Every single dog breed is unique, but it’s no secret that we humans often find ourselves wondering: who’s really top dog when it comes to brainpower? Deciding which dogs are the smartest is not an exact science – some dogs might be brilliant at solving puzzles, while others excel at understanding human emotions. And today, we’re going to look at one breed particularly well-known for its cleverness, the Beagle.
Have you spent time with a Beagle before? Any Beagle parent will tell you that these dogs are the epitome of adorableness. However, little do people know about their surprising intelligence. Today, we’re setting out on a quest to understand – is the Beagle the smartest dog breed around?
To begin our investigation, we must first understand that judging a dog’s intelligence is almost as complex as judging a human’s. Dogs, like humans, possess different types of intelligences. There are dogs that excel at work (working intelligence), others are supreme at problem-solving (instinctive intelligence), and still others shine when it comes to social interactions (adaptive intelligence).
Let’s dive in to see just what makes a beagle so bright.
To begin with, let’s look at a Beagle’s instinctive intelligence. Beagles were initially bred for hunting. This means they were made to track scents and lead their human owners towards the game. In the dog world, these playful pups are what we would call Scent Hounds.
Having scents as their primary weapon, Beagles are known to have a sense of smell that is 1000 times more powerful than humans. This spectacular ability is not only due to the number of scent receptors they possess (about 220 million, compared to our 5 million) but also to their mental capacity to remember and recognize various smells. So if you’ve ever seen a Beagle picking up a scent and refusing to let go, it is evidence of its instinctive intelligence at work.
While this gives us an insight into a Beagle’s instinctive intelligence, it does not wholly answer our question. After all, what about their problem-solving or adaptive intelligence?
To answer this, let’s dive into an interesting story that showcases a Beagle’s problem-solving abilities.
The story is of Toby, a 2-year old Beagle who found himself in a bit of a pickle. Every night, his owner would put away the dog treats into a jar and place it on top of the fridge. One particular night, Toby decided he needed an extra snack. Being small, Toby couldn’t reach the jar at the top of the fridge, but that didn’t deter him. He pushed a nearby chair to the fridge, climbed on it, and jumped on the counter top. Then he pushed the jar with his nose towards the edge until it fell (lid first) onto the soft sofa below- opening it in the process!
Now, if that’s not problem-solving at its best, I don’t know what is! It took analytical thinking, physical ability, and a good deal of courage for Toby to accomplish his mission. This is proof that Beagles have a high level of problem-solving and adaptive intelligence.
Finally, let’s look at a beagle’s Working and Obedience Intelligence. This part of a dog’s intelligence refers to a dog’s ability to learn from humans. However, Beagles do not score as highly here as you might expect. This is because Beagles are independent thinkers. They like to analyze situations by themselves rather than taking direct orders. While this may lead some to believe they are stubborn or less intelligent, in reality, it’s quite the opposite. It displays their ability to think and make decisions on their own.
So, are Beagles the smartest dogs? Like people, each dog is an individual and their intelligence will vary. While they are certainly smart, being amongst the top ranks for their instinctive and adaptive intelligence, they may or may not be outsmarted in the working intelligence department by breeds like Border Collies or Poodles. However, most beagle owners will tell you that for all the joy, companionship, and love these little hounds bring into our lives, they are second to none.
In the end, it’s not about being the smartest in terms of obedience, but how they use their intelligence, instincts, and problem-solving skills that make a Beagle unique. So whether we conclude they are the ‘smartest’ breed or not – there’s no denying – Beagles certainly are one clever canine!
Remember Toby – our treat seeking, chair moving, jar pushing, smart little Beagle who made his own rules and got what he wanted? Perhaps, then, the real question isn’t “are Beagles the smartest”, but rather “who are we to judge a Beagle’s intelligence on our humans terms?”. Because from Toby’s perspective, if he was able to outsmart his human night after night for an extra treat, then yes, he probably would consider himself to be the smartest dog!
