“What kind of dog is the easiest to train?” This is one of the most common questions asked of a dog trainer. Most of the time, people are wanting to hear about a certain breed that is more malleable, expecting an answer such as “Golden retrievers, German shepherds, or poodles.”
However, most people find the actual answer quite annoying. Instead of replying about some magical breed that’s easy to train, the real answer is that, “The easiest dogs to train are the ones with the owners who practice the most!”
While this will not help you choose a breed that’s right for your family, or provide any affirmation about the wonderful dog you already have (or the difficult one, explaining why he doesn’t listen), it is the honest truth.
The only way to get a dog to be trained is, not surprisingly, to train him! No matter how smart, or what breed or mix of breeds your pet may be, he will not become obedient if no one practices with him. We can come each week and teach your dog the meanings of commands such as “sit,” “down,” “stay,” and “no jumping,” but if we’re the only ones who do it with him, he will only listen to his trainer.
As of the writing of this article, we have trained almost 4,000 dogs. Some had more eager-to-please personalities and others were more stubborn or distracted. However, in every case, regardless of breed or temperament, the ones who were the most well-behaved at the end of the training were the ones whose owners practiced the most.
We have worked with owners who were extremely dedicated and determined to teach their dog. These are the folks who end up with a dog who is off-leash trained, well-mannered, and has no behavior problems of any kind. We have even had clients who overcame severe behavior problems with their pet, or taught dogs who are not predisposed to certain behaviors to end up doing them anyway.
Likewise, we have also had clients who have extremely malleable, eager-to-please, intelligent dogs, who continue to have some problems even after weeks of training. These are always the clients who rarely practice, continuously cancel their appointments, and make excuses for themselves and their dog throughout the training program.
Of course, the majority of clients fall somewhere in-between. They practice somewhat regularly. They keep their appointments, and they are happy with the fact that their dog doesn’t have behavior problems and listens to them most of the time.
Like anything else in life, with dog training you get out what you put into it!
