Why Are Border Collies So Smart? The Secrets of the Smartest Dogs

Border collies are widely considered to be the most intelligent of all domestic dogs. Whether they are herding sheep, acing obedience tests, or learning the names of hundreds of toys, border collies constantly amaze us with their brainpower and skills. But what makes these herding dogs from the hills of England and Scotland so uniquely smart compared to other breeds?

As a border collie owner and lifelong dog lover, I‘ve been fascinated by these questions for years. I‘ve seen firsthand how scary-smart border collies can be, but I wanted to understand the science behind their exceptional minds. As it turns out, border collies have a number of cognitive advantages – from their genetics to their environment – that add up to create a truly clever canine.

Border Collie Intelligence by the Numbers

When it comes to measuring canine intelligence, border collies dominate the charts. Famed psychologist and canine expert Stanley Coren ranked 138 dog breeds by intelligence in his influential book The Intelligence of Dogs, based on extensive surveys of dog obedience judges. Border collies secured the #1 spot out of all breeds, with judges reporting that they could learn a new command in less than 5 repetitions and obeyed known commands 95% of the time or better.

For context, Coren notes that "bright dogs" who ranked in the top 20% may learn something new in 5 to 15 repetitions and obey 85% of the time on average. In contrast, the average dog needs 25 to 40 repetitions to learn a command and obeys about 50% of the time.

So border collies aren‘t just smart for dogs – they operate on a different wavelength entirely. In fact, the gap in working intelligence between border collies and the average dog is probably comparable to the difference between average-IQ humans and highly gifted individuals.

But obedience tests tell only a small part of the story. Many experts argue that a dog‘s true smarts are better captured by adaptive intelligence (problem-solving ability) and instinctive intelligence (inherited traits). And that‘s where border collies really shine.

Brilliant Border Collie Instincts

While all dogs have breed-specific instincts, border collies are a case study in just how powerful inherited abilities can be. For hundreds of years, these humble herding dogs have been bred specifically for the intelligence and work ethic needed to control unruly flocks of sheep and cattle. Those instincts are hard-wired into even the most pampered pet border collies today.

I‘ve seen this firsthand while hiking in my local pastures with my border collie mix. As soon as she spots sheep or cows in the distance, she immediately drops into a crouch and starts silently weaving back and forth behind them in classic herding dog style. Keep in mind this is an adopted pet dog who has never set foot on a farm – that instinct to gather and steer prey is just part of who she is.

That instinct is vital for dogs who work in the herding and farming industries. A great deal of sheep herding is done by just 1-2 highly skilled dogs, covering hundreds of acres of land. The dogs need to be able to take brief verbal or hand signal commands from a human, but then problem-solve on their own to follow through. A talented border collie will gather a scattered flock into a cohesive herd, drive them towards a destination, separate out specific sheep, and keep the herd contained for hours, often far out of sight of their handler. It‘s an intricate dance that requires snap decision making, strategic thinking, and intense focus.

What‘s remarkable is how little formal training it takes to unlock these abilities. Many border collie puppies start showing interest in herding as early as 6 weeks old. Breeders look for a natural crouch, intense eye contact with prey, quick darting movements, and circling behaviors to choose pups to train as working dogs.

With a foundation of strong instincts, even a novice border collie will start to develop herding skills with relatively little human instruction. Shepherds may shape the pup‘s technique with whistles, calls and commands, but they aren‘t so much teaching the core behavior as honing it. In a sense, a border collie‘s instinctive intelligence allows them to learn the complex task of herding up to 1000 sheep far faster and more effectively than a human could.

Creative Canine Problem Solving

Even off the farm, border collies continue to impress us with their adaptive intelligence in everyday life. Often fiercely devoted to their owners, border collies seem to make a game out of learning our routines, predicting what we want, and solving puzzles to earn affection and praise.

For a prime example, look no further than [Chaser the border collie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaser_(dog), often called "the world‘s smartest dog." By the end of her life in 2019, Chaser had learned the names of over 1000 objects and could retrieve them on verbal cue alone – a feat that even the most linguistically-advanced animals like dolphins and great apes have not approached. Chaser showed she could learn names through inference, correctly identifying a new item in a pile of familiar items. She also understood basic grammar rules, distinguishing between nouns and commands in sentences.

According to her owner and trainer, retired psychology professor Dr. John Pilley, Chaser‘s vocabulary skills required constant creative training sessions to keep her mentally stimulated. But Pilley always followed the principle that Chaser should enjoy the challenge. He told TODAY, "We play all the time. She gets rewards, so it‘s a win-win for both of us."

Chaser‘s skills are exceptional, but I‘ve seen glimmers of this wordplay in my own border collie mix. We hide her favorite toys and ask her to find "bunny" or "pink ball," which she often succeeds in tracking down by scent and memory.
She also loves to learn the names of visitors and will often run to the window if we ask "Where‘s Grandma?" hours before my mother-in-law actually arrives. I suspect if we spent even a fraction of the time Dr. Pilley did playing word games with our pup her vocabulary would be in the dozens.

This type of adaptive intelligence pops up whenever border collies find a way to get what they want. I‘ve met border collies who learned to open sliding doors, turn on faucets for a drink, and even drag their water bowls to be closer to their sleeping spots. Their problem-solving skills make them notorious escape artists and counter surfers.

Bred for Brilliance

So what is it about border collies that makes them such clever canines? Researchers suspect their ancestry and breeding history play a big role.
The exact origins of the border collie are a bit murky, but they are thought to descend from a mix of Roman herding dogs and Viking spitzes who arrived on the British Isles over 1000 years ago. Collies were used for herding in Scotland and England as early as the 1700s. But border collies as we know them today really emerged in the late 1800s, when Queen Victoria popularized the breed as companions and the need for working sheepdogs rose along the shared borders of England and Scotland.

As sheepherding became a crucial part of the local economy, shepherds became very selective about which dogs they bred. Only the best working dogs – the ones who were smart, obedient, tireless, and gentle – were allowed to reproduce. This meant successive generations of collies were bred for brains and ability, not just looks. The result is the modern border collie, a dog with the physical prowess and high intellect to excel at herding.

But genetics aren‘t everything. A growing body of research suggests that a dog‘s environment and life experiences also shape their smarts. Many border collies work closely with their human shepherds every day, forming an intimate bond centered on cooperation and verbal/visual communication. Being engaged in mentally stimulating work (with positive reinforcement) seems to boost brain development. Even pet border collies tend to participate in canine sports and complex play with their owners more than other breeds. It‘s a bit of a feedback loop – smarter dogs encourage owners to give them more mental challenges, making the dogs even smarter over time.

Secrets of the Border Collie Brain

The inside of a border collie‘s head offers clues to their super-powered cognition as well. When researchers at Emory University scanned border collie brains and compared them to other dogs of similar size, they found some notable differences. The border collies had more connections and grey matter in their cerebral cortexes, especially in regions associated with planning, memory, and attention. While we can‘t say for sure what this means, neuroscientists suspect the collies‘ brains may be optimized to process and store more information.

Another study from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary found interesting differences in how border collies scan human faces compared to Siberian huskies and other dogs. Using eye-tracking technology, the researchers discovered that border collies spend more time looking into human eyes than other dogs, while huskies focused more on mouths. This suggests border collies may be especially in-tune with human facial cues and expressions. The scientists believe this ability is not innate to border collies, but was developed over time because of their cooperative work with human shepherds.

Living With a Brilliant Border Collie

As any border collie owner can tell you, all that brilliance isn‘t always easy to live with. Border collies‘ work drive and mental energy are almost impossible to exhaust, even with hours of physical activity a day. If you can‘t provide a border collie with a suitable job and tons of interaction, you are likely to end up with a neurotic, destructive, miserable dog. Their strong herding instinct also drives many border collies to chase and nip at kids, bikes, and cars if not trained out of it.

That said, border collies are also known for forming extremely deep, loving bonds with their owners. They are emotional, sensitive dogs who respond intensely to affection and praise. They may not be content to cuddle all day like some breeds, but they are absolutely devoted to their special humans. Owners need to find outlets for their border collie‘s mental energy with interactive toys, training, and dog sports. But if you put in the effort, you‘ll be rewarded with an engaged, clever companion for life.

It‘s hard not to be in awe of border collie intelligence. From the moment they amazed Queen Victoria by responding to over 50 verbal commands at a single demonstration in 1876, to Chaser breaking the record for most human words learned in 2011, border collies keep raising the bar on what dogs can do. And every day, sheep farms around the world depend on border collies‘ wits and grit to keep their flocks safe and organized. They are a true testament to the power of the canine mind.

While border collies may not be a fit for every family, those who open their hearts and homes to these brilliant herders say there is nothing quite like living with a dog who understands your every word and can run circles around you mentally. Having a border collie means constantly marveling at their problem-solving skills – and constantly dreaming up new challenges for their big brains. With a border collie, you aren‘t just gaining a pet, you‘re gaining a partner in fun and learning for life.