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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My chihuahua is a lesbian.I heard dogs can be gay,too.My Honeybea is 5 years old and hates other male dogs.She growls and snarls at them and shows her distaste or most other male dogs.However,she is most happy around other female dogs.Wags her tail,sniffs their kitty,wants to play and is receptive.So, I rescued another female chihuahua from the shelter six months ago and now I have a lesbian chihuahua couple.They play together,sleep together and are very happy.There is no doubt in my mind that dogs can be gay,too…,just like people and many other animal species in this world.
Hi Laurelita! You bring up a good point! According to canine behaviorists, dogs can’t really be gay, simply because dogs don’t have a sexual orientation the way humans do. However, dogs can certainly exhibit gay behavior for a variety of reasons. Dogs live unconstrained by internal (or external, for that matter) conflicts about their sexuality. They like what they like – no big deal. The fact is, Dogs do what they want, when they want, and are presumably unconstrained by the internal conflicts that often plague humans. Sometimes their sexual advances even extend to other species, as countless cats, stuffed animals, and human legs can attest. So, can dogs be gay? The answer is yes & no. 🙂 Thank you for your comment! ~ Linda
I believe chihuahuas are extremely smart probably one of the smartest of the small dog breeds. My grandma’s chihuahua use to speak a lot and it understood loads of english. When I got chihuahua it was abandoned by his owner because he wasn’t potty trained. When I looked outside my house I saw him sniffing my front door so I took him in and gave him some chicken and we instantly bonded! At first he was pretty bad about going in the house but soon he became potty trained. One day I said “Wanna go for a walk?” and then he said “Walk walk now!”. I was surprised at first and asked him to say I love you and he said it! I was trying to do the ignoring challenge at him and he said “Stop ignoring me!”
I read a article once that chihuahuas understand up to 100-150 words. I think that all chihuahuas are different some are smart and some are not so much but if they get the right training they can be extremely smart.
Hi Rosette!
Sounds like you do indeed have a very smart Chihuahua! Thanks for your comment.
~Linda