Scientists Reveal the Smartest Dog Breed (5 photos)
It’s hard to argue that dogs are humanity's most intelligent pets. Yet even among canine companions, some breeds stand out as true intellectual heavyweights. Researchers at the University of Helsinki set out to identify the world's smartest dog breed. After spending significant time and effort, they finally answered a question that has long intrigued dog lovers. 
In their study, Finnish researchers evaluated 1,000 dogs across 13 popular breeds. Of course, the scope could be considered somewhat limited, given that the Fédération Cynologique Internationale recognizes 355 breeds—not to mention countless mixed breeds. Nevertheless, the researchers spent months working to deliver these results. 
Belgian Malinois
The Belgian Malinois took the top spot as the smartest breed, scoring an impressive 35 out of 39 possible points. Trailing by a solid margin, the Border Collie came in second with 26 points, while the Hovawart secured third place with 25 points. 
Border Collie
Dr. Saara Junttila, who led the study, shared an interesting observation regarding canine intelligence:
"Some breeds, such as the Shetland Sheepdog, achieved fairly balanced scores across almost all tests—meaning they didn't score exceptionally high or exceptionally low in any single task." 
Hovawart
Leaders and Underperformers
Some breeds proved to be major disappointments. Golden Retrievers and Labradors, widely considered the intellectuals of the dog world, placed only 13th and 9th, respectively. While they excelled at reading human gestures, they performed poorly on spatial problem-solving tasks.
As for the Malinois, study co-author Dr. Katriina Tiira had this to say about the breed:
"The Belgian Malinois stood out in many cognitive tasks, delivering strong results in the vast majority of tests. It practically had no rivals." 
The tasks presented to the dogs evaluated their response to voice commands and interpretation of human gestures. The researchers also assessed the animals' ability to handle complex situations, challenging them to navigate mazes or retrieve treats placed behind obstacles.
