[6] Instinctive intelligence refers to a dog's ability to perform the tasks it was bred for, such as herding, pointing, fetching, guarding, or supplying companionship.

[6] This methodology aimed to eliminate the excessive weight that might result from a simple tabulation of obedience degrees by breed.

[6] The highest ranked dogs in this category were Border collies, Poodles, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Doberman Pinschers.

Coren's book presents a ranked list of breed intelligence, based on a survey of 208 dog obedience judges across North America.

[18] The 1995 edition of Coren's book lists 130 dog breeds, and assigns them to 79 ranks with some ties, grouped into six descending categories.