# Are Shih Tzus Really Less Intelligent Than Other Dogs? Examining the Evidence - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/are-shih-tzus-really-less-intelligent-than-other-dogs-examining-the-evidence/ - Published: 2024-03-27 - Author: Savanna Read - Categories: [Dog](https://33rdsquare.com/category/dog/) --- If you‘re a proud Shih Tzu owner, you‘ve likely heard the common perception that these adorable little lion dogs aren‘t the sharpest tools in the shed compared to other breeds. With their stubborn streaks, goofy personalities, and slower speeds at learning tricks, Shih Tzus admittedly don‘t top the charts in canine intelligence rankings. But does this mean Shih Tzus are actually less intelligent than other dogs? Not necessarily. When you examine the evidence more closely, these charismatic companions demonstrate intelligence in their own unique ways that often go underappreciated. In this article, we‘ll dive into the question of Shih Tzu smarts, exploring how canine intelligence is measured, where Shih Tzus fall in the rankings, and the special adaptive abilities that showcase this breed‘s brainy side. By the end, you‘ll see why Shih Tzus deserve more credit for their cognitive capabilities. ## The Shih Tzu: Petite Charmers With a Imperial Past First, let‘s get to know the breed in question a bit better. Shih Tzus are a small, sturdy toy breed weighing 9-16 pounds and standing 8-11 inches tall. Bred to be companions, they sport a proud, confident demeanor packed in a portable, lap-sized body. Shih Tzus‘ most distinctive features are their large, round eyes, short snouts, and long, flowing double coats. But it‘s arguably their bigger-than-life personalities that make them so endearing. Shih Tzus trace their roots back to ancient China, where they served as prized pets of emperors and nobles for centuries. It‘s said royal Chinese breeders worked to make these "lion dogs" resemble the revered big cats as much as possible in miniature form. Shih Tzus lived lives of luxury as palace dogs until the breed nearly went extinct amidst political upheaval in the early 20th century. Thanks to the efforts of a few remaining dogs smuggled out of China and carefully bred, Shih Tzus survived and arrived in the West. They gained recognition from the American Kennel Club in 1969 and have climbed the popularity charts ever since to become one of the most beloved companion breeds today. Now, these former palace pups spend their days ruling over their pet parents‘ homes and hearts instead. ## Measuring Canine Intelligence: A Complicated Affair So back to our central question: are Shih Tzus as smart as other dogs? To answer that, we first need to examine how canine intelligence is assessed in general. Like intelligence in humans, it turns out measuring a dog‘s cognitive abilities isn‘t so cut and dry. ### Coren‘s Canine Intelligence Rankings When most people think of smart dog breeds, the usual suspects that come to mind are the likes of Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. Those impressions stem largely from the work of psychologist Stanley Coren, who in 1994 published the influential book _The Intelligence of Dogs_. To create his famous ranking of breed intelligence, Coren surveyed over 200 professional dog obedience judges. He asked them to rank breeds based on: 1. How many repetitions the breeds needed to learn a new command 2. The success rate of breeds obeying a known command on the first attempt Essentially, Coren‘s study measured dogs‘ _working and obedience intelligence_. The breeds that landed on top were those that needed the fewest repetitions to learn commands and obeyed them consistently. Based on the results, Coren sorted breeds into six intelligence categories, from the top tier of "Brightest Dogs" down to the bottom tier of "Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence." ### Problems With Coren‘s Rankings While Coren‘s intelligence list remains the most famous to date, many argue it‘s an incomplete measure of canine intelligence. Critics point out several shortcomings: - Heavy bias toward trainability. Dogs bred for working roles have an advantage in obeying commands, while companion and stubborn breeds may be undervalued. - Limited sample size of judges, who each only assessed breeds they were familiar with. - Doesn‘t account for individual variation within a breed. - Ignores other types of intelligence that are harder to measure, like emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving, and adaptive abilities. ### Adaptive Intelligence: A Fuller Picture To paint a more complete picture of dog smarts, animal behaviorists have proposed looking at _adaptive intelligence_ in addition to working intelligence. Adaptive intelligence refers to a dog‘s ability to learn from experience, problem-solve in novel situations, and communicate their needs/desires to humans. While you can train obedience through repetition and rewards, adaptive intelligence reveals more of a dog‘s individual personality and independent thinking skills. Adaptive intelligence is what‘s at work when your dog figures out how to open a cabinet, comfort you when you‘re feeling down, or charm you into giving them extra treats with that irresistible puppy-dog gaze. Adaptive intelligence varies significantly from dog to dog, even within the same breed. It‘s a product of both nature and nurture – a mix of the dog‘s natural temperament and the mental enrichment they receive through socialization, training, and life experiences. The more chances a dog gets to safely explore the world, interact with living things, and exercise their minds, the more their adaptive intelligence grows. ## Shih Tzu Intelligence: Not Just a Pretty Face Now that we‘ve covered the basics of how canine intelligence is measured, let‘s see how the Shih Tzu stacks up. The results reveal important clues about what these dogs are actually capable of upstairs. ### Shih Tzus On Coren‘s List In Coren‘s rankings, the Shih Tzu lands squarely in the bottom tier for "Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence." They come in 70th out of 79 ranked breeds, lumped in with other small companion breeds like Chihuahuas, Pugs, and Yorkies. For reference, the top-ranked Border Collie can learn a new command in 5 repetitions or less, while dogs in the Shih Tzu‘s category need 80-100 repetitions or more. At first glance, this seems to support the notion that Shih Tzus are less intelligent than many other breeds. However, it mainly tells us Shih Tzus aren‘t as motivated to follow commands quickly and consistently compared to dogs bred for working roles. Given their stubborn, independent natures and lower exercise needs, perhaps we shouldn‘t be surprised Shih Tzus aren‘t obedience superstars. But as we‘ve noted, work ethic and trainability aren‘t everything when it comes to canine intelligence. To see the depth of Shih Tzu smarts, we need to look at their adaptive capabilities as well. ### Shih Tzu Strengths in Adaptive Intelligence What Shih Tzus lack in obedience, they make up for with their adaptive smarts in several key areas: 1. **Communication.** Shih Tzus tend to be quite vocal dogs that won‘t hesitate to let their humans know what they want. They‘ll bark to alert you someone‘s at the door, whine by their leash when they want to go out, paw at their food bowl when hungry, and come in for a cuddle when you‘re feeling blue. Shih Tzus are masters at training _their owners_ to cater to their needs. 2. **Social and emotional intelligence.** As companion dogs bred to be in tune with their humans, Shih Tzus tend to be sensitive and responsive to people‘s moods and body language. They‘ll often follow you from room to room, check in if you seem upset, and match their energy level to yours. Studies suggest this ability to "read" human emotions is a clear sign of canine intelligence. 3. **Resourcefulness.** Don‘t underestimate a Shih Tzu‘s determination and creative thinking skills, especially when food is involved. They‘ll happily raid a forgotten plate of people food on the coffee table, nudge their bowl under their human‘s feet as a hint, or wiggle into tight spaces in pursuit of a tantalizing smell. Such "naughtiness" annoys owners but demonstrates mental flexibility. 4. **Memory and pattern recognition.** Shih Tzus show strong associative memory for the people, places, and routines that matter to them. They‘ll wait eagerly by the door when you normally come home, get excited when you grab their leash, or head to bed when you start your nighttime wind-down. Quick learners of household "rules," they mentally map their environments. 5. **Self-control and manipulation.** Shih Tzus are famously stubborn, which frustrates owners in training. But the ability to resist impulses and ignore distractions in favor of self-chosen goals is actually a sign of high intelligence. By selectively refusing commands, Shih Tzus show strong self-control and a savviness for manipulating people to get their way. So while Shih Tzus are far from the most obedient dogs, their adaptive skills in communication, emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving, memory, and purposeful independent thought show they really do have active minds under all that hair. Obedience-focused metrics simply don‘t do justice to their social smarts and resourcefulness. ## Stories of Shih Tzu Smarts To further demonstrate Shih Tzus‘ adaptive intelligence, let‘s look at some real-life examples showcasing these pups‘ mental mettle: - _Maximizing treats:_ One owner tells of their Shih Tzu learning to "fake" obeying commands. When told to sit or lie down for a treat, the dog quickly dips into position, grabs the treat, then pops right back up – just long enough to technically earn the reward. Clever treat hack! - _Creative begging:_ Shih Tzus have a knack for turning their small size into an advantage, like when begging for food. More than one owner has caught their Shih Tzu using their short stature and big eyes to charm table scraps out of unsuspecting guests more susceptible to those irresistible puppy-dog eyes. - _Escaping artists:_ For a small dog, Shih Tzus can be surprisingly agile and determined when they set their minds to something, like escaping. Owners share stories of their Tzus climbing out of play pens, sneaking through barely open doors, or using their paws to pry their way to freedom. - _Therapy dog talents:_ Some Shih Tzus apply their people-pleasing personalities to work as therapy dogs. Their affectionate, gentle natures make them a calming presence for nursing home residents and hospital patients. It takes a sensitive, mentally flexible dog to adapt to different healthcare settings and provide comfort. These stories highlight how Shih Tzus‘ unique problem-solving skills, determination, and social-emotional intelligence help them achieve their goals and enrich their humans‘ lives in ways that go beyond obedience training. Their adaptive smarts are a big part of why owners find them such endearing, entertaining, and emotionally attuned companions. ## An Individual Approach Generalizations about breed intelligence are always tricky, because so much comes down to the individual dog. Even within a breed, there‘s a range of temperaments and cognitive abilities. Genetics play a role, but so do training, socialization, and mental enrichment throughout life. So while Shih Tzus may have some general breed tendencies, like stubbornness and sensitivity, how smart any given Shih Tzu seems will depend a lot on their unique personality and life experiences. A Shih Tzu that gets plenty of positive, reward-based training, socialization, puzzle toys, and quality bonding time with their humans will likely display more adaptive intelligence over time than one that lives a more limited, isolated life. The moral of the story? Appreciate your individual Shih Tzu for the complex, clever little soul that they are. Give them plenty of outlets to exercise not just their bodies but their minds, even if they‘ll never be obedience champs. ## Conclusion: All Smarts Considered Let‘s review what we‘ve learned about the question of Shih Tzu intelligence compared to other dogs. The evidence suggests: 1. In rankings of obedience/working intelligence, Shih Tzus fall near the bottom compared to other breeds, likely due to their stubborn, companion-oriented nature. 2. However, in adaptive intelligence, Shih Tzus show notable smarts in communication, emotional sensitivity, resourcefulness, memory, and independent problem-solving. 3. Individual Shih Tzus‘ intelligence will vary based on their natural disposition and the mental enrichment they receive. 4. No single dimension captures the full complexity of canine intelligence. Shih Tzus are clever in their own ways that obedience tests fail to measure. So are Shih Tzus smart? The answer is a resounding yes – just not in the conventional sit-stay-fetch sense. What some misread as Shih Tzu ditziness is really just a dog that knows its own mind and has its own agenda, thank you very much. Their intelligence shines through in their social savviness, emotional attunement, determination, and charm. They‘re smart in the ways that count for a companion: attending to their humans‘ needs (and their own), solving problems that matter to them, and maximizing the joy in their lives. Underestimate the Shih Tzu mind at your own peril. That pretty little puffball with the bow in its hair is taking in more than you realize. Instead of judging them for not being Border Collies, appreciate Shih Tzus‘ unique intelligence that makes them the ultimate lovable, in-tune companions. They may be small dogs, but they‘re big thinkers in their own special ways. --- Source: [Are Shih Tzus Really Less Intelligent Than Other Dogs? Examining the Evidence](https://33rdsquare.com/are-shih-tzus-really-less-intelligent-than-other-dogs-examining-the-evidence/)