Smartest Dog Breeds?

So the first thing I see this morning is yet another Top Ten list of dog breeds. This one was generated by PetMD back in March and reports the Top Ten Smartest Dog Breeds (in their opinion). Again, like yesterday’s list on High Maintenance dogs, there is no information as to the why or how they chose these breeds.

So, in order…here are the top ten smartest breeds:

Border Collie
Poodle
German Shepherd Dog
Golden Retriever
Doberman Pinscher
Shetland Sheepdog
Labrador Retriever
Papillon
Rottweiler
Australian Shepherd

So, I know that this list will make some people happy and some people mad. My friend, Brenda T from Indy will be happy with the #8 pick and, obviously, a large number of dog owners in the US will be happy with the #7 pick (given that Labs have been the #1 registered breed for 21 years now!).

I guess I really can’t be too picky since I don’t know how the breeds were ranked, but I can tell you my opinion…I think most dog breeds exhibit a similar level of intelligence. You will note that a vast majority of dogs on this list are either working or herding breeds, so it makes you wonder if their “jobs” have anything at all to do with their perceived higher level of smarts.

I want to hear your opinions…d you think these lists are accurate? Any examples of a dog that you considered “super smart”?