How Smart Are Labradoodles?
If you are thinking about buying a Labradoodle, you might be wondering if they are intelligent or not.
Knowing if your dog is intelligent will help you know how the training process might go as smart dogs tend to pick up commands easier and are therefore much easier to train.
How smart are Labradoodles?
Since Labradoodles are a hybrid mix of two of the smartest dog breeds, Labrador Retrievers and Poodles, Labradoodles are highly intelligent dogs. Both of the parent breeds are in the top 10 smartest dogs. Labradoodles rank high for obedience, working IQ, and instinctive IQ.
No hybrid dogs are ever officially measured for intelligence like purebreds. So, Labradoodles can’t be ranked like other dog breeds.
However, Poodles and Labradors have both been measured so you can conduce how smart a Labradoodle might be on these factors exhibited in Labradors and Poodles.
How Is Intelligence in a Labradoodle Measured?
There is only one current and modern study on dogs’ intelligence.
The study tanked 138 breeds across all parts of North America.
Stanley Coren, a canine psychologist, and Ph.D. is the one who came up with the studies and measurements for the canine intelligence scale.
The scale and trials that measure the intelligence of canines are based on two things:
- The number of repetitions needed for a dog breed to learn a new command. More intelligent dogs will need fewer repetitions, so Labradoodles will learn faster.
- The rate that a dog will obey a known command on the first attempt. The higher success, the more intelligent the dog is.
How Did Labradoodles Perform?
Labradoodles were never actually studied because they are hybrid dogs and only purebred dogs were rated and studied.
However, both Poodles and Labradors were studied, so we can study both of them and see how they might join together for the Labradoodle’s intelligence.
Both Poodles and Labradors ranked in the top 10 smartest dog breeds.
Labradors will also obey a command on the first attempt with a 95% or better success rate.
This is one of the many reasons that Labradors are considered a great breed for new dog owners and families who don’t have a lot of time to train dogs.
Poodles ranked number 2 on the list of 138 smartest dog breeds.
Only the Border Collie performed better. Labradors ranked as the 7th smartest dog breed.
This means the Labrador and Poodle both are able to learn a new command with less than 5 repetitions.
This means you will be able to teach your Labradoodle a new command in 10 minutes or less.
The exact time will depend on the complexity of the trick though.
Not only they are some of the quickest learners, but they are also the most obedient dogs in the world.
Labradoodles Versus Other Dogs
Since both the Poodle and Labrador scored way above average when it came to intelligence scoring, it’s safe to assume that the Labradoodle will score similarly if they were actually tested.
These dogs that are considered average intelligence need 35 to 40 repetitions to learn a new command.
This means Labrador Retrievers and Poodles are 5 times faster at learning new commands than the average dog.
Average dogs will also obey a known command on the first attempt with a 50% or better success rate.
This means Labradors and Poodles are much more intelligent than the average dog.
We can assume that Labradoodles are also similar in intelligence.
Labradoodles can be compared to the intelligence of Australian Shepherds, Huskies, Dachshunds, Great Danes, Shiba Inus, and Boston Terriers.
Why are Labradoodles So Smart?
There are many reasons why Labradoodles are considered to be so smart. According to Stanley Coren, there are three dimensions of a dog’s intelligence.
The first category is obedience and working intelligence.
It also includes instinctive intelligence and the innate ability or the skill that the dog was originally bred for. For example, some dogs were originally bred to be guard dogs, retrievers, herders, or just as companions.
For example, Labradors were bred to be water retrievers and to retrieve game.
They used to be even used for fishing by fishermen. Labradors are obedient and skillful in the water.
They are also incredibly agile.
Poodles were bred to retrieve waterfowl. So, the Labradoodle’s parents are both incredibly skilled with retrieval instincts.
They already know how to retrieve, you just need to show them what you want them to go and retrieve.
Labradoodles were originally developed in Australia to be guide dogs.
The original person they were bred for had a husband with severe dog allergies, which is why they chose to mix the Labrador with the Poodle so the end result would be a hypoallergenic dog.
This is one of the reasons why Labradoodles are excellent at being trained and also offer excellent companionship.
Guiding always needs extra training, but Labradoodles have the instinct to help guide their owners which makes them extremely easy to train.
Do Labradoodles Have Adaptive Intelligence?
Adaptative intelligence refers to the dog’s ability to learn for him or herself.
Some dogs rely on extreme guidance from their owners while dogs with adaptive intelligence rely more on themselves to explore the world around them.
Your Labradoodle will be good at solving problems on their own and they will be able to learn from their past mistakes and correct them easily.
Adaptive intelligence can vary from dog to dog through even within the same breed.
This means you have one Labradoodle with more adaptive intelligence than another Labradoodle.
So, never expect your dogs to be the same as these breeds.
There is also no easy to measure adaptive intelligence, so you will probably end up finding your dog’s intelligence on your own as you observe their behavior and see how they behave in different scenarios.
You can also find many stories online about Labradoodle owners and how intelligent their dog is.
Some Labradoodles will watch your behavior and they will learn your habits.
For example, most Labradoodles can tell you are about to take them on a walk simply because you are putting on exercise clothing or sneakers.
You might even find them waiting by the door because you know you are about to bring the leash and take them out.
Is a Labradoodle Smarter than a Labrador?
This is hard to say as Labradoodles have never had their intelligence measured while the Labrador has.
We can assume though that Labradoodles are highly intelligent because they have one parent that is a Labrador.
You can also assume that Labradoodles will have some of the basic instincts that Labradors have which make them highly intelligent dogs.
Labradoodles are also half Poodle through and Poodles rank higher than Labradors on the intelligence scale.
This doesn’t mean your Labradoodle will be smarter than Labradors, but they might be easier to train, and they might pick up habits easier because of their Poodle instinct.
There is also some evidence that Labradoodles are better guide dogs because they were bred for that purpose.
This means you might be able to train them to be excellent dogs and even better companions because of this natural instinct in them.
Knowing for sure if they are smarter than Labradors or on the same level though is difficult since their individual intelligence was never measured and might not ever be.
Are Labradoodles Stupid?
No. Labradoodles are not a stupid breed at all. As discussed above, on Cohen’s scale, both their parents, the Poodle and the Labrador were both ranked within the top 10 smartest dog breeds.
Since Labradoodles are a hybrid mix of the smartest dog breeds, we can assume they are smart just like their parents.
If you have ever owned a Labradoodle though or are currently training one, you are probably seeing quickly how intelligent they are.
They pick up new commands extremely easily and can learn new tricks in just a few minutes.
They also learn complex tricks in just a few days.
Exactly how fast your Labradoodle picks up new commands though will depend on how you train them and how much time you spend training them.
If you dedicate time every day to training, you will find that you have a Labradoodle with all the commands and tricks in an extremely short time period.
If you are trying to avoid getting a dog breed that isn’t known for intelligence, you might want to avoid Afghan Hounds, Bloodhounds, Beagles, or Chow Chows.
Choosing a Labradoodle means you will have an intelligent dog that’s easy to train. This makes your life and home much easier.
Final Thoughts
Labradoodles have parents that are ranked as the top smartest dog breeds in the world. This means you will have an easy time training them and working with them.
You can also teach them new commands and skills.
They are adaptable to many different environments and you will find that they are excellent with kids and great family dogs.
You can also train them to be guide dogs.
