Ranking Dog Breeds from the Most Trainable to the Most Stubborn

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2022

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Dog Breeds that are Easy to Train
Dog Breeds that are Difficult to Train

Introduction

It used to be very difficult to reliably measure the temperament of dogs.

However, in 2015, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania developed the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) tool.

Many research studies have shown that the C-BARQ tool can reliably measure the behavior of dogs.

With data from the C-BARQ tool, you can calculate how bad or good the temperament of a dog breed is.

We analyzed data from the C-BARQ database to obtain the temperament score of dog breeds for Trainability. This allowed us to rank dogs based on Trainability.

Note that the fact that a dog breed ranks high for bad behavior does not mean all hope is lost for the dog breed. With proper early training, you can always mold a dog`s temperament into what you want.

Also, smaller dog breeds tend to have high aggression scores. However, aggression in small dog breeds is usually born out of insecurities or fear, and less from the meanness of their hearts.

Note that Trainability is one of the 14 temperament components that the C-BARQ test measures.

The complete 14 temperament components are:

Below is our ranking of dog breeds based on Trainability.

Click on the link for each breed to learn more about the complete temperament of the breed.

Click here to see our ranking of dog breeds from the ones with the overall `best` temperament to the ones with the `worst` temperament.

Dog Breeds that are Easy to Train

1. Belgian Tervuren

Weight of the Belgian Tervuren : 40 to 70 pounds

Height of the Belgian Tervuren : 21 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Belgian Tervuren : 10 to 12 years

Belgian Tervuren Puppy Price : $1200 to $2000

See list of Reputable Belgian Tervuren Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Belgian Tervuren

2. Belgian Malinois

Weight of the Belgian Malinois : 40 to 80 pounds

Height of the Belgian Malinois : 22 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Belgian Malinois : 12 to 14 years

Belgian Malinois Puppy Price : $850 to $1800

See list of Reputable Belgian Malinois Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Belgian Malinois

3. Border Collie

Weight of the Border Collie : 30 to 45 pounds

Height of the Border Collie : 18 to 22 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Border Collie : 12 to 15 years

Border Collie Puppy Price : $650 to $1500

See list of Reputable Border Collie Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Border Collie

4. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Weight of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever : 35 to 50 pounds

Height of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever : 1 foot, 5 inches to 1 foot, 9 inches tall at the s

Lifespan of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever : 10 to 14 years

See list of Reputable Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Puppy Breeders here

5. Irish Water Spaniel

Weight of the Irish Water Spaniel : 45 to 65 pounds

Height of the Irish Water Spaniel : 1 foot, 9 inches to 2 feet tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Irish Water Spaniel : 10 to 12 years

See list of Reputable Irish Water Spaniel Puppy Breeders here

6. Portuguese Water Dog

Weight of the Portuguese Water Dog : 35 to 60 pounds

Height of the Portuguese Water Dog : 1 foot, 5 inches to 1 foot, 11 inches tall at the

Lifespan of the Portuguese Water Dog : 10 to 14 years

Portuguese Water Dog Puppy Price : $2500 to $3300

See list of Reputable Portuguese Water Dog Puppy Breeders here

7. Australian Cattle Dog

Weight of the Australian Cattle Dog : 30 to 50 pounds

Height of the Australian Cattle Dog : 17 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Australian Cattle Dog : 12 to 15 years

Australian Cattle Dog Puppy Price : $500 to $996

See list of Reputable Australian Cattle Dog Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Australian Cattle Dog

8. Rottweiler

Weight of the Rottweiler : 85 to 130 pounds

Height of the Rottweiler : 22 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Rottweiler : 8 to 11 years

Rottweiler Puppy Price : $1300 to $2000

See list of Reputable Rottweiler Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Rottweiler

9. Australian Shepherd

Weight of the Australian Shepherd : 40 to 65 pounds

Height of the Australian Shepherd : 18 to 23 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Australian Shepherd : 12 to 15 years

Australian Shepherd Puppy Price : $800 to $1500

See list of Reputable Australian Shepherd Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Australian Shepherd

10. Australian Kelpie

Weight of the Australian Kelpie : 25 to 46 pounds

Height of the Australian Kelpie : 15 to 20 inches

Lifespan of the Australian Kelpie : 10 to 15 years

Australian Kelpie Puppy Price : $500 to $500

See list of Reputable Australian Kelpie Puppy Breeders here

Dog Breeds that are Difficult to Train

1. Dingo

2. Treeing Walker Coonhound

Weight of the Treeing Walker Coonhound : 45 to 80 pounds

Height of the Treeing Walker Coonhound : 20 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Treeing Walker Coonhound : 12 to 13 years

Treeing Walker Coonhound Puppy Price : $300 to $300

See list of Reputable Treeing Walker Coonhound Puppy Breeders here

3. Basenji

Weight of the Basenji : 22 to 24 pounds

Height of the Basenji : 16 to 17 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Basenji : 10 to 12 years

Basenji Puppy Price : $1450 to $1450

See list of Reputable Basenji Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Basenji

4. Afghan Hound

Weight of the Afghan Hound : 50 to 60 pounds

Height of the Afghan Hound : 24 to 26 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Afghan Hound : 10 to 12 years

Afghan Hound Puppy Price : $1912 to $2500

See list of Reputable Afghan Hound Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Afghan Hound

5. Pekingese

Weight of the Pekingese : 7 to 14 pounds

Height of the Pekingese : 6 to 9 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Pekingese : 12 to 15 years

Pekingese Puppy Price : $1288 to $2500

See list of Reputable Pekingese Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Pekingese

6. Dachshund (Miniature)

Miniature Dachshund Puppy Price : $1300 to $2500

7. Australian Silky Terrier

Weight of the Silky Terrier : 8 to 10 pounds

Height of the Silky Terrier : 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Silky Terrier : 12 to 15 years

Silky Terrier Puppy Price : $1800 to $2738

See list of Reputable Silky Terrier Puppy Breeders here

8. Basset Hound

Weight of the Basset Hound : 50 to 65 pounds

Height of the Basset Hound : Up to 14 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Basset Hound : 10 to 12 years

Basset Hound Puppy Price : $1000 to $1500

See list of Reputable Basset Hound Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Basset Hound

9. Miniature Pinscher

Weight of the Miniature Pinscher : 8 to 11 pounds

Height of the Miniature Pinscher : 10 to 12 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Miniature Pinscher : 10 to 14 years

Miniature Pinscher Puppy Price : $825 to $1500

See list of Reputable Miniature Pinscher Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Miniature Pinscher

10. English Bulldog

Weight of the Bulldog : 40 to 50 pounds

Height of the Bulldog : 12 to 15 inches tall at the shoulder

Lifespan of the Bulldog : 8 to 12 years

Bulldog Puppy Price : $3000 to $4500

See list of Reputable Bulldog Puppy Breeders here

Guide on how much food to feed the Bulldog

See below the full ranking of dog breeds based on Trainability.

Trainability Rank	Breed	Trainability Score
1	Belgian Tervuren	100.0 %
2	Belgian Malinois	99.2 %
3	Border Collie	97.3 %
4	Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	95.3 %
5	Irish Water Spaniel	95.0 %
6	Portuguese Water Dog	91.9 %
7	Australian Cattle Dog	91.8 %
8	Rottweiler	91.1 %
9	Australian Shepherd	91.0 %
10	Australian Kelpie	91.0 %
11	Belgian Sheepdog	90.8 %
12	Poodle (Standard)	88.6 %
13	English Springer Spaniel	88.2 %
14	German Wirehaired Pointer	88.1 %
15	Collie	86.4 %
16	German Shepherd	86.0 %
17	Golden Retriever	85.8 %
18	Vizsla	85.2 %
19	Flat-Coated Retriever	84.6 %
20	Shetland Sheepdog	84.3 %
21	Lagotto Romagnolo	83.4 %
22	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	82.9 %
23	Doberman Pinscher	82.9 %
24	Border Terrier	82.0 %
25	Parson Russell Terrier	81.5 %
26	Bearded Collie	80.4 %
27	Pointer	80.4 %
28	Giant Schnauzer	80.1 %
29	Standard Schnauzer	79.9 %
30	Eurasier	79.2 %
31	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	78.9 %
32	Papillon	78.8 %
33	Labrador Retriever	78.8 %
34	Weimaraner	78.8 %
35	Bernese Mountain Dog	78.1 %
36	Chinook	76.4 %
37	Poodle (Miniature)	76.4 %
38	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	76.3 %
39	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	76.0 %
40	Bouvier des Flandres	75.8 %
41	Newfoundland	75.1 %
42	Havanese	74.7 %
43	Anatolian Shepherd	73.6 %
44	Airedale Terrier	73.5 %
45	American Pit Bull Terrier	73.3 %
46	Rat Terrier	72.6 %
47	Boxer	72.3 %
48	Poodle (Toy)	72.2 %
49	Dalmatian	71.9 %
50	Rhodesian Ridgeback	71.4 %
51	German Shorthaired Pointer	71.2 %
52	Brittany	71.2 %
53	Norwegian Elkhound	71.2 %
54	Great Dane	70.9 %
55	Gordon Setter	70.5 %
56	Irish Setter	69.5 %
57	Cocker Spaniel (English)	68.6 %
58	Mastiff (English)	68.6 %
59	Pit Bull	68.0 %
60	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	67.9 %
61	Cocker Spaniel (American)	67.0 %
62	Schipperke	66.9 %
63	Whippet	65.9 %
64	American Staffordshire Terrier	65.3 %
65	Chow Chow	64.4 %
66	West Highland White Terrier	63.9 %
67	American Bulldog	63.1 %
68	Chinese Crested	62.7 %
69	Akita	62.5 %
70	Kuvasz	62.4 %
71	Boston Terrier	62.1 %
72	Chinese Shar-Pei	61.9 %
73	English Setter	61.3 %
74	Jack Russell Terrier	60.9 %
75	Alaskan Malamute	60.6 %
76	Italian Greyhound	60.6 %
77	Samoyed	60.4 %
78	Redbone Coonhound	60.0 %
79	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	59.8 %
80	Bullmastiff	59.2 %
81	Keeshond	59.1 %
82	Miniature Schnauzer	58.6 %
83	Pomeranian	58.6 %
84	Bulldog	58.3 %
85	Ibizan Hound	58.1 %
86	Pit Bull mix	57.5 %
87	Scottish Terrier	56.8 %
88	Fox Terrier (Toy)	55.9 %
89	Alaskan Husky	55.8 %
90	Maltese	55.6 %
91	Irish Wolfhound	55.3 %
92	Tibetan Terrier	55.2 %
93	Shih Tzu	54.6 %
94	Siberian Husky	54.3 %
95	Cairn Terrier	54.1 %
96	Bichon Frise	54.0 %
97	Old English Sheepdog	52.5 %
98	American Eskimo Dog	52.3 %
99	Shiba Inu	52.1 %
100	Great Pyrenees	50.2 %
101	Fox Terrier (Smooth)	50.0 %
102	Black and Tan Coonhound	48.6 %
103	Lhasa Apso	47.8 %
104	Chihuahua	46.9 %
105	Dachshund	46.6 %
106	Saint Bernard	46.5 %
107	Pug	45.9 %
108	French Bulldog	45.4 %
109	Beagle	45.3 %
110	Yorkshire Terrier	45.1 %
111	Greyhound	44.9 %
112	Bull Terrier	44.8 %
113	Fox Terrier (Wire/Wire-haired)	43.7 %
114	Borzoi	42.0 %
115	English Bulldog	40.9 %
116	Miniature Pinscher	36.7 %
117	Basset Hound	34.8 %
118	Australian Silky Terrier	34.1 %
119	Dachshund (Miniature)	32.8 %
120	Pekingese	32.5 %
121	Afghan Hound	30.7 %
122	Basenji	17.1 %
123	Treeing Walker Coonhound	14.9 %
124	Dingo	0.0 %