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Top 10 Smartest Dog Breeds That Are Easiest To Train

First published:  July 18, 2022
Last updated: April 25, 2024
Top 10 Smartest Dog Breeds That Are Easiest To Train
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Summary

  • Smart dog breeds are easier to train.
  • Bullmastiffs are a low-maintenance breed that doesn't need much care or activity.
  • The Argentine Dogo is a devoted protector of its family and territory and a highly intelligent and easy-to-train breed.
  • Before deciding which puppy is best for you to train easily, it's a good idea to meet the puppy's parents.
  • It's also important to pay attention to things like pet-proofing your home, the pet's lifetime costs, and healthcare and exercise needs before getting a puppy.
  • Adopting a canine friend is a time-consuming task and a lifetime commitment.

It's great to welcome a new furry buddy into your life. The encounter is much more enjoyable when your new acquaintance is simple to train. When getting a puppy, it's crucial to train it so that both you and your pet are happy, that you can fit into each other's lifestyles, and that they will be well-behaved as adults. You should also look out for other factors while deciding to adopt a new breed of dog like their intelligence. 

This is beyond our control when saving an older animal, but a training plan is essential for younger canines from rescue centers or newborn puppies. Here are some smart dog breeds to train if you're considering obtaining a new puppy (or even an adult dog).

Why Is Smart Dog Breed Training So Important?

Many dog owners will need a well-behaved, well-trained dog for various reasons, including health concerns or physical impairments, the size, and shape of their home, or lifestyle constraints. Some owners may lack the time and resources to raise a dog less likely to be obedient due to early life trauma.

Because a happy dog is a well-trained dog, it helps everyone.

Related: Best Training Collars

10 Easy-To-Train Dog Breeds

Here we have compiled the list of popular dog breeds that are easiest to train. These special dog breeds have high levels of instinctive intelligence as well as the 3rd most important factor in the Canines IQ chart; adaptive intelligence. Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of Columbia [1], in his best-selling book, 'the intelligence of dogs', described the characteristic of getting trained easily as the marker of intelligence. Let's get to know something more about these smart animals.

#1 Schnauzer

Two Schnauzer dogs playing with a stick in the outdoors

Schnauzers are well-known for their intelligence and willingness to learn new skills. Giant Schnauzers are quick learners. They are ideal if you want a small breed dog that enjoys handling and petting. The fact that they are not stubborn makes this smart breed easier to train. They will always love you if you convince them to do what you want. They are affectionate and devoted to their owners, but they are not demanding.

Another advantageous feature of this breed is its short coat. If your Schnauzer's hair is brushed regularly, it will not mat or become knotted. Long coats can develop mats and tangles, making grooming difficult. Dogs with short hair shed less and require less grooming time.

#2 Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever dog sitting in the outdoors

Golden retrievers have some of the most engaging personalities of any working dog breed. They make excellent family dogs because they are often gentle with children, but they might also make great service or hunting dogs. The higher degree of instinctive intelligence in dogs is mostly found in the Golden Retriever- one of the smartest breeds of dogs.

If properly trained and socialized, golden retrievers love people and work better than any other breed. This makes them excellent for service when they must perform tasks such as retrieving objects from water without being taught to swim or retrieving items from a yard without being taught to jump over fences. These are some of the innate talents of this intelligent dog breed. This dog is extremely bright and loyal to its owners, making it easy to train.

#3 Australian Shepherd

An australian Shepherd standing inside a living room

Australian shepherds adore human attention and are eager to please. This cattle dog breed was bred to herd sheep, cows, and others. They understand how to interact with people and what commands imply. They always perform admirably, whether they are playing games or working.

They make excellent candidates for search-and-rescue missions due to their intellect and desire to work hard. Even if they aren't the best choice as police dogs, they are ideal for various other occupations that require them to discover and identify objects.

#4 Border Collie

A Border Collie sitting inside an office

Border Collies have served as service animals, police, military, and therapy dogs. This small breed dog is Easy-To-Train and enjoys obedience training, agility competitions, and sports. These dogs excel at various hobbies, though they may require extra exercise after a long day at work! A border collie needs a lot of exercise to stay emotionally and physically healthy.

These intelligent dogs have been known as cattle dogs since they are trained to herd sheep and cattle, and retrieve waterfowl.

#5 German Shepherds

German Shepherd running on the beach

German Shepherds are obedient, making them easier to teach than other dog breeds. Not only do German Shepherds do well in task training, but they also perform well in obedience training. They will pay attention and follow your instructions. That's why they are the ones who have proved to be great police dogs.

They are smart, protective, eager to please, and intelligent breed. They are extremely flexible and make excellent service dogs. Once properly trained, they can function in any setting, even in adverse weather conditions. Their intelligence can benefit them in a variety of industries.

#6 Airedale Terrier

Airedale Terrier on white background

Although autonomous, Airedale Terrier is an exceptionally intelligent breed. With its instinctive intelligence, it will be remarkably trainable and well-suited to strong owners who believe in taking charge. You might be a good fit for an Airedale Terrier if you have such a personality. 

Naturally, due to their high intelligence and energy level, Airedale Terriers require up to two hours of daily exercise. More cerebral stimulation is a terrific way to keep them active between walks because the more activity they receive, the happier they are.

#7 American Cocker Spaniels

Two adult and puppy American Cocker Spaniels sitting on a rock in the outdoors

With their superior intelligence, American Cocker Spaniels are generally relatively simple to teach. They cleverly understand your commands and can act as a good student if you train them positively and consistently.

With their excellent intelligence and attentiveness around people and kids, they are popular family dogs. American Cocker Spaniels have a cheerful personality and are also quite simple to teach because they constantly desire to please.

Cocker Spaniels are one of the toy breeds that have smooth, flat coats in colors like black, white, tan, brown, or any combination of these colors. They are swimming-loving canines who are quite active.

You May Also Like: How to Make Your Dog an Emotional Support Dog

#8 American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier inside a house

Most Staffordshire Bull Terriers are extremely intelligent dogs. They are rapid learners who naturally require handling, socialization, and training from a very young age. When carefully bred, staffies have a calm personality, are self-assured, and are very easy to train.

Nothing makes American Staffordshire Terriers happier than spending time with the people they love, whether out for a jog, playing outside, or cuddling on the couch. Although their intellect means they require cerebral stimulation, they are smart and willing to please, making them very trainable.

#9 Boston Terrier

Boston Terrier on a log in the outdoors

Because of their naturally high intelligence, Bostons are simple to train. Although this dog might be challenging to housebreak, daily rigorous training will help prevent dominance issues and canine conflict. It's important to remember that Bostons might respond to a person's tone of voice when training them.

The finest experience has been having 2 Boston Terriers at home. This breed was developed to be companion animals, not just for their owner-handlers but also for one another. I can never imagine having anything other than two Bostons. Thus we always have 2 in our home.

Naturally, Boston terriers aren't particularly high-maintenance canines. They don't necessarily require daily bathing because of their short hair and silky coat, which may be easily handled with a firm bristle brush.

#10 Bullmastiff

Bullmastiff on white background

When it comes to family members, this breed of bullmastiffs is kind and loving. They make good canines for households and children being well-behaved due to their generally calm and laid-back personalities.

The bullmastiff is a low-maintenance breed that doesn't need much care or activity. Naturally, it is content to live in either a modest apartment or a sizable backyard. The bullmastiff doesn't often bark because he was raised to be quiet and sly.

This kind of mastiff, sometimes referred to as the Argentine Dogo, being an awesome family dog, is a devoted protector of all of its family and territory. The lively Argentine Dogo gets along nicely with the kids. The breed is exceptionally clever and simple to teach consistently. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You might have a plethora of questions while adopting one dog breed as your pet. Please, move further and find your query answered about these cute pet breeds.

Which Dog Breeds Are Suitable for Me?

You should always choose the dog breed after proper research of the breed being mixed or genuine and whether it will suit your lifestyle and is easy to train or not.

Where Can I Get a Proper Dog Breed?

Get one from a licensed Kennel club that follows proper Breed Standard.  A breed standard defines such things as the breed’s characteristics, appearance, temperament, and the possibility for it to be kept as a pet. You could also get a canine pet from shelters, rescue groups, breeders, and pet stores. It’s always best to get the pet from a place where people are passionate about what they are doing!

What Is the Breed Standard?

"Breed standard" specifies the ideal physical traits of each breed's behavior, emotions, and temperament.
For example, the breed standard outlines the qualities that distinguish the Cocker Spaniel from the Springer Spaniel.

How Many Popular Breeds Are There?

There are many more than 300 canine breeds that are popular worldwide. Some of those include the Labrador Retriever, the French Bulldog, the Golden Retriever, the German Shepherd, Poodles, Bulldogs, Beagles, Rottweilers, German Shorthaired Pointers, Dachshunds, etc. The examples we provided are the 10 most popular dog breeds in America, with the Labrador Retriever being on top of the list.

What Else Should I Keep In Mind Before Getting My Puppy?

Before deciding which puppy is best for you to train easily, it'd be better to meet the puppy's parents. You also need to pay attention to things like pet-proofing your home, the pet’s lifetime costs, healthcare & exercise needs. 

Additionally, you must be aware that adopting a canine friend is a time-consuming task (lots of responsibilities) and a lifetime commitment (as the average lifespan of dogs is around 13 years).

Conclusion

If you are a dog person, you should consider welcoming a furry buddy into your life. Some of them are great friends and lovely. 

These were some of the popular breeds of dogs to consider while looking to add to your household. They all are smart enough to get trained. Puppies might be intelligent or average breeds, yet they can still be highly distinct from one another.

Never get a puppy from just anywhere if you are looking for anyone from the above special dog breeds, get it from, as we suggested, a proper kennel club. 

Happy petting your favorite dog!


References:

  1. Stanley Coren: About, research and awards. Curated from the university of British Columbia: https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/stanley-coren/

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