If you Google “smartest dog breeds,” most lists that pop up put Border Collies in the No. 1 spot, followed in some order by Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers. But a 2023 study of canine cognition from the University of Helsinki puts a whole different breed at the top of the ladder, one that most of us have probably seen before but haven’t heard the name of: the Belgian Malinois.

Best known as a police or security dog, the Belgian Malinois is a shepherd breed that looks very similar to a German Shepherd. Both breeds are of similar height and coloring, but the Malinois is lighter weight and its ears are more triangular-shaped, according to the American Kennel Club.

So, what is it that makes the Belgian Malinois more intelligent than other dog breeds?

Here is how the study actually worked

The study published in Scientific Reports analyzed 1,002 dogs from 13 different breeds using a battery of smartDOG cognition tests. These tests involve food reward tasks that determine a dog’s........

© Upworthy