Top 10 Easy to Train dog Breeds

September 4, 2023

If you’re trying to decide which dog breed to get as your new puppy, Petland Miami recommends that you get an easy-to-train breed. 

Willful dog breeds are difficult to train unless the owner dedicates a lot of time, patience, and consistency with dog training. Rather than spend a lot of time training your puppy, would you rather bond and cuddle your dog? We would! 

Here are the 10 easiest dog breeds to train so that you can spend more time enjoying your puppy and less time training him: 

• Poodle
• Border Collie
• Golden Retriever
• Labrador Retriever
• German Shepherd
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Papillon

Let’s take a look at what makes each of these dog breeds so easy to train, and why they make great puppies for first time dog owners.

POODLE (STANDARD & MINIATURE)

Smart, attentive, and eager to please, the Poodle is probably the easiest dog breed to train. Whether you take home a Standard Poodle (large breed) or a Miniature Poodle (small breed), you will have a true canine companion who focuses on you with care, compassion, and a willingness to accommodate your needs. Poodles derive great joy from the rewards they receive from their owners after obeying commands and accomplishing tasks. 

But if this is the case, then why are Poodles misunderstood and so often presumed to be aloof, ditzy, and even mean? This is purely a stereotype that’s based on nothing more than their elaborate, flamboyant haircuts! An aspect of this stereotype also stems from the fact that your Poodle will probably not heed the orders of anyone but you and your household. We consider that a good thing, however. It’s a sign of loyalty and means that your Poodle will always put you first. 

BORDER COLLIE

Hailing from Scotland, the medium-sized Border Collie is a high-energy working dog that’s smart enough to learn an entire language of commands. This perky dog breed has been used for centuries as cattle herding workers, and this trend continues to this day. A Border Collie is in its element when its days are filled herding sheep, goats, and cattle at the commands of its shepherd owner. This stamina-intensive work requires spriting, jogging, and otherwise remaining keenly focused on its owners instructions. A well-trained Border Collie understands its shepherd owner’s commands to round up the livestock by sprinting clockwise around the herd, counter clockwise around the herd, or to slowly and low-to-the-ground stalk the herd through tall grass to gently nudge the livestock towards a field or pen.

You don’t have to be a shepherd with a livestock business to own a Border Collie, but it would be a good idea if you’re prepared to train your Border Collie with a language of commands. This speaks to the high intelligence and eagerness to please that all Border Collies naturally possess. When training your Border Collie, you will sail through basic commands, yet that’s only the beginning of what your Border Collie can learn. If you want an easy-to-train dog that’s eager to please you and accompany you on every walk, jog, hike, and outdoor adventure you plan, then you couldn’t ask for a better breed than the Border Collie.  

GOLDEN RETRIEVER

Gentle, patient, and emotionally intelligent, the Golden Retriever is one of our favorite easy-to-train family dogs. No other dog breed has the sweetness and caring disposition of the Golden Retriever. This humble breed is great with other domestic animals as well as children of all ages, which means that when your young child gives your Goldie commands, the dog will do as it’s told without challenging the authority of the child. Golden Retrievers pick up on basic commands quickly, and best of all, they place the highest importance on gaining and maintaining their owners’ approval and praise. In this sense, Golden Retrievers are the easiest dog breed to train not to eat a plate of food that you place before him before leaving the room. Talk about self-control!

In addition to being easy to train, Golden Retrievers are innately nurturing and supportive. When you have tons of energy and want to play, they’ll have all the energy in the world. When you’re mellow or tired, your Goldie will lounge in front of you. Golden Retrievers also have excellent instincts to assess danger. Your Goldie will not harm a trespassing child who’s looking for his lost ball. But if an intruder trespasses, your Golden Retriever will sense that the stranger is up to no good and will proceed with intimidating growls, barks, and stalking until the stranger retreats. If you take home a Golden Retriever, you’ll quickly understand why this dog breed has been the #1 family dog for decades.    

LABRADOR RETRIEVER

High-energy, joyful, and compatible with people and pets, the Labrador Retriever is hands-down the easiest purebred dog breed to train out of all the breeds. This consensus was reached by countless professional dog trainers. The primary reason they’re so easy to train is that Labrador Retrievers are “highly motivated.” This is a character trait that’s integral to their breed. Pleasing their owners is in their DNA, you could say. This breed has short hair and comes in black, brown, and yellow, but no matter what color or sex your Labrador, you will have a very smart dog who won’t struggle to grasp the commands you teach during basic training. 

Another amazing quality that all Labrador Retrievers share is their keen sensitivity and intuition to their owners’ moods, feelings, fears, and anticipations. This can be either good and bad depending on your disposition and the dynamic of the household. In a sense, your Labrador will be a mirror, showing you the true state of your inner being. For example, if a person reacts to the doorbell chiming by jumping up and rushing to the door, their Labrador is going to react in a similar manner with hyper barking and exuberance. But if the person rather remains seated when the doorbell rings, moves slowly, and remains calm, their Lab will respond in a similar fashion.   

GERMAN SHEPHERD

When a livestock herding dog evolves to become the #1 choice among the police and military, then you know it’s a smart, obedient, and courageous dog breed. We’re talking about the German Shepherd, the most reliable and intelligent breed in the world. Perhaps the greatest quality of the German Shepherd is its loyalty and fearlessness. This dog will die to protect you and your family. It places obeying commands and following orders as the highest objective, and will risk its life to complete a task or fulfill a mission. German Shepherds have been used on battlefields to bring ammunition and medical supplies to wounded soldiers while bullets flew and bombs detonated. 

What makes this breed so easy to train is its intelligence and its desire to fulfill an important role to please you. If you bear in mind that the German Shepherd is designed to protect and serve you, and tailor your training to satisfy this desire in your puppy, you will quickly discover the benefits of this loyal, die-hard dog breed. For example, train your German Shepherd how to proceed when strangers and new people approach your home. If you have a yard, train your dog how to perform a perimeter check to patrol and report back any activity or breeches. Your German Shepherd doesn’t have to encounter danger to feel useful to you. Completing the tasks you give him will always be rewarding enough for this eager-to-please breed.     

PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI

If you have a soft spot in your heart for dogs of unusual sizes, then prepare to fall in love with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Those cute, stumpy legs! Those huge, fox-like ears! That thick fur and wide, waddling bum! Pembroke Welsh Corgis are just precious! They’re also one of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world, which means that you’ll have an easy-to-train puppy if you bring home a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. 

Corgis are both a companion dog and working dog. Originally used as fox hunters, once upon a time the Pembroke Welsh Corgi accompanied wild game hunters who needed dogs to sniff out and track specific wildlife. This speaks to the Corgi’s stamina to stay out on the trail and its ability to sprint and dive into burrows to retrieve small game. The result of this deeply ingrained behavior is that the companion Corgi possesses a keen sense of duty and order. This makes the breed easy to train, but watch out. If you don’t train your Corgi, especially training him to know the household rules, your Corgi will take it upon himself to be the policeman of your home. This means bossy behavior and making sure the cats, other dogs, and children don’t get out of line! Heck, if your Corgi notices that you like the bathroom doors to remain closed, he will go around the house closing them!

PAPILLON 

Did you know that Papillon means “butterfly” in French? If you squint really hard while relaxing your vision until it becomes a soft haze, this small-sized, fluffy dog almost looks like a butterfly… It’s all about the coloring of the face and ears… All kidding aside, the Papillon dog breed is an intelligent, companionable, and easy-to-train dog breed for those who want a small dog who doesn’t require a lot of outdoor exercise time.

Hailing from the Spaniel dog breed family of Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, the Papillon is technically considered a Continental Toy Spaniel. Papillons are alert, affectionate, and friendly. They accept and tolerate other dogs and they qualify as great with children. They are dainty, elegant, and optimistic, as they heed commands and thrive on the praise they receive for doing as their owners please. The trick with training this petite dog breed is to start young when your Pap is a puppy and to remain firm and consistent, never letting your Pap off the hook if he gets stubborn. 

One of the biggest pitfalls that some Papillon owners fall prey to is assuming that because their dog is a tiny breed, any “bad behavior” is harmless and doesn’t really matter. This is not the case! Your Papillon must be trained to understand that nipping is not acceptable, as well as to understand to refrain from other undesirable behaviors, just as any other larger dog breed is trained. As long as you carefully and consistently housebreak and train your Pap while he’s a puppy, you will have a highly affectionate and loyal companion dog who brings comfort and joy to your life. 

Those are our 7 most trainable dog breeds. What do you think? If you’d like to meet these breeds in person, come by our Petland Miami locations or check out the videos of our available puppies within each of their puppy profiles on this website.    

✓ This article has been reviewed by Petland Miami’s expert team to ensure accuracy and reliable pet care guidance.