Which breed(s) of dogs are easiest to train? Which are more difficult or problem

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   Ken R. Abellposted 12 years ago

   Which breed(s) of dogs are easiest to train? Which are more difficult or problematic?

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2. 60

   terrecarposted 12 years ago

   I'll take a stab at this, with a caveat. I have found dog people to be some of the most opinionated people I've ever met, and answering this question could raise some hackles (pun intended), particularly among those who have favorite breeds. 
   
   Having said that, the short answer is that my German Shepherds and my Austrailian Shepherd/Border Collie mix have been the easiest to train for me, followed by a Whippet that did an impeccable recall and heel. Trailing behind would be my Dachshunds and a Chihuahua that I fostered.
   
   I am a firm believer that any dog can be trained using positive reinforcement, but that different dogs are motivated by different things. Some dogs are more "treat" motivated, while some are more "play" motivated.  Hence, for some of my dogs I've used treats as a lure and reinforcement, and for others I've used a tennis ball.
   
   Even while factoring in trainability, my mini Dachshund, Rusty, was my "heart dog"; the one that left the deepest, most lasting impression. I had Rusty for 15 1/2 years and I still miss him terribly.
   
   On a lighter note, it used to crack me up when Rusty did a down/stay. His short little legs made it tricky to determine if he had indeed, followed through. The visible difference between a "stand" and "down" was barely perceptible to me, particularly since I'm nearsighted.
   
   Some Dachshunds can have an independent streak, but they are trainable. The most important thing that I have found with Dachshunds is that mutual respect goes a long way toward building a successful dog/handler team.

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   Lovesloveposted 12 years ago

   Any breed is trainable with the correct method,I have not had experience of many breeds personally...I have owned two labs which were trained to perfection with no bother at all,very responsive and easy to train,now I have a Jack Russell which was very naughty when we aquired her as soon as the door opened she ran away ( she was a stray) but my brother is a dog trainer and he told me that if a dog is happy where it lives it wont run away from you or home...true..when the dog had been with us a few weeks she became more settled and happy,now she is faithful and stays at my side no matter what temps her ,except if I tell her to  'GO ' to chase a ball or similar !!
   
   I think with patience and understanding any breed can be trained .

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   KevinTimothyposted 12 years ago

   I have had tough experiences with a Miniature Pinscher years ago.  They're very prudent and can be a bit stubborn.  This is a tough quesition though, as dogs respond differently to different personaliites.

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   klarawieckposted 12 years ago

   I've found that Siberian huskies are not as bright as other dogs. I've never had one myself but I have many friends that have and they've all told me the same thing. I think it's all in the way you train your dog, but having had dogs all my life, I can honestly say that the best and easiest breed to train has been my American Eskimo. She is like a little person, very well behaved and house-trained. They make excellent companions. They love children and they are very in tune with the emotions of the people they live with.

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   @neeshposted 12 years ago

   I think south African mastiff is the best dog.This dog gets very friendly to children's as well and is very supportive and i think is easy to train.Its hard to tell about the the dog which is difficult to train.All pets are nice.

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   tngolfplayerposted 12 years ago

   As far as most problematic, I can attest to Pekingese.  They are stubborn, strong willed, and will only follow training if they choose too.  It is a battle of wills with them.  It takes a lot of repetition of the same thing over and over and over to get them to learn the smallest task. 
   They aren't stupid, and can do amazing things, but getting them to do them is a hair pulling trick.

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   LittlePaydayposted 12 years ago

   I have heard that cattle/herding (I guess you would call them) dogs are easy to train.
   Australian Cattle Dogs
   Australian Shepherds
   Healers
   Border Collies
   breeds like that...
   A friend of mine's mom raises and trains dogs and those are the type they usually have. This friend also had a French Bulldog that was very well trained. So I think dog training also depends on the person doing the training.
   But the breeds I mentioned are smart - not to mention soo cute

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   kayla howardposted 12 years ago

   this is what i think,bloodhod is eazy and i think german are harder

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    Pamela Sarzanaposted 12 years ago

    Some breed's of dogs are more easily trained than others. I have had Malamutes, and Husky's, these dogs were bred to pull heavy loads long distances, over snow and ice. Not to fetch a ball, although they are intelligent enough to do that also. Generally these dogs don't do well in small apartments they are bred to run. They are very loyal, make great family pets and show dogs.
    
    Labrador Retrievers are very easy to train, Or I should say they train themselves. Anticipating your every move in order to please you seems to be their ultimate goal. As a loyal and loving companion. These dogs were bred to retrieve fishing nets and people from water. The Labrador Retriever wants to be with his owner or family and nothing more. Gets along with all other family pets, (and small children) . Our Black Labrador retriever Buddy ,got along exceedingly well with our cat, and a Large Umbrella Cockatoo who roamed the house at will.
    
    I also was a breeder of Miniature Schnauzers at one time, very high energy dogs, and require patience during training. Also intelligent dogs.
    
    If there is a problem with intelligence in a particular breed of dog it is generally suspect to bad or improper breeding practices.
    
    There are dogs who are victims of bad environment and react according to their situations, wherein the problem may lie with the owner, and not the dog.

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    Bukarellaposted 12 years ago

    There was a study done that measured the ability of various breeds to learn a command within a counted number of repetitions. Here is a link to the study:
    http://www.stanleycoren.com/e_intelligence.htm
    
    (it numbers the breeds in according to how quickly they are able to learn a command).
    
    Border Collies, poodles, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Dobermans, Shetland Sheepdogs, Labradors, Papillions, Rottweilers, and Australian Cattle Dogs are in the top ten.
    
    I guess you have to have a certain level of confidence to work with rottweilers, dobermans and german shephers, but I personally never had a problem with training my rottie. She's always been one of the "top students" in classes we've taken.

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    JT Waltersposted 12 years ago

    Sieberrian Huskies are the easiest I have ever trained but one of them were half wolf.  They were really bright animals.

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    Jonesy0311posted 12 years ago

    I've always heard that most terrier breeds are very intelligent. In my own experience, labs are gentle, smart, and trainable. Contrarily, my pit bull mix is utterly defiant. He is smart enough to know what I'm asking and basically says "F you dad."

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    Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

    That depends on what you call difficult. Different breeds offer different challenges. For example, hound dogs may be "difficult" if they are adult dogs before they receive any training because they have learned to follow their nose and have not learned to pay attention to their owner. I have found that the most difficult dog to train is not a breed at all, but rather the dog that has been trained with punishment or correction, or come from a puppy mill where they did not have proper socialization and consequently poor brain development.

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