French bulldogs are highly sought after in the United States, ranked 2nd in AKC’s Most Popular Dog breeds of 2021. But they are not counted among the smartest dogs, being placed in the 5th category (the lowest for functional intelligence) in The Intelligence of Dogs by the American psychologist and dog behavior researcher Stanley Coren. The breed is ranked 58th in the list of dogs based on their intelligence, which ranks 130 dogs in 79 positions.
Based on these rankings, this breed has a below-average working IQ, which means they don’t rank high in obedience either. The main reason behind their low ranking is believed to be their stubbornness. It’s not that they don’t understand the command; it’s just that they don’t feel like doing what you want.
A Frenchie would take 40-80 repetitions to grasp a new command. On top of that, it would successfully follow a known command only 30% of the time. Breeds with high intelligence levels take just 5 repetitions to learn any new command and have a 95% success rate in following known ones.
But contrary to all this data, Frenchie owners all over the world claim them to be reasonably intelligent. According to them, these dogs are able to learn new tricks well if trained with patience and with the right encouragement (which often is food). The French Bulldog Club of America describes the breed to be quite trainable when provided with proper motivation.
They surely make a loving companion, protective of their owners, and territorial about their domain, rising to the stature of efficient watchdogs.
