I don't think you can measure a dog's intelligence soley on how long it takes to housebreak him. Our two year old pug took less than a week to train and and as much as we love him, he's no rocket scientist. The puppy took longer and the vet said that's totally normal.
We have pugs and adore their disposition. They are not annoyingly yappy like other small dogs and the males in our family aren't embarrassed to be seen with them in public.
We used to have a German shorthair pointer. She passed away from old age. She was a doll.
I guess I care more about disposition than breed.