The Société Centrale Canine lists more than 300 breeds of dogs that are classified by group by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
All dog breeds are divided into ten distinct groups:
Shepherds and Cattle Dogs (Border Collie, Beauceron, German Shepherd, etc.).
Pointing dogs (Braque, Spaniel, Griffon, etc.).
Retrievers and Water Dogs (Cocker, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, etc.).
Pinschers, Schnauzers, Molossoids and Bouviers (Bernese Mountain Dog, Bulldog, Dobermann, etc.).
Dachshunds.
Hounds and Bloodhounds (Ariegeois, Beagle, Dalmatian, etc.).
Companion dogs (Bichon, Poodle, Chihuahua, etc.).
Greyhounds.
Spitz and primitive type (Chow-chow, Eurasier, Husky, etc.).
Terriers (Bull Terrier, Scottish, Yorkshire, etc.).
Generally speaking, I would say that there are not necessarily easier breeds than others to train. However, there are mostly breeds that are compatible with the person’s lifestyle who wants to take the step of adoption.
The choice of the breed
The choice of a breed should not be limited to the animal’s physical characteristics, and even if they are important, they remain secondary. Instead, the choice of a breed should be made according to your lifestyle. As long as you meet your pet’s needs, whether they are physical, social, intellectual or olfactory, there is no reason why education should be complicated. And, of course, depending on the breed, the needs of our dear canine friends change.
However, there are groups of breeds that require more work and investment, especially for dogs that have been selected for their ability to work alongside humans. On the other hand, some groups will require little effort since the breeds that belong to them have been selected for a single purpose: to keep humans company.
Companion dogs, such as Poodles or French Bulldogs, are called companion dogs, and their main interest is simply to keep their master’s company. Of course, a dog is still a dog, and the fact that it is a pet does not mean that it is enough to give it food and water to survive. It is still important to offer him expenses adapted to his physical condition and social needs (meetings with other dogs, walks, games, etc.). As a reminder, any dog (Chihuahua or German Shepherd) needs daily physical and mental exercise! As for education, it is important not to let yourself be overwhelmed. Indeed, with “small” dogs, one would tend to let everything go, but this is not helpful to them, nor do you, for that matter. Let’s take the example of walking on a leash, and it is true that with a small dog, you will never flag behind, as could be the case with a German Shepherd. On the other hand, letting the dog pull, even if it is small, is to offer him always walks under tension, and it is also to risk hurting him with the tension of the collar or the harness.
Let’s move on to the terrier group, which can be very difficult to train, especially because of their strong character. Although they are adorable and affectionate in the home, as soon as they go outside, their hunting instinct is stronger than anything else and will sometimes be difficult to control.
On the other hand, sheepdogs will be easy to train thanks to their intelligence and their permanent desire to learn. Nevertheless, these are dogs that need a lot of physical and mental effort to be well in their paws. Moreover, their regrouping and/or protection instincts can quickly become unmanageable if they are not controlled and channelled. I am thinking in particular of Border Collies that do not “work” with a herd regularly. Some may develop behaviours that can be annoying daily to compensate for the non-stimulation of their instincts: a fixation on moving objects/people, for example.
Working dogs such as St. Bernards or Newfoundlands are also easy breeds because they are intelligent and docile dogs. But, on the other hand, their defence and protection instincts can sometimes be very developed and require a lot of socialization work from a very young age, whether with humans or other dogs.
As for hunting dogs, they may not be suitable for everyone. They are generally very friendly and docile, but their instincts to search and hunt lead them to be quite independent during walks, and recall can then be a problem. It is therefore very important to work on recall from a young age before walking the dog off-leash.
To summarize, each breed has its specificities. Therefore, before adopting a dog, you must find out about the characteristics of the breed, its spending needs, its activity needs, and especially its compatibility with your lifestyle.
Moreover, any dog, whether a hunting dog, a companion dog or a shepherd dog, requires an education and a defined framework to integrate well into the home and especially into society in general.
Moreover, an education called “easy” is a notion that remains very subjective, and you must first ask yourself if you are ready to invest time, energy and sometimes even money to educate your dog as you wish. A dog can be considered “well educated” by person X when person Y will find it completely unmanageable. Indeed, I notice daily differences in criteria and requirements regarding education with the owners I meet. You will have understood that there are no miracle breeds or perfect dogs. There are only living beings that have instincts, that have needs and that we must respect.
