WHAT IS THE HARDEST BREED OF DOG TO TRAIN?
A Tucson Dog Trainer's Perspective
As an owner of five Siberian Huskies, I’ve always enjoyed conversations that explore my life’s choices. When people look for expert dog training in Tucson, the Husky is almost always nominated as the hardest dog to train.
They make more noise than a Beagle or a Basset Hound. Their prey drive is as high as an Akita or a Terrier. They are as smart as a Poodle or a German Shepherd. So, how does this all add up for a pet owner in the Arizona desert?
Before we can dig any deeper, if any of my readers are engineers, you are probably needing me to qualify and/or quantify exactly what “hard” and “train” means in this conversation.
Here we go.
DEFINING "DOG TRAINING" vs "BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
The easiest way to approach this is to first consider what being “trained” actually means. At Black Belt Canine Academy, I define it as the animal learning a concept which it previously did not understand, and then performing it reliably—when asked.
An important distinction is needed here: by my own definition, anything learned but not done under command is excluded from my definition of training.
The Distinction: If I teach a dog not to dig holes in the yard, the dog has learned something and is performing it reliably, but is not performing the learned behavior at my request. Therefore, this is considered behavior modification, not training.
In a previous blog post, we established that the easiest dog to train is the Border Collie. These amazing animals have a strong work ethic, an incredible mind, and an innate desire to please their owners. When asked to perform, they are thrilled to demonstrate their skills. And while I don’t consider behavior modification to be part of training, the Border Collie would still win that category as well, for the exact same reasons.
So, what makes a breed the hardest dog to train?
THE SPECTRUM OF CANINE WILLINGNESS: UNDERSTANDING "BIDDABILITY"
If an easy-to-train dog does what you have taught them when you ask them to do it, then a more challenging dog must be lacking in one of those two departments, right? Meaning, they either don’t understand what you are asking, or they simply don’t care that you are asking it.
Fundamentally, dogs can learn things pretty quickly. Unlike people, if a dog is capable of learning something ever, they will usually learn it in a short amount of time. Therefore, our search for the hardest dog to train presupposes that the dog can be successfully trained—eliminating dogs from the conversation who genuinely cannot grasp the task.
This qualifies the question to include only dogs that can learn what is being asked, making the ultimate test of difficulty hinge upon their “willingness to perform.”
THE ANTONYM OF BIDDABILITY
There is a term in professional K9 training that describes an animal’s willingness to cooperate and focus on its handler: it is called biddable.
Naturally, we are searching for the antonym: unbiddable. By definition, this means “recalcitrant, intractable, or headstrong.” My immediate response is to type “SIBERIAN HUSKIES” in all caps, but as a professional Tucson dog trainer, I know the answer is a bit more complex.
WHY THE SIBERIAN HUSKY TAKES THE CROWN
It all depends on what is being asked. If you ask a Siberian Husky to pull a sled, they will usually say “yes,” and suddenly that trademark stubbornness becomes an asset. If you ask a Border Collie to perform anything from basic obedience to agility, they too will say “yes.”
But if you flip the questions? The Border Collie will still put in a full-throated effort on the sled, whereas the Husky will just laugh at you from the start of the agility course.
Therefore, the hardest dog to train is one that is perfectly capable of understanding what is being asked, but ultimately doesn’t feel like doing the chores. Specifically, the chores that matter are the ones that the vast majority of Tucson pet owners find valuable to their lifestyle.
What Today's Pet Owners Actually Need
Whether you live in the Catalina Foothills or downtown Tucson, most dog owners want a dog that:
- Won’t run away when the front door is left open.
- Won’t pulverize a smaller pet (high prey drive).
- Won’t destroy personal items.
- Will heel correctly at their side during walks.
- Will wait for permission to pass through a door.
- Comes back immediately when called.
- Can hold a solid sit-stay.
Without a doubt, as luck would have it, the answer is: the Siberian Husky is the hardest dog to train.
Huskies don’t just understand what is being asked in training; they are capable of reading this article right off your browser, and next, they are going to use AI to figure out how to break out of your backyard. Yet, through all of this defiance, they remain my absolute favorite breed of all time.
CHALLENGING DOG? GET EXPERT DOG TRAINING IN TUCSON, ARIZONA
Do you have a headstrong Husky, a high-drive Terrier, or a pup that simply refuses to listen to commands? You don’t have to navigate the frustration alone. At Black Belt Canine Academy, we specialize in turning independent, strong-willed dogs into focused, well-behaved companions using structured, martial-arts-inspired training philosophies.
Whether you’re looking for basic puppy training or advanced behavioral modification in Pima County, we can help.