Training a dog could be hard work which ones are the best to get?How can I tell the good from the bad?

I am a qualified trainer and I have spent a great many week-ends teaching people how to train their dogs and I think that all dogs can be trained but it is the owners who are harder to train!

Dogs are pack animals so the secret of training any dog is to make sure you are the leader of the pack from the very first moment the dog arrives in your life! This can be hard to do when there is this cute little fluffy thing chewing on your shoe - but that cute fluffy thing grows into a less cute adult dog and all of a sudden what seemed so fun can be quite threatening!

So the easy answer to the question is that all dogs can be trained but the reality is that some take to it more easily and some are better at some things than others. I do find, however, than any dog with a working breed in it tends to train better than others, so Collies, Kelpies, Shepherds, Spaniels, Labradors and even some Terriers are easier to train than others.

I know there will be lots of readers of this who will jump into the comments box and tell me how they have a brilliantly trained breed that I have not mentioned and I acknowledge the fantastic work that many people do with all sorts of dogs. Let me share with you a few experiences that I have had with training dogs.

One lady had a German Shepherd that kept running off to play with other dogs and took no notice of her calling it back. Foolish for a small lady to try and have such a big dog? Not really, her problem was that she would finally get the dog back and then spend five minutes yelling at it and telling it what a bad dog it was - the message it got was that it was bad to come back to her so it avoided it at all costs!

No matter how naughty he has been and what he has been doing, when my dog comes to me he always gets lots of praise and a treat - that way he always responds when I call because he associates the call with a great outcome for him.

Another woman used to come to class every week with her labrador and while he was great in class she said he never behaved that way at home. We finally got to the bottom of the problem when we worked out that the children allowed the dog to do all sorts of naughty things when Mum was not looking.

We solved that one by getting the children to take turns with the dog during class and they gradually worked out that it was actually more fun having the dog do what they told it than just letting it go mad! I take no responsibility for any naughty tricks they subsequently taught it!!!!

You often see Beagles used by Customs as sniffer dogs and this is because they are particularly sensitive and great for this work but the problem with Beagles in a home environment is that they are always wanting to get out and go wandering - OK if they are as smart as Snoopy but a problem if you live near roads and traffic.

Many people buy Labradors as family pets and they can be great with children but Labrador bites also represent the highest percentage of dog injuries in emergency rooms! They are still animals that can get cranky so beware! Training Labradors is easy at first because they are so food obsessed that they will do anything for a treat. The trouble is that you have to be really careful to manage their intake as they run to fat much, much too easily.

My own dog has Kelpie in him which is an Australian working breed and he is crossed with (we think) Staffordshire Terrier so he has the smile and the trainability. As the trainers dog he has, of course, to be perfect and while at class he demonstrates everything brilliantly but at home he is not quite so good all the time! I started training him from the time I got him from the RSPCA at three months and he can do some great tricks as well as being disciplined when I want him to be.

He actually understands about training and you can see him really concentrating when I try to teach him something new - it is like he knows I want him to do something different as long as I can explain it to him... I am currently teaching him to go to a 'mark' - a bit like dogs in movies are trained to do.

All dogs work quite hard when they are being trained so I try to keep sessions to no longer that 30-40 minutes each time with a few breaks to play in the middle. When it is really miserable outside and I don't want to go for a walk we do doggy aerobics - a series of sit, drop, stand, roll over, etc... in various order that usually wears him out in about 10 minutes, then I can settle in front of the fire again!

And in terms of food, this is the biggest controller of animals. As leader of the pack you must control the food at all times. When you feed the dog the daily meal make them sit and wait for you to give them permission to eat - no matter how much they drool, but don't be mean as just a few seconds it enough to prove you are in control. If your dog is being a bit possesive about food then make a point of stopping them from eating mid-meal and taking the bowl away for a few minutes. Then make them sit and wait again when you put it down.

Not forgetting lots of praise when they get it right even if it is after the 20th attempt!

So whatever breed you get establish you as the boss first and get the dog used to the fact that you will give it love and praise when it does what you want but that you will ignore it and deny that love if it is bad - you do not have to whip or beat a dog for it to know you are angry. They want to please you and it is up to you to give them clear signals and commands that are consistent and then they dog will understand.

There is no point in yelling at the dog for getting on the couch if you allowed it yesterday.

My motto: A well trained dog is a happy dog! Enjoy.