Mirror – Mirror …on the wall, who is the fairest – no bag that – who is the SMARTEST :*)
Written by Pam on March 12, 2015
According to Woofipedia/AKC, below is a list of those breeds that are … just smart and easy to train. I cannot be more proud that both of my treasured breeds hit the top 6. The AKC identified 10 of the most intelligent dog breeds, see below. I would like to challenge and beg… to differ …the #6 position for our Labs – to me, they belong among the top 5!!
1. Australian Shepherd
2. Golden Retriever 
3. Siberian Husky
4. Belgian Malinois
5. Newfoundland
6. Labrador Retriever 
7. Beagle
8. Bloodhound
9. German Shepard
10. Border Collie
Having both breeds here at HGT, many families ask me the differences in these breeds – and my answer is always – they are only similar with ‘retriever’ in their names. Both breeds are very different. I thought I would take some time and try and illustrate the differences in both breeds- as I see them.
HTG’s Goldens – Always – always happy go lucky – never to have a bad day dog – they seem to maintain this jolly happy gentle way of being way into their late teenage years. Always a pleasure to spend time with and they are the type of dog that actually makes you feel proud to be around them. A breed with magnificent eye-contact and curiosity which makes for a leg up on the command training! With dedicated training, this breed will do what is asked and the command is then ingrained and will never be forgotten. The training for this breed, starts as soon as their eyes are open 2-3 weeks and actually while they are still in their whelping box! They need their share of exercise but not as much exercise that is needed by my labs!
HTG’s Labs – Jolly Happy Souls! Always in the game – always wanting the game to begin and the ‘faces’ when the game is over, toys all returned to the chest and its time to come inside – like kids! If trained properly, this bond that is created is unbreakable. A very strong and energetic breed that loves going for long walks, swimming or hunting – whatever you want to do – the lab will always there. Labs are as gentle as they are intelligent so when training the Lab commands, they truly understand the messages from their owner/trainer whether being vocalized, hand-gestured or silent – this breed has proved to me that to them “life truly is a a game” and with their favorite human there to enjoy this game, the lab will succeed in any event and leave you speechless and in awe!