by Brenda Nelson

Created on: July 18, 2010

There is no such thing as an untrainable dog, unless perhaps it is a dog who has had a serious brain injury. With that said some dogs are simply smarter than others and can be trained to do more things and enjoy learning.

-Breed and Intelligence

Smarter dogs love learning, they enjoy the challenge. The funny thing is that these dogs are so smart than when left to their own devices they become bored, and find things to do, thus resulting in some people thinking of them as “dumb”. The smart breeds of dogs are those bred for herding, these are the dogs that are always looking for cues and things to keep themselves busy.

Of these the Border Collie is often respected as being one of the smartest and most trainable dogs, but also one of the most difficult to keep as a house pet due to their intelligence and desire to be doing something. Hunting dogs are also considered highly intelligent, but even the dogs on the other end of the scale, the Shih Tzu, can be trained, just perhaps not to the same level as a Jack Russell Terrier.

-Age

No dog is too old to be trained. Older dogs might be slower at responding, and might not be physically able to do some things as a result of aches and pains. In some cases they cannot hear commands but can learn to respond to hand signals. On the other end we see young dogs and indeed once a pup is old enough to be away from its mother (ideally 8 weeks) it is old enough to start training, but should not be pushed too fast, and should not be taken off the owners property until fully vaccinated.

-Socialization

Dogs that come from good homes who are well socialized will be just that much further along in their ability to be trainable. The other, less social, dogs will be trainable too, but must first learn social skills.  

Dogs who are more people oriented, rather than those that are shy or have bonded more with other dogs, will have a strong desire to please, and bolder outlook, and therefore should be considered very trainable.

-Selecting the Most Trainable Dog

When meeting a group of similar dogs one should access which dog is most keen on attention and rewards. For most dogs this is a motivational factor that will be key in how trainable they are. The more keen a dog is on attention and rewards, the more those things can be used to teach a dog to do anything within its means.  One can study how long a dog is willing to focus before becoming bored and uninterested.  A dog that can focus for a longer period of time is also going to be more interested in learning. 

Remember all dogs are trainable its just a matter of finding out what motivates them and putting in the time and effort to training such a dog.  If somebody is having a hard time with training a dog, they should have the dog checked by a veterinarian to rule out medical reasons, and then work with a professional dog trainer.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.