When asked I've always said that I thought that all dogs were of similar intelligence. They just applied it differently. I would usually get this type of question from the owner of a dog that did a lot of tricks or maybe a purebred of some sort and not to pour water on their fire (and because I'm compulsively honest in my comments), I would generally reply in this manner. However if the author of a book I am currently reading (The Intelligence of Dogs. By Stanley Coren- book review coming) is correct, there are significant differences between the intelligence of dog breeds. And there are also differences between dogs of the same breed. To prove it, he has developed an IQ test for dogs. And using this test he has determined that some breeds are indeed smarter than others. To simplify great deal, he breaks down smarts as 1) instinctive...and 2) ability to learn. He points out that within each breed there is often great variances, but generally the smarter breeds include the herding breeds and the the poodles while most hunting and guarding breeds are more instinctive breeds. Neither of the breeds I own (elkhounds and a greyhound) were mentioned in the anecdotes, however both were listed in the hierarchy of breeds ranked by their intelligence for learning. The Elkhound was listed in he middle and the Greyhound was a little further down the list. I intend to administer the IQ test to one of my Elkhounds and maybe the Greyhound to see if they place where the breed places in his list and will report back. To his credit he makes no value judgments as to which is better, a more intelligent or less intelligent pooch. And he points out how either could cause issues for the family owning the pooch and reiterates the importance of picking a pooch that matches your lifestyle. Many of his other points in the book reinforce my own beliefs and thoughts so I'm just guessing that he is close to right on the intelligence gig too. (I guess that means that I think most of my own views are correct, right?...Right). In any case the book makes for interesting reading and administering the IQ test should be fun. In the meantime, train early and often...