What’s the easiest dog breed to train? What’s the hardest dog breed to train? No doubt, these questions are often bandied about among dog parents and prospective dog parents. Of course, everyone wants a dog that can learn to fit into their home and lifestyle. Their dogs are not just pets—they are family members.
Figuring out which dogs are the easiest to train depends on what you want them to learn. The closer those desired behaviors are to what comes naturally to the dog, the easier the training will be. It’s the same with any other animals and humans. A person with a natural talent for music will find piano lessons much easier and enjoyable than others. A chicken can be taught to “play” a toy piano because it requires pecking behavior. Want to herd your cats? Well, good luck with that.
This is not to say that a dog cannot learn behaviors that are a bit outside of what comes easiest to them. Of course, they can, but it will take more time and effort on your part. You may even need the help of a professional trainer.
You want your dogs to learn to behave in pleasant ways, without tearing up your house, and that will not have neighbors or the people at the dog park labeling them as a menace. To do this, they have to listen to you and follow your commands. Some breeds are naturally better at that than others.
The Three Drives of Instinctive Behavior
Every dog is an individual with their own temperament, personality, and view of the surrounding world. Their breed and genetic inheritance influence those instincts. We group them into three drives: Prey, Pack, and Defense (fight or flight).
Prey Drive
Prey behaviors are all about hunting, killing, and eating prey and the movements, sounds, and smells that trigger it—a squirrel running by, the wail of the squeaky toy, people riding bicycles, the tennis ball flying overhead and bouncing to the ground. Prey drive behaviors include:
- Stalking and chasing
- Pouncing
- Shaking, tearing, and ripping an object
- Biting and killing
- Digging and burying
If your dog leaves deep craters in your backyard or lunges at small animals during your walks, they probably have a high prey drive.
Pack Drive
Dogs are social animals that live in packs, whether a group of other dogs or you and your family. A social hierarchy and behavioral expectations rule the pack. This drive focuses on reproduction, group behavior, and adhering to rules. Behaviors include:
- Reproductive behaviors, breeding, and raising puppies
- Social skills
- Physical contact and playing with other dogs and people
A dog with a high pack drive will not do well if left alone for long.
Defense Drive
This drive is about survival. When in this mode, a dog will become aggressive and chase away, fight the threat, or run from or avoid it. The fight option usually doesn’t develop until the dog is at least two years old. The intensity of the behavior depends on each dog’s personality and past experiences. Defense behaviors include:
Fight
- Standing rigid and alert, staring
- Growling
- Guarding food, toys, or territory
- Showing aversion to being touched
Flight
- Disliking being touched by strangers
- Flattening the body, with the tail tucked
- Hiding or running away
- Freezing, not moving
If your dog runs upstairs at the sound of the doorbell or stops his walk to stare at the large dog across the street, they may have a high defense drive.
Volhard’s Canine Personality Profile
Every dog has some combination of these drives within them, though the relative level of each will vary. We have developed a tool to help you measure your dog’s drives so you can better understand what motivates their behavior. Volhard’s Canine Personality Profile helps you evaluate each drive and determine the most and least dominant.
Instinctual Drives and Dog Breeds
Many breeds were developed to perform specific jobs, such as hunting, guarding, herding, and pulling sleds. Each job required different levels of the three drives. For example, herding dogs have a high prey drive, guarding dogs are high in defense (fight) drive, and retrievers are high in pack and prey drives.
Behavior problems arise when the drives they were bred to have and the resulting behaviors—guarding, hunting, and such—are no longer needed. For example, they don’t need to hunt when you’re providing all their food. But the instincts are still there and may show up as unwanted behavior, such as chasing the neighbors’ small pets or herding your children.
The Easiest Dog Breeds to Train
Every dog is different and has their own unique personality. But some traits, which are common within breeds, make them easier to train for life as a part of your family. In general, dogs that were bred to work with humans and take commands will be easier to train. These breeds include:
- Border Collie
- Doberman Pinscher
- German Shepherd
- Golden and Labrador Retrievers
- Poodle
- Shetland Sheepdog
The Hardest Dog Breeds to Train
Some dog breeds were created to do jobs requiring independent work. Taking commands and listening to you are not at the top of their list of priorities. They are often described as stubborn—they want to do what they want to do, and that’s all there is to it! They can be trained, but it takes a lot more work. These breeds include:
- Afghan Hound
- Chow Chow
- Beagle
- Bulldog
- Bloodhound
- Dachshund
- Pekingese
Conclusion
You can train almost any dog if you take the time to understand their breeding and individual personality, then tailor training to fit them. However, your dog must learn to listen to you and follow your commands regardless of their personality.
If you’re unsure what to do, you can hire a professional trainer, or you can try a good book on the subject, such as our Dog Training for Dummies by Jack and Wendy Volhard.
What’s the best dog breed to train? The one whose natural instincts you understand and can adjust training to fit them. What dog is easiest to train? Yours!