You may have a new puppy or a fully grown dog that you love, but you are not happy with their behaviour. They pull on their lead, pee in the house or bark at the postman. Most people don’t know where to begin when it comes to training a dog so they ether seek guidance or take their dog to training classes. Which is best?

What happens at a training class?

In a training class you will have the coach who shows you tricks and tips that you can use to help increase your dogs intelligence and obedience. There will be other dogs in the room and that will help with the socialising side of things. The classes are for humans to learn from as well as the dogs. In most classes, dogs will learn to sit, be gentle when accepting food and politely greet people when they meet. The trainers should show you how to potty train your dog too.

When should i take them?

You should be training your puppy from the moment you get them. No matter how young they are, they are always taking in everything that goes on around them. The attention span of puppies younger than 7 weeks old is usually too short for them to be under proper formal training, but as soon as they are 7 weeks or older its time to learn big dog stuff.

How much do classes cost?

You can expect to pay £50 for five 1 hour group classes that are spread out over 5 weeks. Or you could pay £30 per hour for a 1 to 1 training class. Bear in mind that dogs need consistency and persistence so your probably going to need more than 1 hour per week if you want the best for your dog. Training a dog really is more of a constant process rather than an interval type of thing.

Can i take my do to advanced classes?

Before you consider taking your dog to advanced training classes, you should make sure that they understand the basics first. They need to take things one step at a time to avoid confusion and frustration. Once they are good at the basic level of training, you can start to introduce more advanced stuff. Expect to pay more money for this type of training.

How to choose a good puppy class?

The best way to find a dog training class that is right for you is to be recommended by a friend or family member who has already been to one and had success. If you don’t know anyone that has been to a good class before, you should search google to find classes local to you and go take a look at a class in action before you sign up to one. Make sure that they use positive reinforcement methods and not negative.

Are dog training classes right for you?

Ask yourself if you have enough money and time to dedicate to the training classes. Dogs need consistency and repetition. To do it properly, you will need to be doing more than 1 hour training class each week and you will still need to be practicing the things you learned at the class while at home.

An alternative to training classes would be to follow a guide book written by a reputable expert. That way, you can pay once and do as much 1 to 1 training with your dog as you want. Boosting your dogs intelligence will become part of every day life, which is much better than an hour here an an hour there. Doing it yourself allows you to have complete control over everything you teach them and everything you teach yourself. You will become a master of your dog which will make you and them happier for years to come.

There are a few key points you need to remember when you are potty training your puppy. Being consistent, patient and using positive reinforcement techniques are things you need to take serious. I have read a post online that explains a lot about puppy training. https://graduatedogs.com/how-to-train-a-puppy/

It takes a long time to fully potty train a puppy, typically 4-6 months, sometimes even longer. The size of a dog usually makes a difference. Bigger dogs have bigger bladders, slower metabolisms and require less trips to the toilet than smaller dogs. If your puppies previous owner has allowed them to form bad habits, you may find it takes longer to toilet train them.

Begin housetraining your puppy as soon as you get them. Dogs are just like people, they start to pick up on things from a very young age. Once they are 12 weeks old, they usually are smart enough to know how to control their bladder. If they are more than 12 weeks old and are still peeing wherever they like, its going to be a bit harder to get them to break the bad habit.

Confining your puppy to a smaller space like a crate. They don’t usually want to use their living space as a toilet, so using a crate and taking them outside at regular intervals shows them where they need to go. Eventually, you will be able to let them roam the house and they will signal they need the toilet by going to the place of exit. For example, if you take them to the back garden, they are likely to go to your back door to let you know they want to go out.

Something to remember whilst you are training your puppy to pee outside is that they need consistency. You need to stick to the rules as sharp as you can as dogs are easily confused. They are very smart animals, but inconsistency in their training leads to them not knowing right from wrong. They may end up doing the wrong thing, but think they are pleasing you.

Although all dogs are great and we love them no matter what. It is a fact that some breeds are generally smarter than others. Stanley Coren is a dog psychologist from British Columbia who has studied the intelligence of dogs for years and has documented his findings in his book The Intelligence of Dogs.

If you would like a quick shortcut, i have listed below some of the dog breeds that he believes to be the smartest.

5. Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog is an alert, happy and curious breed. Curious means clever, as they are always thinking and learning. If these dogs could ask questions, they would be asking lots of them.

4. Rottweiler

Everyone knows that Rottweilers are smart. Some people see them as some kind of german war dog , they look big bold and scary. In reality, most of them are soft. One thing we do know about them is that they are very easy to train, providing you make sure they know who is the boss. This doesn’t mean you have to be nasty with them, but they are a big dog so its best to stay firm with them.

3. Papillon

Out of the smaller lap dogs, the Papillon is the first to hit the list of smart dogs. Weighing in on average 5 pounds, an athletic structure and an intelligent mind, these dogs have superior agility skills that have helped them to win big competitions.

Take a look at this video of “Gabby The Papillon” taking the division title at the 2019 WKC Masters Agility. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFNurioWZZY

2. Labrador Retriever

Did you know that Labrador Retrievers are Americas favourite dog breed? They were originally bred as water dogs and used for fishing. In recent years we have been using them as guide dogs for blind people. This is due to their will to please and how easy they are to train. Labs have been trained to sniff out the early stages of cancer in humans. This just shows how intelligent they really are.

1. Border Collie

The fastest learning dog breed. It is said that a Border Collie can learn a new command within 5 seconds and follow that command 95% of the time. They are used for herding sheep as they have the ability to round up other animals as a wolf would do, but have been bread so that the instinct to attack is no longer there. They are super agile which makes them a good choice for dog handlers to use in competitions such as Crufts. Many believe that they are the most intelligent dog breed.

I think that one of the reasons we love our dogs so much is down to their intelligence. There are lots of clever dog breeds, leaving us with so many breeds to choose from and everyone has their own favourite. They are all smart in their own way, but this 5 i have listed about are just my personal favourite. Leave a comment below with a dog breed that you think hits the list of most intelligent dog breeds.