What every dog owner wants from a dog is good behavior. Regardless of the purpose for which we get a dog, they will need to listen to commands and follow them. All dog breeds learn and listen to new commands with training and reinforcement.
However, the breeds on this list excel in obedience and are particularly eager to please their pet parents. Apart from being easy to train, these dogs are also known for their intelligence and are excellent at their tasks. These could include work such as rescue or herding, as well as agility courses for some fun.
However, any dog, no matter whether it’s from a trainable breed or not, will always respond best to positive reinforcement, as well as a lot of love, patience, and affection.
Dog Breeds That Excel At Learning Tricks
1. Border Collie
The border collie is a medium-sized herding dog that is known for its intelligence and eagerness to please. These grow up to 22 inches and are known for their medium-length fur coats, long heads, erect ears with curled tips, and bright eyes.
These energetic herding dogs love to have a job to do and will thrive on routine, and have the energy to keep up with you on your daily routine. As family dogs, they will need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation to be happy.
With high endurance, energy, and intelligence, the border collie can be a challenge for inexperienced and lazy owners. They are extremely loyal and bond over shared play and game time. Purina says there’s always enough energy in them for another round of fetch or tug of war.
2. Golden Retriever
These popular golden boys of the dog world are the most popular dog breed for a reason. They are easy to train, brimming with the desire to please their humans, and are quick learners. With their fluffy, soft, golden coats, floppy ears, dark eyes, and broad heads, these large dogs can grow to be 24 inches at the shoulder.
Golden retrievers are excellent work dogs, doing well as therapy, search and rescue, as well as the retrieving they are bred to do. They perform well in obedience and agility-based tasks and are extremely food-oriented. This means that they will learn many new things in exchange for a treat.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) ranks them among the most trainable breeds. What is exceptional about them is that they have high adaptive intelligence and can gauge changes in the emotions and expressions of people around them
3. Labrador Retriever
Labrador retrievers are similar to their golden retriever cousins and will learn new tasks quickly and happily. They have a strong ability to learn and are energetic enough to enjoy having a task to do. These are medium-large dogs with short, thick coats. They can be up to 24 inches tall and have folded ears, stubby, strong tails, and are muscular dogs.
Labradors make for good work dogs, performing well in search and rescue, therapy, as well as anywhere they can use their retrieving skills. Labs are very social dogs that love to learn new tricks and be rewarded for it. They have the physical endurance for intensive work and respond well to obedience training.
As some of the most affectionate and friendly dog breeds, these dogs will make new friends at the dog park. Training them to play fetch, hide and seek, as well as play dead, will be an easy task!
4. Papillon
It’s hard to believe, but these cute little dogs are highly intelligent and smart. With their butterfly ears and long fur, these small dogs grow to just 12 inches and weigh 10 pounds. They are usually white with brown, sable, red, or lemon masks.
These dogs are highly trainable and will learn new tricks easily. Affectionate and loving animals, they are eager to please and loyal. They enjoy agility and obedience training and will learn new tricks. Training is recommended for these dogs to keep them mentally stimulated and happy.
They enjoy attention and will happily “perform” to win praise, according to Orvis, and bond strongly with their owners.
5. Shetland Sheepdog
These beautiful herding dogs from Scotland have a long double coat, a thick mane of hair around the neck, a lean body, a long muzzle, and a dual or tricolored coat in a mix of black, brown, white, merle, blue, grey, and sable. They can reach up to 16 inches. They are also popular due to their unique merle coats.
These dogs are famous for their agility, intelligence, and problem-solving skills. These make them extremely good in obedience and agility training. They are also good at learning tricks. They are alert dogs and can be taught to pick up subtle cues for more intricate tasks.
These are affectionate and loving family dogs and will love to learn new tricks. They can also be trained to be good guard dogs.
6. Australian Shepherd
These herding dogs can be as tall as 23 inches and can weigh 65 pounds. With a double coat in blue or red merle, red or black, with white markings and copper points, these striking dogs have athletic bodies and are livewires
Australian Shepherds are extremely intelligent herding dogs and have a lot of energy to spend. Learning new tricks usually helps to occupy their intelligent brains and keep them mentally stimulated.
With high exercise needs and bright minds, these dogs will require both physical and mental exercise to keep them occupied. They make loving pets, are very eager to please, but will need a lot of time and effort from the entire family to keep them occupied and happy.
7. Doberman Pinscher
These sleek and powerful dogs are both friendly and smart. With their sleek black, red, fawn, or blue coats, with rust markings, long legs, lean and muscular build, these are impressive animals. They grow to a height of 28 inches and can be intimidating if trained to be guard dogs.
Intelligent, loyal, and trainable, these dogs are champions in obedience training as well as in military and police work. They are excellent pets for active families that have the active lifestyle to keep this powerful pooch happy trailing after them.
These smart dogs will do exceptionally well in fetching specific items, looking for them, and performing other tricks. They enjoy bonding with their families and can be fun and loving companions for the whole family.
Conclusion
While all dogs are wonderful companions, some dog breeds are naturally made to be more. The breeds on this list are some of the most trainable breeds in the dog world. They have a natural ability to learn and perform new tasks and tricks to make their people happy.
These dogs are eager to learn and are affectionate enough to make sure you both have fun while learning and practicing your latest tricks. However, do be prepared for the fact that these intelligent animals will require a lot of time and effort to keep them mentally stimulated enough to not act up when bored.
