Data study · 2026

The Dog Training
Difficulty Index.

Name: TailorPup Dog Training Difficulty Index (2026)
Creator: TailorPup
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

We scored all 240 dog breeds in our training database on how hard they are to train, blending each breed's trainability with its energy level into a single 0–100 difficulty score. The result is the clearest picture we know of which breeds demand the most from an owner, and which are the most forgiving.

Below: the 15 hardest breeds, the 15 easiest, difficulty by breed group, and the full ranked dataset for all 240 breeds. The methodology is open, cite it, argue with it, build on it.

Greenland Dog

Hardest breed to train (score 100/100)

Toy Poodle

Easiest to train (score 10/100)

Hound

Hardest group overall (avg 70/100)

The 15 hardest breeds to train

Independent sighthounds, primitive breeds, and high-drive northern dogs dominate the top of the list, breeds selected to think and act on their own, not to take direction.

#	Breed	Group	Trainability	Energy	Difficulty
1	Greenland Dog	Working	4/10	Very high	100
2	Afghan Hound	Hound	4/10	High	90
3	Basenji	Hound	4/10	High	90
4	Saluki	Hound	4/10	High	90
5	Saarloos Wolfdog	Herding	5/10	Very high	88
6	Siberian Husky	Working	5/10	Very high	88
7	Azawakh	Hound	5/10	High	78
8	Hungarian Greyhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
9	Otterhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
10	Pharaoh Hound	Hound	5/10	High	78
11	Shiba Inu	Non-Sporting	5/10	High	78
12	Sloughi	Hound	5/10	High	78
13	Spanish Greyhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
14	Thai Ridgeback	Spitz & Primitive	5/10	High	78
15	Alaskan Malamute	Working	6/10	Very high	77

The 15 easiest breeds to train

Poodles and the classic herding breeds top the easy end, dogs bred to work in close partnership with a handler and to learn fast.

#	Breed	Group	Trainability	Energy	Difficulty
240	Toy Poodle	Companion	10/10	Medium	10
239	Standard Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
238	Shetland Sheepdog	Herding	10/10	High	20
237	Poodle	Non-Sporting	10/10	High	20
236	Miniature Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
235	Medium Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
234	Rottweiler	Working	9/10	Medium	22
233	German Shepherd	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
232	Doberman Pinscher	Working	10/10	Very high	30
231	Border Collie	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
230	Belgian Malinois	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
229	White Swiss Shepherd	Herding	9/10	High	32
228	Schnoodle	Companion	9/10	High	32
227	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Herding	9/10	High	32
226	Papillon	Toy	9/10	High	32

The catch worth quoting

Easy to train is not the same as easy to own.

The Border Collie, German Shepherd, and Belgian Malinois score as some of the easiest to train, they learn faster than almost any breed. But their very high energy makes them among the hardest to live with for an unprepared owner: a brilliant dog with nothing to do is a destructive one. The takeaway for first-time owners is counter-intuitive: the safest beginner breeds are not the smartest ones, they are the trainable-and-lower-energy ones near the bottom of the difficulty list.

Training difficulty by breed group

Hound70

Spitz & Primitive58

Terrier56

Non-Sporting51

Toy51

Working50

Sporting48

Herding45

Companion37

Mixed36

Average difficulty score per group (groups with 3+ breeds). Higher = harder to train.

Methodology

Every breed in TailorPup's training library carries two scored attributes used here: a trainability rating (4–10, how readily the breed learns and follows cues) and an energy level (low, medium, high, very high). The difficulty score blends them:

Trainability, 70% weight. A breed that learns and complies less readily is harder to train. Scored as (10 − trainability) ÷ 6.
Energy, 30% weight. More drive means more to manage in every session. Low = 0, medium = 1, high = 2, very high = 3, scaled to 0–1.
The two are combined and scaled to a 0–100 score (0 = easiest, 100 = hardest), then all 240 breeds are ranked.

What this is and is not. This is an editorial index of breed tendencies, not a study of individual dogs. Any dog of any breed can be a joy or a challenge depending on its upbringing and training. Breed is a starting point, not a destiny, which is exactly why TailorPup builds each dog's plan around its specific breed, age, and behavior rather than a one-size-fits-all program.

Cite this study

Free to reference and republish with attribution and a link (CC BY 4.0). Suggested credit:

“TailorPup Dog Training Difficulty Index (2026), tailorpup.com/dog-training-difficulty-index”

Journalists and writers: for the raw dataset, breed-level breakdowns, or a quote, email press@tailorpup.com.

The full dataset: all 240 breeds ranked

#	Breed	Group	Trainability	Energy	Difficulty
1	Greenland Dog	Working	4/10	Very high	100
2	Afghan Hound	Hound	4/10	High	90
3	Basenji	Hound	4/10	High	90
4	Saluki	Hound	4/10	High	90
5	Saarloos Wolfdog	Herding	5/10	Very high	88
6	Siberian Husky	Working	5/10	Very high	88
7	Azawakh	Hound	5/10	High	78
8	Hungarian Greyhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
9	Otterhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
10	Pharaoh Hound	Hound	5/10	High	78
11	Shiba Inu	Non-Sporting	5/10	High	78
12	Sloughi	Hound	5/10	High	78
13	Spanish Greyhound	Hound	5/10	High	78
14	Thai Ridgeback	Spitz & Primitive	5/10	High	78
15	Alaskan Malamute	Working	6/10	Very high	77
16	Czechoslovakian Wolfdog	Herding	6/10	Very high	77
17	Plott Hound	Hound	6/10	Very high	77
18	Treeing Walker Coonhound	Hound	6/10	Very high	77
19	Chow Chow	Non-Sporting	4/10	Low	70
20	Pekingese	Toy	4/10	Low	70
21	Tibetan Mastiff	Working	4/10	Low	70
22	Anatolian Shepherd	Working	5/10	Medium	68
23	Bloodhound	Hound	5/10	Medium	68
24	Borzoi	Hound	5/10	Medium	68
25	Caucasian Shepherd	Herding	5/10	Medium	68
26	Central Asian Shepherd	Herding	5/10	Medium	68
27	Chinese Shar-Pei	Non-Sporting	5/10	Medium	68
28	Italian Greyhound	Toy	5/10	Medium	68
29	Kuvasz	Working	5/10	Medium	68
30	Miniature Dachshund	Hound	5/10	Medium	68
31	Scottish Deerhound	Hound	5/10	Medium	68
32	Scottish Terrier	Terrier	5/10	Medium	68
33	Wirehaired Dachshund	Hound	5/10	Medium	68
34	Aidi	Herding	6/10	High	67
35	Beagle	Hound	6/10	High	67
36	Bluetick Coonhound	Hound	6/10	High	67
37	Bull Terrier	Terrier	6/10	High	67
38	Cairn Terrier	Terrier	6/10	High	67
39	Cirneco dell'Etna	Hound	6/10	High	67
40	Drever	Hound	6/10	High	67
41	Finnish Spitz	Non-Sporting	6/10	High	67
42	Harrier	Hound	6/10	High	67
43	Hokkaido	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	High	67
44	Karelian Bear Dog	Working	6/10	High	67
45	Kishu Ken	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	High	67
46	Korean Jindo	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	High	67
47	Miniature Bull Terrier	Terrier	6/10	High	67
48	Miniature Pinscher	Toy	6/10	High	67
49	Norwegian Elkhound	Hound	6/10	High	67
50	Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen	Hound	6/10	High	67
51	Redbone Coonhound	Hound	6/10	High	67
52	Shikoku	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	High	67
53	West Highland White Terrier	Terrier	6/10	High	67
54	Whippet	Hound	6/10	High	67
55	Chesapeake Bay Retriever	Sporting	7/10	Very high	65
56	Dalmatian	Non-Sporting	7/10	Very high	65
57	Irish Setter	Sporting	7/10	Very high	65
58	Jack Russell Terrier	Terrier	7/10	Very high	65
59	Pointer	Sporting	7/10	Very high	65
60	Basset Hound	Hound	5/10	Low	58
61	Komondor	Working	5/10	Low	58
62	Lhasa Apso	Non-Sporting	5/10	Low	58
63	Neapolitan Mastiff	Working	5/10	Low	58
64	Spanish Mastiff	Working	5/10	Low	58
65	Affenpinscher	Toy	6/10	Medium	57
66	Akita	Working	6/10	Medium	57
67	Akita Inu	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	Medium	57
68	American Akita	Spitz & Primitive	6/10	Medium	57
69	Boerboel	Working	6/10	Medium	57
70	Brussels Griffon	Toy	6/10	Medium	57
71	Chihuahua	Toy	6/10	Medium	57
72	Dachshund	Hound	6/10	Medium	57
73	Dandie Dinmont Terrier	Terrier	6/10	Medium	57
74	Glen of Imaal Terrier	Terrier	6/10	Medium	57
75	Greyhound	Hound	6/10	Medium	57
76	Irish Wolfhound	Hound	6/10	Medium	57
77	Kangal Shepherd	Herding	6/10	Medium	57
78	Long-Haired Dachshund	Hound	6/10	Medium	57
79	Maltese	Toy	6/10	Medium	57
80	Presa Canario	Working	6/10	Medium	57
81	Pug	Toy	6/10	Medium	57
82	Sealyham Terrier	Terrier	6/10	Medium	57
83	Skye Terrier	Terrier	6/10	Medium	57
84	Tosa Inu	Working	6/10	Medium	57
85	Airedale Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
86	American Water Spaniel	Sporting	7/10	High	55
87	Bedlington Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
88	Border Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
89	Brazilian Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
90	Catahoula Leopard Dog	Hound	7/10	High	55
91	Curly-Coated Retriever	Sporting	7/10	High	55
92	Dogo Argentino	Working	7/10	High	55
93	English Setter	Sporting	7/10	High	55
94	Gordon Setter	Sporting	7/10	High	55
95	Hovawart	Working	7/10	High	55
96	Irish Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
97	Irish Water Spaniel	Sporting	7/10	High	55
98	Kerry Blue Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
99	Lakeland Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
100	Manchester Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
101	Norfolk Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
102	Norwich Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
103	Parson Russell Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
104	Picardy Shepherd	Herding	7/10	High	55
105	Polish Lowland Sheepdog	Herding	7/10	High	55
106	Pomchi	Companion	7/10	High	55
107	Pomsky	Companion	7/10	High	55
108	Puli	Herding	7/10	High	55
109	Rhodesian Ridgeback	Hound	7/10	High	55
110	Russian Toy	Companion	7/10	High	55
111	Samoyed	Working	7/10	High	55
112	Schipperke	Non-Sporting	7/10	High	55
113	Silky Terrier	Toy	7/10	High	55
114	Smooth Fox Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
115	Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
116	Spinone Italiano	Sporting	7/10	High	55
117	Staffordshire Bull Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
118	Welsh Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
119	Wire Fox Terrier	Terrier	7/10	High	55
120	Appenzeller Sennenhund	Herding	8/10	Very high	53
121	Boxer	Working	8/10	Very high	53
122	Entlebucher Mountain Dog	Herding	8/10	Very high	53
123	Flat-Coated Retriever	Sporting	8/10	Very high	53
124	German Wirehaired Pointer	Sporting	8/10	Very high	53
125	Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever	Sporting	8/10	Very high	53
126	Pumi	Herding	8/10	Very high	53
127	Vizsla	Sporting	8/10	Very high	53
128	Weimaraner	Sporting	8/10	Very high	53
129	Bulldog	Non-Sporting	6/10	Low	47
130	Dogue de Bordeaux	Working	6/10	Low	47
131	English Bulldog	Working	6/10	Low	47
132	English Mastiff	Working	6/10	Low	47
133	Great Pyrenees	Working	6/10	Low	47
134	Japanese Chin	Toy	6/10	Low	47
135	Shih Tzu	Toy	6/10	Low	47
136	American Bully	Working	7/10	Medium	45
137	American Cocker Spaniel	Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
138	Bergamasco Shepherd	Herding	7/10	Medium	45
139	Bichon Frise	Non-Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
140	Biewer Terrier	Companion	7/10	Medium	45
141	Boston Terrier	Non-Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
142	Chinese Crested Dog	Companion	7/10	Medium	45
143	Clumber Spaniel	Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
144	Eurasier	Spitz & Primitive	7/10	Medium	45
145	Fila Brasileiro	Working	7/10	Medium	45
146	French Bulldog	Non-Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
147	German Spitz	Spitz & Primitive	7/10	Medium	45
148	Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	Working	7/10	Medium	45
149	Malshi	Companion	7/10	Medium	45
150	Morkie	Companion	7/10	Medium	45
151	Old English Sheepdog	Herding	7/10	Medium	45
152	Pomeranian	Toy	7/10	Medium	45
153	Sussex Spaniel	Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
154	Tibetan Terrier	Non-Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
155	Xoloitzcuintli	Non-Sporting	7/10	Medium	45
156	Yorkshire Terrier	Toy	7/10	Medium	45
157	American Eskimo Dog	Non-Sporting	8/10	High	43
158	American Pit Bull Terrier	Terrier	8/10	High	43
159	American Staffordshire Terrier	Terrier	8/10	High	43
160	Bearded Collie	Herding	8/10	High	43
161	Beauceron	Herding	8/10	High	43
162	Black Russian Terrier	Working	8/10	High	43
163	Bouvier des Flandres	Herding	8/10	High	43
164	Boykin Spaniel	Sporting	8/10	High	43
165	Bracco Italiano	Sporting	8/10	High	43
166	Briard	Herding	8/10	High	43
167	Cardigan Welsh Corgi	Herding	8/10	High	43
168	Cockapoo	Mixed	8/10	High	43
169	Cocker Spaniel	Sporting	8/10	High	43
170	Croatian Sheepdog	Herding	8/10	High	43
171	English Cocker Spaniel	Sporting	8/10	High	43
172	Field Spaniel	Sporting	8/10	High	43
173	Finnish Lapphund	Herding	8/10	High	43
174	Icelandic Sheepdog	Herding	8/10	High	43
175	Kooikerhondje	Sporting	8/10	High	43
176	Lagotto Romagnolo	Sporting	8/10	High	43
177	Lapponian Herder	Working	8/10	High	43
178	Miniature Schnauzer	Terrier	8/10	High	43
179	Rat Terrier	Terrier	8/10	High	43
180	Rough Collie	Herding	8/10	High	43
181	Standard Schnauzer	Working	8/10	High	43
182	Swedish Vallhund	Herding	8/10	High	43
183	Toy Fox Terrier	Toy	8/10	High	43
184	Welsh Springer Spaniel	Sporting	8/10	High	43
185	Wirehaired Pointing Griffon	Sporting	8/10	High	43
186	Australian Cattle Dog	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
187	Australian Kelpie	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
188	Australian Shepherd	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
189	Belgian Tervuren	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
190	Brittany	Sporting	9/10	Very high	42
191	Dutch Shepherd	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
192	English Springer Spaniel	Sporting	9/10	Very high	42
193	German Shorthaired Pointer	Sporting	9/10	Very high	42
194	Giant Schnauzer	Working	9/10	Very high	42
195	Labradoodle	Mixed	9/10	Very high	42
196	Labrador Retriever	Sporting	9/10	Very high	42
197	Portuguese Water Dog	Working	9/10	Very high	42
198	Pyrenean Shepherd	Herding	9/10	Very high	42
199	Bolognese	Companion	7/10	Low	35
200	Bullmastiff	Working	7/10	Low	35
201	King Charles Spaniel	Companion	7/10	Low	35
202	Mastiff	Working	7/10	Low	35
203	Saint Bernard	Working	7/10	Low	35
204	Bernedoodle	Mixed	8/10	Medium	33
205	Bernese Mountain Dog	Working	8/10	Medium	33
206	Cane Corso	Working	8/10	Medium	33
207	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Toy	8/10	Medium	33
208	Cavapoo	Mixed	8/10	Medium	33
209	Coton de Tulear	Non-Sporting	8/10	Medium	33
210	Great Dane	Working	8/10	Medium	33
211	Havanese	Toy	8/10	Medium	33
212	Japanese Spitz	Spitz & Primitive	8/10	Medium	33
213	Keeshond	Non-Sporting	8/10	Medium	33
214	Leonberger	Working	8/10	Medium	33
215	Mixed Breed	Mixed	8/10	Medium	33
216	Newfoundland	Working	8/10	Medium	33
217	Barbet	Sporting	9/10	High	32
218	Belgian Groenendael	Herding	9/10	High	32
219	Collie	Herding	9/10	High	32
220	Doberman	Working	9/10	High	32
221	Golden Retriever	Sporting	9/10	High	32
222	Goldendoodle	Mixed	9/10	High	32
223	Miniature American Shepherd	Herding	9/10	High	32
224	Miniature Australian Shepherd	Herding	9/10	High	32
225	Mudi	Herding	9/10	High	32
226	Papillon	Toy	9/10	High	32
227	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Herding	9/10	High	32
228	Schnoodle	Companion	9/10	High	32
229	White Swiss Shepherd	Herding	9/10	High	32
230	Belgian Malinois	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
231	Border Collie	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
232	Doberman Pinscher	Working	10/10	Very high	30
233	German Shepherd	Herding	10/10	Very high	30
234	Rottweiler	Working	9/10	Medium	22
235	Medium Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
236	Miniature Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
237	Poodle	Non-Sporting	10/10	High	20
238	Shetland Sheepdog	Herding	10/10	High	20
239	Standard Poodle	Companion	10/10	High	20
240	Toy Poodle	Companion	10/10	Medium	10

Whatever your breed scored, the plan adapts

Hard-to-train breed or easy one, TailorPup builds a personalized 12-week program around your dog's breed, age, and behavior.

Build my dog's program

The Dog TrainingDifficulty Index.