The smartest dog has been revealed…

Border Collies have been named the most intelligent dog by the British public.

A poll of 2,000 dog owners for pet insurers AnimalFriends.co.uk, found that the public believe the following dogs came out top of their class for brain power; Border Collies with 39 percent of the votes followed by German Shepherds (29 per cent), Labradors (28 per cent) and Golden Retrievers (18 per cent).

The highly trainable sheepdogs have worked closely with humans for generations and are well known for being intelligent and quick learners.

Coming in bottom of the list, the aesthetically adorable Pugs, who are assumed to be the dummies of the dog world. While the demand for Pugs has boomed in recent years, according to their owners, it would seem this isn’t down to their intellectual prowess.

The popular pooch got the biggest share of the votes as the presumed least intelligent with 20 per cent, with trendy Chihuahuas nipping at their heels on 17 per cent and, despite being British icons, bulldogs on 10 per cent.

The Jack Russell is the only dog who appears in both of the top 10 lists. The belief is people associate intelligence with obedience. The mischievous Jack Russell may be perceived as more simple minded to some owners because they are slightly trickier to train in comparison to Border Collies.

On the flip side the Border Collie is one of the most trainable dogs. Their genetic lineage means their eyes and ears are finely tuned which plays a key part in their work. Further to this they are a breed that is eager to please. Dogs on the whole are very good at watching humans and understanding our behaviour.

The survey also revealed that Britain’s dogs may not always be the most well behaved but often excel at performing pointless tricks.

According to their owners, nearly 40 per cent of dogs will not obey basic commands such as “sit” or “stay”. Half the owners quizzed also said they dare not let their dog off the leash in case it did not come back with the greyhound being voted as the most rebellious breed of dog.

However:

• 1 in 5 dogs can shake hands.
• two-thirds will let their owners know when they need to pop out to relieve themselves.
• 1 in 5 can either fetch a newspaper or their owner’s slippers.

The poll suggested that geographically the smartest dogs are found in Gloucester followed by York, Wrexham, Edinburgh and Worcester.