intelligence than just obeying commands, but it’s a good starting point.
How did The Chihuahua Breed do?
According to one source, out of 138 qualified dog breeds, Chihuahuas ranked 125th. To put that in perspective in comparison to other breeds, let’s look at where others ranked.
Chihuahuas required 40-80 repetitions to learn a new command and obeyed the first time 30% of the time or better.
The Border Collie was ranked first and they required only 5 repetitions to learn a new command and obeyed a command the first time 95% of the time or better.
Other dog breeds that ranked in the same category as the Chihuahua were;
- Pug
- French Bulldog
- Saint Bernard
- Maltese
The Chihuahua breed ranked higher than;
- Beagle
- Chow Chow
- Bloodhound
Was the Intelligence Test Fair to Chihuahuas?
First of all, the test was done by testing in obedience training. Well, of course, the Border Collie is going to do the best. They are a breed known for being best in obedience and agility competitions.
Different dog breeds have different inherent traits and therefore have different motivators. For instance, Border Collies are working dogs, so they are more likely to do better in the obedience trials because they love to work and obey commands as part of “working”, something that they love.
Why the Discrepancy?
So, if asked, some say that Chihuahuas are dumb, and some say they are very smart and according to the Professor’s intelligence test, they rank low among other breeds. So why is there such difference of opinions?
Did you know that a Chihuahua’s brain is larger in comparison to their size than other dog breeds?
The Chihuahua breed is known to be stubborn. They are not working dogs and therefore are not motivated by obeying commands for the sake of working. But if you know what motivates a Chihuahua, they will obey commands as well as any other dog breed!
What do Chihuahua Owners have to say?
So, I asked followers on Facebook and those that read this blog “Is Your Chihuahua Smart?” and this is what they had to say:
- “Mine know what lots of words mean like outside, bed, be back in a little bit, hungry & several more.” ~ Jean Cox
- “Mine ate a rock. This week he ate a plastic bottle cap. Handsome. Not smart.” ~ Bart
- “I’ve trained German Shepards and Labs and other large breeds. My Chihuahua is the only dog smart enough to train me.” ~ Pamela Jane Scott
- “My little [Chihuahua] dog is the most intelligent, except when he does not recognize his own tail.” ~ Vicki
- “I have two Chihuahuas, the older one we adopted at 12 weeks old and he was so easy to potty train. The other one was about 8 weeks old when we got him. Well, he’s kind of a dumbo. He’s two now and we’re still struggling with the potty training!” ~ Gabriella
Now It’s Your Turn
So, what do you think? Do you agree with Professor Coen’s “scientific” research or not? Be sure to leave your comment below. Or tell us; Is your Chihuahua Smart?
ANYONE CAN TEACH YOU TO TRAIN A DOG, WHY NOT LEARN FROM AN EXPERT IN THE CHIHUAHUA BREED?
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