The breed is considered highly intelligent and easy to train. Aussies are known for being especially eager to please their owners. True to their herding instincts, Aussies are very protective of their families and territory and will let you know if strangers approach, but they are not considered aggressive.
Australian Shepherds have plenty of intrinsic knowledge, so they may follow their instincts rather than follow orders straight away. Australian shepherds often show their smarts in different aspects such as: Herding – Australian Shepherds are known far and wide as a herding breed.
Your Aussie will bond to his family and be protective of and loyal to them. Many dog owners are surprised to learn that even though Aussies have strong guarding and herding instincts, they are sweet and cuddly indoor dogs that can even be kept in apartments.
Border collie
According to The Intelligence of Dogs, which ranks 131 dog breeds in terms of their relative intelligence, the border collie is the smartest dog breed known to man. Need proof? Chaser, a linguistically gifted border collie from South Carolina, could recognize over 1,000 words.
1. Border Collie: A workaholic, this breed is the world's premier sheep herder, prized for its intelligence, extraordinary instinct, and working ability.
Despite being one of the most expensive dogs in the world, the Afghan hound has the lowest IQ of all dog breeds, per Coren's research.
Scientists have studied both species and their brains to find the answer to this very question. And, scientifically speaking, dogs are likely smarter than cats. The research study looked at the brains of animals in the order Carnivora, a group of mammals containing bears, seals, raccoons as well as cats and dogs.
Aussies can be very clingy. They crave human companionship and love being included in pretty much everything you do, including being involved in all family activity. Since they require an active lifestyle, they will want to join in everything and anything that is going on around them.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
While adaptable, the loyal and devoted Australian Shepherd does best with its people nearby. They are often demanding of attention and they do not like to be left alone.
Aussies are known to bare teeth when they smile, one of only a few breeds to do so. Although they are not obsessive barkers, they will bark to protect their property, and warn you of nearby activity.
In addition to being herding dogs, Australian Shepherds serve as Seeing Eye dogs, hearing dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, and search and rescue dogs. Because of their high intelligence, Aussies are well-suited to do a wide variety of jobs.
Despite their high energy, Aussies are usually quiet. They may bark to alert their owners of a stranger or an unfamiliar situation but other than that, you won't hear much from them.
Dogs absolutely can see TV, and many seem to enjoy it. There are a number of features about television shows that dogs find attractive. Some of these are visual, such as motion, while others relate to the sounds coming from the TV. Dog eyes are very different from human eyes, so they see things on TV differently.
As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the “super dogs” (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words, Coren says.
On the whole, psychologist and dog researcher Stanley Coren estimates, the average dog's intelligence is roughly as sophisticated as a 2.5-year-old baby's. So far, research has suggested that dogs can read our cues, show emotional connection to their owners, and even display jealousy.
Zak studied 10 cats and 10 dogs to see how much affection they had for their humans, and it turns out dogs love their owners almost five times more than cats do, according to the Huffington Post.
CHIMPANZEES. RECKONED to be the most-intelligent animals on the planet, chimps can manipulate the environment and their surroundings to help themselves and their community. They can work out how to use things as tools to get things done faster, and they have outsmarted people many a time.
Horses and Dogs are both intelligent animals, but they have different cognitive strengths. Horses excel in areas like navigational intelligence while dogs do better with social intelligence. Neither animal is smarter than the other, that's just what makes them unique!