Are Doodles Smart? AKC Intelligence Rankings Explained
The question every doodle family eventually asks
When families reach out to Stokeshire, they ask about coat. They ask about size. They ask about shedding and temperament and how the puppy will fit into their home.
Eventually, almost always, they ask the harder question: how smart is this dog actually going to be?
It is a fair thing to want to know. A smart dog learns faster, adapts better, and grows into a more capable companion. A smart dog also requires more from the family that raises it. Both of those things are true, and both of them matter.
The American Kennel Club recently updated its list of the smartest dog breeds in the world, drawing on research from Dr. Stanley Coren, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of The Intelligence of Dogs. The findings have circulated widely, and they deserve a closer look — particularly for families considering a doodle. American Kennel Club
Because the breeds Stokeshire builds from sit very near the top of that list.
How researchers actually measure dog intelligence
Dr. Coren's framework defines canine intelligence across three categories: American Kennel Club
Instinct. The nature to perform specific tasks, such as retrieving, guarding, or herding, without any training at a young age. American Kennel Club
Adaptive problem-solving. What dogs learn to do themselves and the problems they solve, such as how to open a box, find a way around a barrier, or get a treat out of a tube. American Kennel Club
School learning. What dogs learn to do with human instruction, such as understanding human language and learning new tasks and cues. American Kennel Club
To compile his ranking, Coren reached out to the AKC and the Canadian Kennel Club, asking them to rank dog breeds by performance, and received 199 responses. The dogs in his top tier were capable of learning new commands within five repetitions and obeyed commands on the first try 95 percent of the time or more. PetHelpful
That is a narrow group. And the breeds inside it share a pattern.
The breeds at the top of the list
According to AKC's reporting on Coren's research, these breeds rank highest in working and obedience intelligence:
Border Collie
Poodle
German Shepherd
Golden Retriever
Doberman Pinscher
Shetland Sheepdog
Labrador Retriever
Papillon
Rottweiler
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, and other working and herding breeds rank high on the broader list as well.
A few things stand out.
The top of the list is dominated by working dogs and herders. These are breeds developed to read a handler across a field, anticipate movement, make decisions independently, and execute them under pressure. Their intelligence is functional. It was bred into them across generations of selection for the very traits that make a dog easy to live with and easy to train.
The Poodle — sitting in second place behind only the Border Collie — is the breed that quietly threads through every Stokeshire program. American Kennel Club
Why the Poodle at #2 matters more than most people realize
When people see "Poodle" near the top of an intelligence ranking, they sometimes picture the toy variety prancing through a dog show. That is a misread of the breed.
Standard Poodles were originally bred to be hunting dogs, retrieving ducks and other waterfowl. The coat, the curl, the leg shave that became fashionable — all of it was originally functional. The Poodle is, in its bones, a working gun dog. Chewy
That working heritage is why the Poodle sits at #2.
And it is why, at Stokeshire, the Poodle is not an accent to our program. It is the foundation. Every doodle we breed — Bernedoodle, Aussiedoodle, Goldendoodle, Australian Mountain Doodle, Golden Mountain Doodle — carries Poodle genetics as a structural element of who the dog is.
This is the part the AKC rankings make plain. When you cross the world's second smartest breed with a high-ranking working or herding breed, you are not creating a designer dog by accident. You are stacking two of the most cognitively capable lineages in dogdom and asking them to produce a companion.
What the herding and retriever rankings mean for Stokeshire doodles
Look at the breeds Stokeshire crosses with the Poodle, and the picture sharpens further.
Bernedoodle: Poodle (#2) crossed with Bernese Mountain Dog, a Swiss working breed historically used to drive cattle, pull carts, and guard livestock. Bernese were bred for steady, biddable temperaments paired with the cognitive depth to work alongside farmers across long days.
Aussiedoodle: Poodle (#2) crossed with Australian Shepherd, a herding breed developed in the American West for high-pressure stock work. Australian Shepherds are routinely cited alongside Border Collies for their intelligence and trainability.
Australian Mountain Doodle: Poodle (#2) crossed with both Bernese Mountain Dog and Australian Shepherd. Two working breeds and a working gun dog, in one lineage.
Goldendoodle: Poodle (#2) crossed with Golden Retriever (#4 on AKC's list). Goldens are a popular breed for assisting individuals with disabilities, whether as guide dogs for the visually impaired or as mobility assistance dogs. The intelligence is well-documented and easy to verify in the working world. Chewy
Golden Mountain Doodle: Poodle (#2) crossed with Bernese Mountain Dog and Golden Retriever (#4). Three high-ranking lineages compressed into one companion.
This is not marketing language. It is the genetic reality of what these crosses are.
The catch: smart dogs require more from their families
There is a part of the AKC's reporting that families sometimes skim past. It may be the most important paragraph of the entire article.
Smart dogs are not easy dogs.
Caroline Coile, PhD, author of Barron's Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds, notes that dog breeds that are more biddable tend to be those that were bred to perform jobs, like retrieving or herding. What that means today is that these dog breeds can still have such a strong desire to work that it can present challenges in a living situation, something prospective owners should be aware of before choosing a pup. Reader's Digest
A Poodle without mental engagement will redirect its intelligence into anxiety, destructive habits, or compulsive behaviors. A herding-bred dog without an outlet for its drive will herd children, cars, or the family cat. A Border Collie will not be happy getting a few moments of attention at the end of a workday. He needs a job. American Kennel Club
The research is clear: the breeds that learn fastest are also the breeds that need the most thoughtful handling. They notice everything. They remember everything. They generalize quickly, which means a single inconsistent rule can become a permanent pattern.
This is the part we take seriously, and it is the reason our program is structured the way it is.
How Stokeshire's program is built for intelligent breeds
A high-intelligence doodle deserves a foundation that matches what it is capable of. That foundation is built before the puppy ever leaves us.
Early Neurological Stimulation in the first three weeks of life is designed to build resilience and adaptive problem-solving capacity at the neurological level. We have written elsewhere about the science of canine bonding windows and how early experience tends to shape lifelong behavior.
Volhard Puppy Aptitude Testing at seven weeks gives us a clear read on each puppy's temperament, drive, and trainability. That data is how we match puppies to families — not by color or coat alone, but by whether the dog's profile actually fits the home it is heading into.
Doodle School and our board-and-train Bootcamp exist because we know what kind of dog we breed. A Stokeshire puppy tends to be bright enough to learn quickly and self-aware enough to test boundaries. The earlier those behaviors are channeled into structure, the easier the dog generally is to live with for the next twelve to fifteen years. Our post on board and train versus developmental training goes deeper on this distinction.
Impulse control is a foundational skill in our training framework. Smart dogs without impulse control tend to escalate. Smart dogs with impulse control tend to settle into companions families can take anywhere. We explored this in how impulse control shapes doodle puppy behavior.
Intelligence is genetic. Stewardship is not.
The AKC's rankings tell us something important: intelligence in dogs is real, it is measurable, and it is heavily shaped by which breed a dog descends from.
But intelligence alone does not produce a well-rounded family dog. A bright dog raised without structure can become a difficult dog. A bright dog raised with intention tends to become a companion that quietly raises the standard for what a household pet can be.
Our role as breeders is to start with the right foundation: Poodles, Bernese, Australian Shepherds, Goldens — breeds the research consistently identifies as among the most cognitively capable in the canine world. From there, our job is to set the early conditions, evaluate temperament honestly, and place each puppy where its mind will be met.
That is the work behind every Stokeshire litter. It is also the reason families who choose a doodle from our program often find that the dog becomes the easiest, most reliable presence in the room.
A note for families considering a doodle
If you are weighing whether a doodle is the right addition to your home, the AKC's research is worth reading in full. It will sharpen your understanding of what you are committing to, and it will make clearer why the structure around your puppy matters as much as the puppy itself.
If you want to see how that structure works in practice, our Stokeshire Method page outlines the four pillars we build every litter around. And our available puppies page shows what is currently on the ground.
A smart dog raised with intention is a remarkable companion.
That is the dog we breed for.
Source: American Kennel Club, "Measuring Canine Intelligence: Ranking the Smartest Dog Breeds," updated April 9, 2026. Research adapted from Stanley Coren, PhD, The Intelligence of Dogs: Canine Consciousness and Capabilities.