Breed Training Profiles
Every breed has different genetic drives. See how to adapt each training topic for your specific puppy.
Sporting
Labrador Retriever
Large
Energy 4/5
Trainability 4/5
The Labrador Retriever is the most popular breed in America and also one of the most misunderstood from a training persp...
Sporting
Golden Retriever
Large
Energy 4/5
Trainability 5/5
Golden Retrievers share a sporting heritage with Labs but diverge in one critical way that affects every aspect of train...
Herding
German Shepherd
Large
Energy 5/5
Trainability 5/5
The German Shepherd is a high-drive working breed that was developed for herding and later refined for police, military,...
Non-Sporting
French Bulldog
Small
Energy 2/5
Trainability 2/5
The French Bulldog is not a sporting dog, not a working dog, and not a herding dog. It is a companion breed developed to...
Non-Sporting
Standard Poodle
Large
Energy 4/5
Trainability 5/5
The Standard Poodle is one of the most intelligent breeds in existence, and that intelligence is both the greatest train...
Hound
Beagle
Medium
Energy 4/5
Trainability 2/5
The Beagle is a scent hound, and understanding what that means is the key to every training success and failure you will...
Working
Rottweiler
Xlarge
Energy 3/5
Trainability 4/5
The Rottweiler is a confident, powerful working breed that was originally used for cattle driving and later adapted for ...
Hound
Dachshund
Small
Energy 3/5
Trainability 2/5
The Dachshund was bred to hunt badgers underground — alone, in a dark tunnel, making independent decisions about when to...
Herding
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Medium
Energy 5/5
Trainability 4/5
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was bred to herd cattle by nipping at their heels and then ducking under the retaliatory kick. ...
Working
Siberian Husky
Large
Energy 5/5
Trainability 1/5
The Siberian Husky is the most misunderstood breed in American pet ownership. People acquire them because they are beaut...
Terrier
American Pit Bull Terrier
Medium-large
Energy 5/5
Trainability 4/5
The American Pit Bull Terrier is the most misunderstood breed in the United States, and that misunderstanding is precise...
Companion (UKC)
American Bully
Medium-large
Energy 3/5
Trainability 4/5
The American Bully is not an American Pit Bull Terrier, and confusing the two produces training plans that do not fit ei...
Working
American Akita
Large
Energy 3/5
Trainability 3/5
The American Akita is a Japanese guardian breed refined in the United States into a larger, heavier-boned dog with the s...
Herding
Border Collie
Medium
Energy 5/5
Trainability 5/5
The Border Collie is the most intelligent dog breed in the world, and that fact is almost always presented as a positive...
Herding
Australian Shepherd
Medium
Energy 5/5
Trainability 5/5
The Australian Shepherd is a high-drive herding breed that has been damaged by its own popularity. The breed has been br...
Working
Great Dane
Giant
Energy 2/5
Trainability 4/5
The Great Dane is a giant breed, and the word "giant" is doing more work than most owners realize. A Dane puppy at 12 we...
Working
Doberman Pinscher
Large
Energy 4/5
Trainability 5/5
The Doberman Pinscher is one of the most trainable breeds on earth and one of the most easily damaged by poor handling. ...
Working
Cane Corso
Large
Energy 3/5
Trainability 4/5
The Cane Corso is an Italian guardian breed, and that single fact should determine whether you bring one into your house...
Working
Boxer
Medium-large
Energy 5/5
Trainability 3/5
The Boxer is a working breed in a clown's body, and that combination is the source of every training success and failure...
Toy
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Small
Energy 2/5
Trainability 4/5
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a toy breed with an uncommonly stable temperament — friendly, affectionate, biddabl...