Most intelligent dog breeds in the world revealed

The Belgian Malinois is the most intelligent dog breed in the world, new research reveals.

Scientists at the University of Helsinki tested 1,000 dogs by setting them seven cognitive and three behavioural tasks, including their ability to read human gestures, how dependent they are, whether they were able to access food in a sealed box, and if they could detour around a transparent V-shaped fence to locate a reward.

The researchers concluded that the 13 most intelligent dog breeds are Belgian Malinois, Australian Kelpie, Labrador Retriever, Border Collie, Golden Retriever, Hovawart, Spanish Water Dog, Shetland Sheepdog, English Cocker Spaniel, Australian Shepherd, and Mixed Breed.

Saara Junttila, the study co-author and a PhD researcher in canine cognition at the University of Helsinki, told MailOnline: “Most breeds had their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Labrador retriever was very good at reading human gestures, but not so good at spatial problem-solving.

“Some breeds, such as the Shetland sheepdog, scored quite evenly in almost all tests.”