Brains and barks

The world's smartest dogs: Wait until you see which tops the list!

Image: Cookie the Pom

Every dog has its own unique traits that make it stand out. At the same time, pups of the same breed often share common characteristics, such as strength, speed, or sociability. Today, we're focusing on a peculiar feature: intelligence. If you're wondering how smart your dog is, love learning about different breeds, or are just intrigued by the idea of canine IQs, this article is for you. Join us as we explore the 10 dog breeds considered the smartest in the world!

Image: Marcin Wojna

If you're looking for a tough, hardworking, and dependable dog, the Australian Cattle Dog is a top choice! Also known as the Blue Heeler, this breed is widely recognized as one of the most intelligent. Originally bred in the 19th century, it was developed to herd cattle across long distances and rugged terrain. Experts praise its strong problem-solving skills, quick learning ability, and independent thinking.

Image: Kevin Seibel

The Rottweiler is one of the oldest herding breeds, with origins dating back to the Roman Empire. Though often feared for their large size and powerful jaws, these dogs are much more than just muscle. Experts note that Rottweilers are quick learners, highly obedient, and excel in search, rescue, and protection work.

Image: Niko Nieminen

If dogs went to college, the Papillon would be on the honor roll. Also known as the Continental Toy Spaniel, this breed is easily recognized by the shape of its ear fringes, which resemble wings. Known for being smart and alert, this little pup is great at learning new commands and performing complex tricks. And there’s more: Papillons are highly social dogs that get along well with people and other pets. Did you know that this was Marie Antoinette's favorite dog breed?

Image: Vincent van Zalinge

These are the gentle souls of the neighborhood. Known for serving as guide and therapy dogs, this English breed is often praised for its energy, sociability, loyalty, sensitivity, anticipatory skills, and strong obedience. Perhaps that’s why the Labrador Retriever held the title of the most popular dog breed in the United States for more than 30 consecutive years!

Image: Kat van der Linden

As its name suggests, this beautiful breed was developed to herd sheep and protect livestock. Don’t let their small size fool you—Shelties have a surprisingly powerful bark that carries over long distances. Experts highlight their loyalty and their impressive ability to learn new commands quickly and respond with great precision. Additionally, their alertness and problem-solving skills make them ideal for herding tasks.

Image: Ryan Hyde

Let’s be honest: most of us feel a little intimidated by the piercing gaze of a Doberman Pinscher—and with good reason! These dogs are naturally protective and highly alert. The Doberman is fast, smart, and fearless, qualities that make it a preferred breed for police, military, and protection work. It might not be the friendliest dog on the block, but it's definitely sharp and focused.

Image: Taylor Sondgeroth

Here’s a true star: the Golden Retriever, one of the most popular dog breeds worldwide, especially as a family pet. Their friendly, affectionate, and trustworthy temperament pairs perfectly with their high intelligence and quick learning ability. Thanks to their emotional awareness and impressive cognitive skills, Golden Retrievers excel in therapy work and search-and-rescue missions.

Image: Yuriy Bogdanov

Do you remember Rin Tin Tin? Known worldwide as a "police dog," the German Shepherd is a hardworking and dedicated breed. While it sometimes gets a bad rap, this dog is actually very affectionate, loyal, and fiercely protective. Its intelligence ranks it among the top dog breeds, with experts highlighting its obedience, problem-solving skills, and ability to learn complex commands.

Image: RR Rivera

This adorable breed ranks number 2 out of 110 in intelligence! Friendly, athletic, highly obedient, and impressively smart, Poodles were recruited by European circuses in the 18th and 19th centuries to perform amazing tricks and routines. Among their most remarkable traits are exceptional learning ability, excellent memory, and strong problem-solving skills.

Image: Anna Dudkova

We have a winner! The Border Collie is widely recognized as the most intelligent of all dog breeds. It has it all: athleticism, energy, agility, speed, quick learning, sharp memory, excellent tracking skills, fast responses, intense focus, and outstanding problem-solving ability. In the early 2000s, a Border Collie named Chaser earned the title of "The smartest dog in the world." She shocked researchers by learning and remembering over 1,000 words linked to objects and actions!

Learn the lingo

Read on if you ever wanted to know what the codes used in stores mean

Ever heard a mysterious "Code Yellow" or "Code 50" over a store loudspeaker and wondered if you should keep shopping or head for the exit? Retailers use coded announcements to communicate quickly without broadcasting every detail to customers. There’s no universal codebook, so the meanings can change from one chain to another, and some operational codes even vary by location. Here are 10 codes you might hear while shopping and what they can mean.

At Walmart, hearing "Code Black" isn't a commentary on the day's sales. Company emergency documentation identifies it as the warning for severe weather, alerting employees that potentially dangerous conditions require attention.

That might mean the sort of storm that makes staying inside safer than heading for the parking lot. Walmart's documented emergency vocabulary also assigns other colors to specific dangers, allowing employees to quickly recognize the nature of a situation quickly without a lengthy announcement.

Orange has a very different meaning in Walmart's emergency system. Company documentation identifies Code Orange as a chemical spill or hazardous materials incident, a situation in which employees may need to secure an area and follow special safety procedures.

That's particularly relevant in a giant retailer selling everything from household cleaners to automotive products. So if you hear the mysterious phrase while debating which detergent to buy, it isn't necessarily time to panic, but employees nearby may suddenly have something more pressing to handle.

At Target, Code Yellow is associated with a missing child. Employee accounts describe it as an announcement that quickly changes everyone's priorities: staff receive information about the child, begin looking around the store, and pay particular attention to exits.

It's a reminder that these seemingly cryptic announcements can have a practical purpose. Instead of publicly announcing sensitive details over the loudspeaker, a short code immediately tells trained employees what kind of response is needed while avoiding unnecessary confusion among shoppers.

This one is considerably easier to guess. Target employees have consistently described Code Red as the store's fire alert. Once it's announced, employees know they're dealing with something very different from an ordinary customer-service request.

Red has a similar association elsewhere, but don't assume retail colors form a universal language. Different companies develop their own procedures and terminology. At Target, Red, Yellow and Green have traditionally distinguished three very different situations: fire, a missing child and a medical incident.

If Target employees suddenly start talking about a Code Green, somebody may need medical help. Long-running employee accounts identify Green with an injury or medical emergency involving a customer or team member.

Employees have recalled Code Greens being called for everything from falls to customers becoming seriously ill. That's also why the deliberately vague wording makes sense: announcing someone's private medical problem to an entire store would hardly help. Two words can instead alert the people who need to respond.

Thankfully, not every mysterious store code signals an emergency. At Lowe's, Code 50 is widely described by employees as a request for loading assistance, usually because a customer has bought something too large or heavy for one person to handle comfortably.

Considering what Lowe's sells, opportunities aren't exactly scarce. Lumber, appliances, bags of concrete, and other bulky purchases eventually have to make the journey from store to vehicle. Code 50 is essentially a discreet way of saying, "We need some extra muscle over here."

Here's another code that's far less alarming than it sounds. Lowe's employees have described Code 75 as a call to collect shopping carts from the parking lot. Available associates may suddenly find themselves heading outside to round up the wandering fleet.

Operational codes can vary between individual locations, so Code 75 isn't necessarily carved in stone at every Lowe's. Still, the mundane meaning makes it particularly fun. That ominous-sounding number coming over the PA may simply mean the cart corral is overflowing.

A Code 22 at IKEA might sound mysterious but, in fact, is used when checkout lines become overwhelmed.

Register-trained workers elsewhere in the store can then be summoned to help handle the rush. Employees have said the call is especially familiar during busy periods such as weekends. In other words, Code 22 is retail shorthand for something shoppers already know perfectly well: that line is getting much too long.

At Home Depot, employee accounts describe Code Orange as an "all hands" request when a department or area needs additional help. Rather than signaling a disaster, it can mean employees are being summoned because customers or work are piling up faster than the available staff can cope.

That's a perfect demonstration of why you shouldn't try decoding store announcements by color alone. Walmart uses Code Orange for a hazardous-material situation, while Home Depot workers have used the same color for additional assistance. Same words, considerably different levels of urgency.

Code 21 may sound like something out of a police drama, but at Walgreens, its reported purpose is much more ordinary. Employees describe it as a call for an eligible coworker when a cashier can't complete an age-restricted transaction because of age requirements.

The exact rules can depend on local law and company procedures, but the basic idea is quite mundane: the person operating the register needs another employee to finish a particular sale. So the next mysterious announcement you hear while shopping might not involve an emergency at all: it could simply be retail's secret language keeping the store moving.