Which dog has the highest IQ
The Top 20 Smartest Dog Breeds, Ranked
Border Collie
The valedictorians of the dog world, these herders took the top spot in Stanley Coren's intelligence rankings, meaning most can learn a new command in under five repetitions and follow it at least 95% of the time.
- Height: 18-22 inches
- Weight: 30-55 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12-15 years
Poodle
Nowadays, you can adopt cockapoos, whoodles and goldendoodles, to name a few, but breeders love regular ol' poodles for more than just their hypoallergenic qualities. The curly-coated cuties also took the silver medal for working intelligence in Coren's survey.
- Height: 10-22 inches
- Weight: 6-7o pounds (depending on variety)
- Life expectancy: 12-15 years
German Shepherd
German Shepherds happily serve as police dogs, seeing eye dogs, medical assistance dogs and therapy dogs, so it's no surprise that consistent obedience comes standard with this breed.
- Height: 22-26 inches
- Weight: 50-90 pounds
- Life expectancy: 7-10 years
RELATED: 13 Best Guard Dogs to Protect Your Family and Home
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Golden Retriever
That's right one of the nation's most beloved family pets also took home straight A's in this intelligence survey. While the breed was originally intended for hunting, goldens also enjoy acting like straight-up goofballs once in a while (which you already know if you have one of your own).
- Height: 23-24 inches
- Weight: 65-75 pounds
- Life expectancy: 10-12 years
Doberman Pinscher
Dobermans got their start in the late 19th century, when a German tax collector named Louis Dobermann wanted a medium-sized pet to act as both a guard dog and companion. Translation: These fearless protectors can hold their own, and hang with kids.
- Height: 24-28 inches
- Weight: 60-100 pounds
- Life expectancy: 10-12 years
RELATED: 35 Best Large Dog Breeds for People Who Want Impressive Pets
Shetland Sheepdog
Smaller than collies, these adorable fluff balls hold their own in herding, agility and obedience trials. Consequently, Shelties do tend to bark, chase and herd, but their affectionate nature and love for cuddles will erase any hard feelings.
- Height: 12-15 inches
- Weight: 14-20 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12-15 years
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Labrador Retriever
Labs love to please, whether they're serving as guide dogs, narcotic detection dogs or just everyday family pets. Americans have accordingly made them the most popular breed in the country for a whopping 27 years in a row.
- Height: 21-25 inches
- Weight: 55-80 pounds
- Life expectancy: 10-12 years
RELATED: 20 Most Popular Dog Breeds in the U.S.
Papillon
The first toy breed to crack the top 10, papillons aren't your average lap dogs. The 5-pound wonders often take home top prizes at competitive agility trials, according to the American Kennel Club. Their name French for "butterfly" alludes to their tall, pointed ears.
- Height: 8-11 inches
- Weight: 4-9 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12-16 years
Rottweiler
Rottweilers likely descended from drover dogs in Ancient Rome, with the rugged, dependable temperament to boot. An engaged Rottweiler owner will take care to train and exercise their pooch thoroughly with the reward of a loving and loyal friend.
- Height: 22-27 inches
- Weight: 85-130 pounds
- Life expectancy: 8-10 years
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Australian Cattle Dog
The Australian Cattle Dog sits outside the top 50 in AKC's popularity rankings, but don't miss out on this smart breed. Alert, curious and pleasant, the high-energy herders do best with a job.
- Height: 17-20 inches
- Weight: 30-50 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12-16 years
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is extremely energetic and highly trainable. For most commands, all they need is a treat as an incentive to obey. Getting them not to bark, however, can be more difficult as their high intelligence also makes them a bit stubborn.
- Height: 10-12 inches
- Weight: 20 30 pounds
- Life expectancy: 10-12 years
Miniature Schnauzer
Miniature Schnauzers are known for their working intelligence and obedience. It only takes them about 5 to 15 repetitions to learn a new command, and they're more likely to obey on the first attempt, according to the Smart Canine. That's what we call one smart doggie!
- Height: 11 to 14 inches
- Weight: 10 15 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 15 years
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English Springer Spaniel
The English Springer Spaniel is very friendly and outgoing, making it the perfect candidate for socialization and training. Their intelligence also makes training a breeze. They do have a retrieving urge that could cause issues with chewing on furniture.
- Height: 1922 inches
- Weight: 4555 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 14 years
Belgian Tervuren
The Belgian Tervuren Shepherd's intelligence is put on full display with its sheep herding skills. The Tervuren's need to be active and work can be daunting for an unassuming owner.
- Height: 24-26 inches
- Weight: 5575 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 14 years
Schipperke
Schipperkes come in at #15 on Coren's list. They are high energy and also very willing to be trained. They may be small, but training them to obey as early as possible is the best way to make sure it sticks.
- Height: 11-13 inches
- Weight: 1016 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 14 years
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Belgian Sheepdog
Known to be great herders, Belgian Sheepdogs are also highly intelligent. According to AKC, they do need a lot of mental stimulation and have a lot of energy.
- Height: 24-26 inches
- Weight: 5575 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 14 years
Collie
Not to be confused with a Border Collie, these pups are so smart, they made their way into mainstream television. That's right, the most famous dog ever, Lassie, was a Collie.
- Height: 24-26 inches
- Weight: 6075 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 14 years
Keeshond
The Keeshond is known to be a very obedient dog breed. If you so choose to adopt one, you'll be sure to get the best of both worlds as they are also very energetic and playful.
- Height: 17-18 inches
- Weight: 3545 pounds
- Life expectancy: 12 15 years
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German Shorthaired Pointer
Not only are German Shorthaired Pointers super smart, but they are highly adaptable and friendly, according to the American Kennel Club.
- Height: 23-25 inches
- Weight: 5570 pounds
- Life expectancy: 10 12 years
Flat-Coated Retriever
Flat-Coated Retrievers are extremely good with children and other dogs, and have a trainability level that's categorized as "eager to please," a.k.a. highly trainable, according to AKC. But FYI: That means they need a lot of mental stimulation.
- Height: 23-24.5 inches
- Weight: 6070 pounds
- Life expectancy: 8 10 years
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Who has the highest IQ in the world in 2024?
Intelligence quotient (IQ) is used to measure a persons level of intelligence. Scores are gathered by participants completing standardised tests that measure abilities in puzzle-solving, memory, and more.
Based on a median score of whats typically around 100, your given IQ score is relative to that of the general intelligence of the population. Below 85 is seen as a poor score, 130 and above is smart (in the top 2 per cent of the population).
It is difficult to accurately judge intelligence and its always worth taking IQ scores with a pinch of salt due to cultural differences and other factors. As a study in Frontiers In Systems Neuroscience states, intelligence test scores are often misunderstood and can be misused.
Another factor to consider: an IQ score is not a unit of measurement. For example, someone with an IQ score of 130 is not 30 per cent smarter than someone with an IQ score of 100. Given the changes to testing across the decades, it is also tricky to compare scores achieved at different times.
Theoretically, there is no limit to IQ scores. 200 is often seen as the theoretical peak score but some people have shot past that number.
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Who has the highest IQ in the world?
Pictured above, Terence Tao is said to have the highest IQ score in the world currently, with an impressive score of between 225-230. If the Chinese-American mathematician scored 230 he is definitely out in front.
Effectively tying for the title, though, is Marilyn Vos Savant. Her recorded IQ in the Guinness World Records was 228, awarded between the 1986-1989 editions until the record was discontinued in 1990, with IQ scores deemed too unreliable to document.
Christopher Hirata has the second-highest confirmed IQ, with a staggering score of 225. There have been a few others with scores equal or higher. Again, the same caveat applies that IQ scores are to be taken with a grain of salt, especially for those before the IQ test was invented.
What has had the highest IQ ever?
It's tricky to judge who has had the highest IQ ever. For many great minds, the IQ test simply did not exist during their time on Earth. The validity of others who are said to have taken an intelligence test is in question, too, as official records are tough to locate.
However, this hasn't stopped some humans from being declared to have the highest IQ ever.
William James Sidis
Said to be the smartest person who has ever lived, William James Sidis is the benchmark for child prodigies. He was reportedly able to read the newspaper aged just 18 months and entered Harvard University aged 11, graduating at 16.
He wrote various studies, including creating a constructed language in the Book Of Vendergoord (aged 8) and The Animate And The Inanimate (which covered cosmology and the reversibility of the second law of thermodynamics and predicts the black hole).
In Psychology For The Millions, Abraham Sperling details how he had been told by Helena Sidis (William's sister) that "a few years before his death, her brother Bill took an intelligence test with a psychologist."
Sperling explains that William Sidis' "score was the very highest that had ever been obtained. In terms of IQ, the psychologist related that the figure would be between 250 and 300."
In the years since, however, the claims of Sidis' IQ score have been heavily disputed.
Ada Lovelace
The first computer scientist, Ada Lovelace is often mentioned when it comes to the most intelligent people who ever lived. Through her work on the Analytical Engine, she essentially invented the first computer programme the world had seen.
Christopher Michael Langan
Reported to have an IQ score of 195, Christopher Michael Langan is often considered one of the smartest people alive. The controversial figure has often sided with conspiracy theories and claims that the existence of God can be proven by mathematics.
Albert Einstein
Often regarded as one of the smartest people who ever lived, it is often claimed that Einstein's IQ was actually lower than you might think. Given that the test wasn't around when Einstein walked the Earth, however, it's impossible to know just how intelligent this famous scientist actually was.
Leonardo da Vinci
Another who is often regarded as one of the smartest people ever, Leonardo da Vinci was a mathematician, engineer, botanist, cartographer and much more, so its hard to single out one achievement.
Sho Yano
Sho Yano was a college freshman at the tender age of nine and became a medical doctor at just 21. This made him "the youngest student in the University of Chicago's history to receive an MD," according to Chicago Tribune.
Katherine Johnson
You will have come across mathematician Katherine Johnson if you've seen the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Her work was vital in early NASA space missions and played a role in getting astronauts John Glenn and Alan Shephard into space. Johnson's orbital calculations were even used in the Apollo missions.
Stephen Hawking
What can be said about Stephen Hawking? The Simpsons legend is one of history's most famous theoretical physicists and cosmologists. He famously showed that black holes radiate energy, slowly shrink, and explode in a flash of gamma rays, with Hawking radiation becoming a key cosmological theory.
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To have your mind blown by more science, check out our ultimate fun facts page.
What Is the Highest IQ Ever Recorded?
If your IQ falls between 85 and 115 points, you align with the majority of the population. A score above 130 indicates exceptional intelligence, and anything higher than 160 makes you a genius (at least when it comes to taking intelligence tests). The appropriately named Marilyn vos Savant is in a class of her own. According to Guinness World Records, her astonishing IQ of 228 is the highest ever recorded.
The daughter of an Italian and a German immigrant, vos Savant was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1946. Her advanced cognitive abilities were apparent from a young age, and according to one IQ test, she already displayed adult intelligence levels at age 10.
She decided to show off her impressive smarts to the Guinness World Records committee in the 1980s. Using two teststhe Stanford-Binet test and the Mega Testshe demonstrated an IQ score that placed her above Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. From 1986 to 1989, Guinness listed her as the person with the highest IQ on Earth.
Whether vos Savant still holds that title is difficult to prove. Guinness discontinued the category in 1990, stating that IQ tests were too unreliable to warrant a single record holder. That means some IQ test-takers may have scored higher than vos Savant in the past 32 years, but without official recognition from a third party, they're unlikely to unseat her in the public eye.
Instead of studying quantum physics like some of her genius-IQ peers, vos Savant has worked as a columnist for Parade since 1986. Readers are invited to pose logic puzzles for her to answer in her "Ask Marilyn" column. Since 2008, she's also devised the Numbrix puzzles for the publication. If you're up for a brainteaser from the person with the highest IQ ever recorded, check out her work here.
Have you got a Big Question you'd like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at[email protected].
