If there’s one thing dog shows have shown us, it is that dogs are intelligent creatures, with exceptional trainability. You can teach hounds all sorts of tricks and train them for specific tasks, from playing dead to guarding a child. Unfortunately, not all dog breeds are created equal, and some dogs are just dense, it doesn’t matter how much you train them, they won’t understand. This doesn’t mean they’re not loyal, if anything they’ll be by your side all the time.
Top 10 Dumbest Dog Breeds in the World
It is important to know that there’s nothing neurologically wrong with these breeds, it is just that they are extremely hard to train. Even if your training session is complete, and they behave nicely, it’s a matter of time before they start acting their own way.
10. Basset Hound
These are scent hounds, meaning they were bred to hunt down prey using their scent regardless of how faint it was. For this reason, they are the slave of their own nose. The only way you can train these pooches is by taking advantage of their sniffing abilities because if you teach them without including their nose in the training, they’re most likely to ignore you, which may portray them as dumb, but these are great dogs with a sweet temperament.
A Basset Hound running
9. Beagle
Just like the Basset Hound, Beagles are scent hounds, and they were bred with a similar purpose as well. Hunters required a breed that they could go hunting with without owning a horse, and Beagles were quite popular among small game hunters. These are curious pooches that’ll be constantly sniffing for something. Therefore, have their sniffing abilities put into good use, otherwise, people will be quick to label them as dumb dogs.
8. Chihuahua
While the previous two breeds were restricted by their overly active nose, Chihuahuas are just downright stubborn. These can make for a great family pet, if and only if, these are trained properly from puppyhood, which isn’t easy. These little dogs are known to act dominant, and more often than not, ignore the trainer. They are quick to bite as well, and all of these combined make them an angry dumb breed.
7. Mastiff
Going from tiny Chihuahua to huge Mastiff, this breed is known to be dumb or play dumb. Mastiffs are known to be stubborn, and with an average weight of 180 pounds, these are not the easiest ones to move either. According to the experts, Mastiffs only listens to a firm owner, and will simply ignore everybody else. Therefore, it becomes essential to be firm with this hound, and continue their training well after their puppyhood.
6. Pekingese
Unlike other breeds mentioned on this list, these were bred to be companions from the get-go, meaning there was no need for this breed to develop high intelligence because sitting on a lap doesn’t require much. Furthermore, they have been treated like royalty, along with their wealthy owners, which has made this breed quite self-centered. Pekingese tend to be dominant dogs that ignore whatever is being said to them, which most people take as a sign of dumbness.
A cloud
5. Bloodhound
Similar to Bassets and Beagles, Bloodhound is also a scent hound, and most of its cerebral activity is utilized by its nose. In addition to being slaves to their noses, Bloodhounds are stubborn, and once they pick up a scent, they aren’t leaving its trail. While this ability proves advantageous in finding lost people, it is a nightmare when it comes to training, and because of this, they are deemed dumb. Yet, some experts believe these are among the smartest dogs in the world.
Bloodhound standing
4. Afghan Hound
You have to agree on one thing about this breed, it looks fabulous with its long and silky hair. These are supermodels of the doggy world, and just like human supermodels, they have a huge ego, with an equal amount of intelligence. If you need to teach them how to look fabulous, they got it covered, but as soon as you try to train them, they’ll act stubborn. Afghan Hounds often have trouble understanding commands.
Afghan Hound looking fabulous
3. Chow Chow
This chunky and fluffy-looking pooch wins the hearts of many people, and their blue tongues are also a great conversation topic among dog enthusiasts. Unfortunately, when it comes to their temperament, they are quite stubborn and aloof of strangers. Furthermore, they are alpha-wannabe, meaning they are too fixated on becoming the leader that they skip over the training. If you aren’t a firm owner, they’ll simply ignore you, and this makes them a dumb breed.
2. Rottweiler
Rottweilers are strong and extremely loyal dogs, they won’t hesitate from protecting you from harm, whether it’s a stranger with a knife or your friends with a cake on your birthday. Now, when it comes to intelligence, Rottweilers don’t rank high or average, for that matter. Rottweilers have trouble concentrating, and if that isn’t bad enough, they tend to forget commands, so, you’ll be training them throughout their life, making them a dumb breed. With that said, according to some experts, Rottweilers are intelligent dogs that are highly trainable.
Rottweiler strolling along a creek
1. Bulldog
Now, what do you expect from a breed that was created for the bloodsport of bull-baiting? There is no doubt Bulldogs are powerful, loyal, and fearless dogs, but other than looking like a goof and being aggressive towards strangers, Bulldogs are not good at much else, as they were never used as herding or hunting dogs. This goes for Bull Terriers and Pitbulls as well. Bulldogs have a difficult time grasping commands, and even remembering them, also, you’d need to train them throughout their life, deeming them as a dumb breed.
