Are Corgis Smart? Breed Intelligence Facts

Corgis are a popular dog breed for several reasons, including being lovable, loyal, affectionate, and, at times, goofy. Many folks who love Corgis call them well-balanced dogs because they love to play but have no problem putting in a hard day’s work. There’s no denying that Corgis are tough little dogs, especially when you see them handling sheep that are four or five times larger than they are. Many people ask, especially when considering adopting, whether Corgis are smart. The answer is a resounding yes, with many dog experts saying that Corgis are one of the most intelligent dog breeds.

Corgis have an incredible innate intelligence in herding and can herd animals with little or no training. Very few dogs can compare to this level of intelligence, even other dogs that are bred to herd. Corgis also show high initiative when learning and often learn new things independently. They communicate well, solve problems quickly and get along well with other animals, all signs of high-level intelligence.

Knowing that Corgis are highly intelligent, you may have other questions, like how their intelligence is determined, whether Corgis are high maintenance, and if it’s OK to leave Corgis alone for long periods. The answers to these and several other questions are below, as well as advice on how to handle Corgis, keep them intellectually engaged, and keep them happy and safe.

How Do Researchers Measure The Intelligence of a Dog Breed?

While not an exact science, the famed canine psychologist Dr. Stanley Coren developed the gold standard for measuring a dog breed’s intelligence. Dr. Coren released a book about canine intelligence in 1994 that many in the canine community still use to determine a breed’s intelligence level.

The book is titled The Intelligence of Dogs, and when researching his book, Dr. Coren contacted hundreds of obedience trial judges from the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs. In his correspondence, Coren asked the judges to evaluate the intelligence of as many dog breeds as possible using three criteria:

1. How many repetitions did a specific dog breed take to learn and obey a new command?
2. How successful a dog breed was at obeying a command they had already learned.
3. At least 100 evaluations of the same breed were needed in the assessment. Rare species were thus not included. Also, Coren included only breeds recognized by both the American and Canadian clubs.

Over 200 obedience trial judges from both clubs responded. Using their input on hundreds of dog breeds, Coren was able to determine that:

How Do Corgis Stack Up on the Coren Intelligence Scale?

You’ll be pleased to know that Corgis did very well according to the scale that Dr. Coren created. For example, Corgis can learn a new command with only 5 to 15 repetitions, which is less than half the number of tries a breed with average intelligence will need. Also, they obey a command they’ve already learned 85% of the time on their first attempt; that is 70% better than an average-intelligence dog breed.

Do Corgis Stand Out in Other Areas of Intelligence?

When Dr. Coren was gathering data for his study and book, he used two dimensions of intelligence that are relatively easy to determine: obedience and working intelligence. There are, however, two other dimensions of intelligence for dogs that, while crucial, are more difficult to define: adaptive and instinctive intelligence. Corgis stand out among the dog crowd on both counts, displaying a high propensity for each.

Instinctive Intelligence

Instinctive intelligence has to do with any skills a particular dog breed was bred to perform. Those skills include guarding, hunting, retrieving, and herding. On the instinctive intelligence scale, Corgis excel, displaying herding skills almost at birth and being able to herd with little or no training on how to do so.

Even a Corgi whose family tree has never been involved in herding will often exhibit herding behavior (much to the chagrin of its pet parents). Many Corgis have been known to push children and other animals around, nipping at their heels to get them to move. In short, their instinctive intelligence is off the charts.

Adaptive Intelligence

While instinctive intelligence relies on habits that have been burned into a dog breed’s DNA, adaptive intelligence is when a dog learns new things on its own. This type of intelligence is another where Corgis are known to excel, as they learn new things on their own all the time, learn from their mistakes, and even learn the habits of their pet parents and what they mean.

For example, one anecdote we found while researching was a Corgi owner who said her pup had learned that if she put on her socks, she was leaving the house, but if she put on socks and sunscreen, she was going for a walk. Another Corgi parent remarked that if he got tired during a walk, his Corgi would take a shorter route home that he had figured out on his own.

What are Other Dog Breeds as Intelligent as Corgis?

Corgis, as we’ve seen, are brilliant dogs who can learn quickly, learn on their own, and have an innate ability to herd that’s uncanny. However, Corgis aren’t the only breed with this high intelligence level. Below are several other species that are just as smart (and maybe even smarter) than Corgis.

Are Dogs Smarter than Cats?

While this might have nothing to do with your Corgi’s intelligence, it seems like humans have been debating the intelligence difference between dogs and cats for many years. That’s no surprise considering the two animals are also the two most popular pets in the United States and most of the world.

It’s difficult to determine the specific IQ of dogs and cats, and many people argue that one is smarter than the other based on anecdotal evidence. It depends, not surprisingly, on which animal they like best.

However, the journal Frontiers in Anatomy might have put the age-old argument to rest back in 2017. That’s when they published a study conducted in the U.S., Denmark, Brazil, and South Africa showing rather conclusively that dogs have twice the number of neurons in their brains than cats, leading to the assumption that they could be twice as intelligent.

The study found that, on average, dogs have about 500 million neurons in their brain. Neurons are the tiny parts of the brain that conduct nerve impulses, so the more an animal has, the more “brain power” it has. On the other hand, cats have about 250 million neurons. One reason, however, is that cats also have physically smaller brains than most dogs.  The average human brain has about 86 billion neurons.

Do Corgis Make Good House Dogs?

All of this talk of intelligence aside, the most critical question about Corgis is whether they make good house dogs. After all, even the most intelligent dog might not be suited to staying home, chilling with their pet parents, and living a (mostly) sedentary life.

The good news is that Corgis are fantastic house pets and a good choice for families. One caveat is that they need more attention than some breeds. Corgis get very attached to their humans and, once that attachment forms, like to be around their pet parents as much as possible. That’s why Corgis are an excellent choice for young families where at least one of the parents is at home most of the day.

If you’re single but work from home, a Corgi is an ideal pet. Once mature, a Corgi will hang around you while you work but, in most cases, won’t be a bother or demand your attention every moment (although they will sit at your feet to be as close to you as possible).

Final Thoughts

Corgis learn quickly and have incredible instinctive and adaptive abilities. On the Coren intelligence scale, they rank in the Top 31 breeds, showing that they learn new commands fast and obey known commands better than many other species.

Corgis also make it onto many Top 20 lists of intelligent dogs, alongside Australian Cattle Dogs and Labrador Retrievers. If you’re looking for a dog that’s intelligent, loyal, affectionate, friendly, and fun, you can’t go wrong with a Corgi!

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Featured Image Credit: ozsvathcsilla, Pixabay