I often get asked about whether a dog’s high level of intelligence will reduce the overall training time. It seems like common sense that SMART = LEARNS MORE QUICKLY. Pick a breed that’s praised for its intelligence and the dog will practically train itself, no?
If only it were that easy.
More realistically, the answer depends on your goals.
Training High Energy Dogs
If your main focus is training new behaviors — say excelling at agility or trick training or achieving advanced obedience titles — then absolutely, the smart dogs will require fewer repetitions.
If, however, your focus is mainly on having an easy-to-live-with pet dog — then, unfortunately, smart dogs will often take a lot more work. Mild-tempered, lower-energy dogs will be much easier in this case, even if it takes them three times as long to master a down or fetch.
Smart dogs certainly learn commands faster, but teaching commands is not the difficult part of dog training. (How many have taken a class in which the dog learned a dozen commands, but didn’t respond at all in real world situations?) This is why teaching commands is only one small aspect of our comprehensive dog training programs.
Which Dog Breeds are the Smartest?
On this oft-referenced breed ranking of dog intelligence, among the “brightest” breeds are: Border Collies, German Shepherds and Australian Cattle Dogs. All breeds I love, all breeds that are very smart, and all breeds that can be rather difficult to live with. In fact, this list of most brilliant breeds has A TON of overlap with the breeds that most often come to us in need of intensive training.
Conversely, low-ranking breeds like Chihuahuas, Great Pyrenees, Olde English Sheep Dogs and Bulldogs can actually be much easier to live with, even if it takes them a little longer to learn the commands.
Learning the commands is not the hard part of dog training.
Training Dogs That Are Wild
Smart, high-energy dogs demand constant stimulation. They tend to invent games for themselves. Games like “pull all the stuffing out of the couch,” “herd the children” and “steal the laundry.”
Smart, high-energy dogs will also find the loopholes in your leadership system. They are curious and constantly experimenting. They demand novel stimulation and attention. They get bored with things easily. These are qualities we can absolutely funnel in a positive direction — but this is generally more work, not less.
Training a Dog to Calm Down
Here’s another secret dog trainers know that most pet owners don’t: a lot of those dogs you see with multiple titles after their names are amazing in competition, but almost impossible to live with. There are countless dogs with obedience championships that can’t be left free to roam in a home environment. Winning competitions and piling up commands is a different set of skills from learning to settle in a home environment.
This is not to discourage people who want a smart dog, especially not if you love the process of training. I just want to urge people to go in with their eyes open. Smart dogs often require more consistency. They will figure out the consequences of their decisions, and you need to make sure that you’ve arranged it so that the consequences align with your desired actions. They need constant vigilance from us. We need to stay one step ahead. This can be exhausting.
Return to the Dog Training Essentials
And yet…
My goal is always to leave you feeling hopeful. I firmly believe that people who want to change can achieve amazing results.
So what are some steps you can take?
– Start by focusing on the essentials. It’s easy to get drawn into trying “new thing” after “new thing” (because these smart dogs do pick things up quickly) without solidifying the essentials like “relax on mat”, “ask politely for attention,” “walk beside me calmly”, and “give me your attention when asked.”
– Focus on mental stimulation, not just physical stimulation. A walk where the dog is dragging you around the block will not wear them out. Use their meals strategically. Have them work for their food. Games can be great. But they need strict rules. And I would avoid laser pointers. More often than not, they end up creating more problems than they solve. You can get some examples of games by following our FB page, where I show dogs in action.
Stop the Bad Behaviors Right Aways
This may require more short-term management. Utilize the leash, exercise pens, gates, and crates. Unfortunately, just like they learn new commands quickly, smart dogs also learn new bad behaviors very quickly. Smart dogs need their environments managed more carefully, especially at the start. It can take LONGER for them to internalize the rules. Because they’re always looking for loopholes and exceptions. They are also very aware of whether you are going to enforce the rules and whether they are being properly reinforced for their behavior.
Working With Smart Dogs
Smart dogs will make you better — if you’re up for the challenge. If not, they’ll drive you crazy. It’s good to ask yourself: Am I looking for an extra challenge? (This same point applies to taking on littermates, or dogs with a difficult past, or many rare breeds that have not traditionally been bred for pet homes.)
I’m not here to talk anybody out of these very meaningful challenges. (The majority of our business is these very types of dogs.)
But it helps if you know what you’re getting into: SMART does NOT equal EASY.
I love working with smart dogs. And if you’ve just realized that you got a little more on your hands than you expected, your dog is probably a great candidate for our programs. But there’s also nothing wrong with choosing a dog whose mind and body move at a gentler pace.
A smart dog is worth the effort, but it’s not a shortcut around the effort.
If you’re looking for help with your smart and difficult dog, consider checking out our no-risk discovery evaluations in Clovis, CA. Just contact us below with a few details about your dog.
Nate Hess is a dog behavior specialist and the owner of Dogspring Training, which provides comprehensive dog training and behavior services in Fresno and Clovis, California. He is a graduate of Stanford University, a member of the International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants (IAABC) and Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), and an evaluator for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and S.T.A.R. Puppy programs. He lives in Clovis, CA, with his wife, Elaine, and some lovely dogs.