Does Breed Size Play a Role in Dog Intelligence?

Small Dogs vs. Big Dogs

Does this mean that smaller dog breeds — those weighing less than 15 kilos — are dumb? Absolutely not! Many small dogs score well on the other measures of intelligence. And it's worth noting that dog IQ tests focus more on reasoning and problem-solving skills than on obedience and trainability. So then why do small dogs tend to perform poorly in this latter category? There are a few theories, none of which require your small dog to don a dunce cap.

Shape of Head

One notable study links the shape of a dog's head to ease of training, says Psychology Today. The theory is that both brachycephalic dogs — those with short faces and flat noses, such as bulldogs and pugs — and dolichocephalic dogs — those with narrow, elongated faces, such as greyhounds — were bred for specific tasks: the former for fighting and guarding, the latter for running and chasing prey. Meanwhile, mesocephalic dogs — those with average-shaped heads, like Labrador retrievers — tend to lack such specialisation, which, according to researchers, may give them more cognitive flexibility that makes them better at learning new tasks.

Temperament

A dog's temperament may also affect their trainability and submissiveness. Breeds that typically make the intelligent dog lists, such as golden retrievers or border collies, tend to be extremely friendly and eager to please. On the other hand, small dogs, according to a 2010 study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, are often more anxious and excitable, and show stubbornness and poor obedience.

Some may argue that having a mind and will of their own actually makes small dogs more intelligent than their larger, more happy-go-lucky counterparts. As for fearfulness and excitability, it's understandable that the world is a scarier place for small dogs than it is for large dogs. It's possible that small dogs are too busy watching for possible dangers to be bothered with learning new tricks.

Influence of Pet Parents

Another theory is that small dogs' overall poorer performance in the obedience and training category has nothing to do with innate ability and everything to do with their treatment and conditioning. The study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science found that small-dog parents tend to interact with their dogs in ways that reinforce aggression, excitability and fearfulness and undermine obedience learning. For example, small-dog parents are generally less consistent in training and interacting with their dogs than large-dog parents are. Small-dog parents also tend to rely more on punishment, such as scolding and lead-jerking, to correct their dogs' behaviour, which has been shown to reinforce fearfulness and aggression in dogs. The study also found that small-dog parents typically engage less in play and shared activities, such as fetching or taking walks — activities that tend to produce more well-behaved, obedient dogs.

Though it may seem like those lists of the most intelligent dogs are biased toward larger dogs, the truth is that they're usually biased toward dogs that are eager to please and easy to train. Don't get us wrong — it certainly takes smart dogs to learn good manners and to perform certain tasks. And many of the breeds on intelligent dog lists make excellent service, police and military dogs, all of which command our respect.

But you know your dog best. If you're convinced your small dog is brilliant, you're not wrong. The bottom line is you don't need a list to tell you whether your dog is intelligent — and your dog doesn't need to be smart to be worthy of love and affection.