Choosing the right dog breed is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a pet owner. While every pup has their own personality, some breeds are naturally wired to learn quickly and eagerly please their humans. Others might leave you wondering if your dog is secretly plotting against you.
The truth is, trainability often comes down to a breed’s original purpose and genetic makeup. Dogs bred to work closely with humans tend to excel at following commands, while those developed for independent thinking can be more challenging. Understanding these differences before bringing home your new companion can save you countless hours of frustration and help you choose a breed that matches your training capabilities and lifestyle expectations.
Border Collie
Border Collies are often touted as the smartest and easiest to train breed, originally bred for herding with a strong work drive and love for learning new commands. They excel in agility and obedience competitions due to their quick thinking and responsiveness, making them one of the most trainable dogs.
Honestly, these dogs are like having a furry Einstein who’s constantly looking for their next challenge. They do well with agility training and advanced obedience skills, and if you can keep up with their high energy, this breed is easy to train and eager to learn. However, they need a job to do or they’ll find their own entertainment, which might not align with your home décor preferences.
Labrador Retriever
Labs are intelligent, energetic, and eager to please, making them highly trainable dogs. These dogs are often a go-to choice for first-time dog owners because of their friendly nature and eagerness to learn, thriving on interaction and responding well to reward-based methods.
Let’s be real – Labs basically invented the phrase “good boy.” They’re known for their friendly and outgoing personalities and are among the easiest dogs to train, with their very high food drive meaning they’ll do backflips for a treat. This gentle and versatile hunting breed is also a fast learner, with their outgoing nature and eager-to-please personality making them a preferred breed for service work.
Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers are not only one of the most popular family dog breeds but also highly trainable, being intelligent, friendly, and eager to please, making them excellent candidates for obedience and retrieval training. They’re among the most popular dog breeds in the world largely due to their kind disposition and eager-to-please personality, being smart, gentle, and obedient.
These golden beauties are like the perfect students who always have their homework done. Consistently near the top of the most popular breeds list, this beautiful and friendly dog is very trainable and eager to please, and while Golden Retrievers can be silly and fun, don’t underestimate their brainpower.
Poodle (All Sizes)
All three types of Poodle – Standard, Miniature, and Toy – tend to do well at training, with these intelligent and elegant dogs having a high desire to please their humans, allowing them to excel at obedience training and various dog sports. The Poodle is intelligent, keen to work, and eager to please, and no matter the size, these dogs will happily learn whatever you choose to teach.
Don’t let their fancy hairdos fool you into thinking they’re just pretty faces. Poodles are often recognized for their poofy hairdos but are also known for their intelligence and trainability, with Standard Poodles being quick learners whose desire to please their owners makes them one of the easiest breeds to train. Plus, they come in convenient sizes depending on your living situation.
German Shepherd
German Shepherds are used for guide dogs for the blind, service dogs, watchdogs and herding dogs, making them some of the easiest dogs to train for work and family life. There’s good reason this large and powerful breed is often used for police and military work – the German Shepherd Dog is a tireless worker and wants nothing more than to please their handlers.
They’re not only known for their loyalty and protective nature but also for their ease of training, being highly intelligent, loyal and courageous with a great rapport with their handler. However, they need strong leadership and plenty of exercise to prevent boredom and potential behavioral issues.
Australian Shepherd
Australian Shepherds are hardworking dogs with a strong drive to learn, bred for herding and great problem-solvers who need mental and physical stimulation, excelling with positive reinforcement in learning new commands. This indefatigable and tenacious breed was developed to move livestock across long distances and is incredibly intelligent and hardworking, excelling with consistent training.
These dogs are basically the overachievers of the canine world. They’ll master your training exercises and then ask what’s next on the agenda. Their ability to tackle complex tasks makes them perfect for active owners who want a dog that can keep up with their adventurous lifestyle.
Rottweiler
While Rottweilers appear on some “difficult to train” lists due to their strong-willed nature, these dogs are smart, loyal, and capable of learning and following complex commands. This imposing breed is a natural protector that thrives when they have a job to do, meaning that not only is the Rottweiler extremely trainable, but training is essential to their happiness.
The key with Rotties is establishing yourself as a confident leader from day one. They’re usually extremely loyal to their owners when properly trained, with the key being early socialization and consistent, firm training. Think of them as the gentle giants who just need clear boundaries to shine.
Papillon
Named for their butterfly-like ears, this alert toy breed is eager to please their owners, being curious, quick studies who enjoy learning new things. Papillons are great, easy to train, small dogs who are highly intelligent and friendly, being tenacious and doing wonderfully in obedience training.
Don’t let their delicate appearance fool you – these little butterflies pack serious brainpower into their tiny frames. Despite their small size, Papillons are known for their intelligence and agility. They prove that good things really do come in small packages when it comes to trainability.
Shetland Sheepdog
This gorgeous herding breed is playful, affectionate with family, and loves to learn new behaviors, making excellent competitors in dog sports such as agility or obedience. Their herding background gives them a natural inclination to work closely with their humans and follow directions.
Shelties are like miniature Border Collies with slightly less intensity but equal intelligence. They’re sensitive souls who respond best to gentle, positive training methods. Their eagerness to please combined with their quick learning ability makes them ideal for owners who want an intelligent companion without the overwhelming energy levels of some herding breeds.
Doberman Pinscher
It’s no wonder Doberman Pinschers are among the breeds most commonly used in the military – these muscular, strong dogs are incredibly loyal, whip-smart, and have a strong work ethic, being easy-to-train dogs that thrive in structured training environments. Another common police and military breed, the commanding Doberman Pinscher is a fearless and loyal companion, being enthusiastic workers renowned for their ability to learn and retain their training.
These sleek athletes are like the honor students who also happen to be on the varsity team. They do well in obedience and protection work, forming close bonds with their owners and being quick learners, making them an excellent choice for those seeking a highly trainable and protective breed.
Havanese
The world loves the Havanese, the only dog breed native to Cuba, for its affectionate, playful, and friendly nature, responding well to positive reinforcement and being eager to please, making them a breeze to train, especially for obedience tasks, with their curiosity and sociability making training fun.
You could be forgiven for thinking this adorable bundle of fluff might skate by on looks alone, but the Havanese is surprisingly brainy and adaptable, being highly people-oriented and loving to engage in training, especially when it feels like play, with people often fooled by how smart these dogs are. They’re proof that sometimes the cutest packages contain the biggest surprises.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
This low-set and active dog is surprisingly powerful for their small size, with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi being a breed that responds wonderfully to training and is an enthusiastic dog sport competitor, with these relatively small dogs being playful and keen to please their owners.
Corgis are basically big dogs trapped in adorable short-legged bodies. Their royal connections aren’t just for show – these dogs have the intelligence and work ethic to back up their regal reputation. They’re determined little workers who approach training with enthusiasm and a surprising amount of athleticism despite those stubby legs.
Afghan Hound
Dignified and sophisticated with a strong stature and elegant looks, Afghan hounds are an ancient breed that are the “royals” of the dog world, having a noble heart and serving their kingdom with utmost loyalty, but being renowned for having a will of their own, individualistic to the point of stubbornness and extremely aloof at times.
Here’s the thing about Afghans – they’re not stupid, they just have their own agenda. Afghan Hounds are known for their beauty and intelligence but are also one of the most independent dog breeds, being aloof and often choosing to listen to commands on their own terms. Their high prey drive makes it extremely difficult to train them out of their desire to chase. Training an Afghan is like trying to negotiate with royalty who speaks a different language.
Basenji
Basenjis are known for their cat-like personalities, being both independent and intelligent, notoriously difficult to train due to their stubborn nature, being curious and easily bored, requiring creative training techniques to keep them engaged. Another ancient breed, the Basenji doesn’t like bothering with training – it’s not that these dogs aren’t smart, it’s just that unlike modern breeds bred to be trainable, the Basenji have spent thousands of years thinking for themselves.
Honestly, Basenjis are like that brilliant friend who’s too cool for school. They’ll look at your training attempts with the kind of disdain usually reserved for bad reality TV. Their “barkless” nature doesn’t mean they’re quiet about their opinions – they’ll let you know exactly what they think of your training methods through other vocalizations.
Siberian Husky
Huskies are one of the goofiest and loveliest dog breeds out there but are extremely energetic, needing loads of exercise since they were originally bred to run for miles on end in frozen tundra, and without enough exercise, they will quickly become destructive. They were bred to be independent to ensure a mushing group would ignore commands if terrain was unsafe, but this independence means they have a stubborn streak when it comes to listening to commands.
Siberian Huskies are gorgeous dogs known for their high energy levels, and because they’re very active, they need dedicated training since this breed will act out if they get bored. They’re like having a beautiful, athletic teenager who questions every rule and has endless energy to burn.
Chow Chow
The Chow Chow, also known as the “Lion Dog,” is one of the world’s most ancient breeds, instantly recognizable by its lion-like mane and signature blue-black tongue, and despite its plush, teddy-bear appearance, carries a proud and independent spirit, often preferring to think for itself rather than follow commands blindly, being notoriously difficult to train because they don’t possess the eager-to-please nature found in many other breeds.
Training a Chow Chow to behave properly can be difficult for any owner since they are a dominant breed and can often be stubborn, with their temperament also leaning toward the aggressive side, especially with strangers or other animals. Think of them as the strong, silent types who’ve made up their minds about what they will and won’t do.
Bulldog
Bulldogs don’t have a good reputation for being smart or trainable, but this simply isn’t true – they are very smart, it’s just that they learned how to get their humans to do things for them while they take a nap. A breed soaring in popularity in recent years, the Bulldog is lovable but stubborn, and while you might think they’re easy because all they seem to do is eat and sleep, they often don’t care to listen as well, requiring more work than other breeds to train.
Bulldogs have mastered the art of selective hearing combined with maximum charm. They respond best to short, upbeat training sessions and plenty of positive reinforcement, especially treats, since harsh corrections or long drills will only make them more resistant, making it vital to start early as young Bulldogs are more impressionable before their stubborn streak fully sets in.
Beagle
Beagles have a nose for everything – literally – with their exceptional sense of smell often leading them to be easily distracted by scents, making training a challenge, and most Beagles having high amounts of energy, which is why they are hard to train. Beagles are undeniably super cute dogs but can be quite difficult to train, being high energy breeds whose very nature often prevents them from listening and learning commands, loving to bark as well.
Let’s be honest – trying to train a Beagle is like trying to teach a food critic to ignore a five-star restaurant. Their nose rules their brain, and everything else becomes secondary. They are independent and take longer to get used to commands, but with consistent training and a lot of patience, training a Beagle is certainly achievable.
Jack Russell Terrier
Jack Russell Terriers are compact bundles of energy and determination that were bred to hunt foxes independently. This independent thinking that made them excellent hunters makes them challenging students in obedience class. They’re intelligent enough to learn quickly but stubborn enough to decide when they feel like cooperating.
These little dynamos approach training like they approach everything else – with intense focus until something more interesting catches their attention. Their high prey drive and fearless nature mean they’ll chase anything that moves, often ignoring your desperate calls for their return. Training a Jack Russell requires creativity, patience, and a good sense of humor about the occasional chaos they’ll create.
Chinese Shar-Pei
An American Kennel Club expert says about the Chinese Shar-Pei: “Get a jump-start on basic obedience, and don’t let [this] dog be the boss!” – Shar-Peis are smart and devoted dogs, but their independent thinking and love of doing things at their own pace can make training them a constant battle, taking on a dominant role if given the opportunity.
The extraordinary Chinese Shar-Pei are incredibly protective and tend to surpass their humans while playing tricks or engaging in fun activities, with their wrinkly appearance making them adorable as pups, but their tenacious personality, stout appearance, and unbreakable loyalty making them attractive pets for humans living alone. They often have trouble socializing and are not thought of as a very friendly breed, being highly territorial with owners often having to restrain this breed from attacking strangers, visitors, or other animals.
The Training Reality Check
Before you write off any breed entirely, remember that breed overall was found to influence just nine percent of behavioral differentiation between dogs, with environment and upbringing being even more significant factors in a pup’s personality. While these breeds are renowned for being the hardest dogs to train, there is no untrainable pup – the breeds listed above just require more dedication, patience, and perseverance, and as long as you know what to expect and are equipped with the right knowledge, any “difficult” breed can make for a loyal and loving friend.
Your success as a dog owner often comes down to matching your expectations with your chosen breed’s natural tendencies. Some common dog training mistakes could get in your way, but with a little knowledge and effort, you can steer clear to boost your training game. The “easy” breeds aren’t necessarily better – they just align more closely with what most people consider ideal pet behavior. Sometimes the most challenging dogs end up being the most rewarding companions once you crack their code.
What do you think about these breed distinctions? Have you experienced the joys and challenges of training both easy and difficult breeds? Share your stories in the comments below!
Andrew Alpin from India is the Brand Manager of Doggo digest. Andrew is an experienced content specialist and social media manager with a passion for writing. His forte includes health and wellness, Travel, Animals, and Nature. A nature nomad, Andrew is obsessed with mountains and loves high-altitude trekking. He has been on several Himalayan treks in India including the Everest Base Camp in Nepal.
