Easy Dogs

 Ease of training was a consideration for me. With my 2nd dog, I did not want an independent breed that gets bored easily - like my husky. Been there, done with that. So, one of the requirements for my 2nd dog was ease of training. I would not consider Aussies easy dogs though just because they're easy to train.

GoldenAC

It makes me wonder if other people consider the ease of training an important consideration when chosing a dog? 

The dogs I have now came from the family's breeding program, so they weren't chosen based upon ease of training. The dogs I plan to have in the future, were not chosen based upon their ease of training, but rather a personal interest and attraction to their qualities. Ease of training really isn't something that factors into my decision for a certain dog, but I'm not an inexperienced dog person either.

For everyday people who aren't as obsessed as me, certainly I think all should think about what type of dog they are adequately able to handle and work with (and no, that doesn't mean how big you are, it means what type of experience you have!) 

Well, I didn't know any better - my hubby had been raised with German shepherds, so when we got married and bought a house, we got a GSD puppy, it was a given. It's practically impossible to find a rental that will allow dogs around here, or at least it was back then, I couldn't even find one that would let me have a cat, so being able to finally have pets was great! Little did I know that they have a "not for beginners" reputation among dogs. Sneaker did have a horrendous destructive chewing phase, but other than that she was a terrific dog, and pretty easy as GSDs go. Smart, easy to train, got along great with other dogs, loved people, all that stuff.

I found out just how much of a novice I was when we lost her at 14-1/2 years old and got Cassidy, our second GSD together. Yikes, she defined difficult! Not only had it been a very long time since I'd had a puppy, Cassidy was NOTHING like Sneaker - I was totally unprepared, so I had a crash course in dog training. That's where I first heard of NILIF, and it may as well have been invented for her. She turned out to be a pretty great dog, but she was a LOT of work, especially that first year. Our stock answer when people would ask "how's your puppy?" was "she's a handful!"  She had a little bit of long hair at the end of her tail, and I used to say she was my little girl with a curl - when she was good she was really good, but when she was bad she was HORRID!

Good thing I'm a stubborn b*tch, LOL!

To be perfectly honest, I actually never ever want to have a typical "easy" dog - they're boring to me.  Instead I want the dogs no one else wants: high drive, wicked smart, high energy, etc.

My most recent addition, Z, was in a shelter kennel for 3 MONTHS without being adopted because she was in constant motion and obsessed with running and fetching outside.  She came into my home, learned the rules quickly, I installed an "off switch", and she is really blossoming into an amazing dog with real promise for everything I want to do with her.

The first dog that was really "mine", Maggie, came to me at 11 mo 7.5 years ago, a dog that had been through at least 3 other homes before mine and with a good amount of baggage: high energy, escape artist, undersocialized, SA, the works.  She's been a therapy dog for going on 5 years now, competes in agility, acts as a demo dog in class, and is a world class hiking buddy and teacher - without her I would not be in the field I'm in currently (shelter animal behavior).

Most average pet owners *need* the "easy dogs", but for myself, I can't imagine having anything other than my "tough" dogs.
 

I think "easy" is in the eye of the beholder. If I had my choice, I'd have 10 Marlowes. I want everyone to have a Marlowe. If I could just distribute Marlowes to everyone in the middle east, we'd have world peace. But easy to train? No, that he is not. And some of the "easy to train" breeds in my agility class I could not in any way deal with. There is a golden in our class, and an aussie, and they are both just way too much dog for me. I think solid temperament goes a long, long way and it can make up for a lot of trainability.

I agree with Cressida.

How does one define easy?

Easy to train?  Easy to show?  Easy to live with?

The German Shepherd Dog is "easy" to train, as they are wicked smart and as a general whole, are incredibly biddable.  Easy to show?  Heck no (and I'm including sports such as schutzhund and agility).  Easy to live with?  Depends entirely on the dog.

Strauss is disgustingly easy to train in obedience, rally, and schutzhund.  He is HORRIFICALLY DIFFICULT to train in agility!  His drive is just so over the top when we play that game, he has put me in tears....numerous times.  Easy to live with?  Totally depends on the day...

Sometimes he's an absolute gem with the best house manners, and other times he slams around the house like an Ox with a sledgehammer tied to his tail.  Sometimes he's superb with Buddy (the Labrador), and other times it's like Chuckie's soul has possessed him and he tries to maul the Yellow mass of wuss.

Shepherds, as a general whole, are ones I would consider "easy" as far as training goes.  But overall?  If you don't know what you're doing, or aren't willing to learn, you better stick your head between your knees and kiss your butt goodbye...give a wave to your sanity as it speeds past ya too
 

 Some people say Australian Shepherds are easy.  But, the following statement certainly summarizes Sequoyah to a "T" - not boring - wicked smart, energy up the yingyang - if you aren't one step ahead of her, she will be light years ahead of you LOL.

To be perfectly honest, I actually never ever want to have a typical "easy" dog - they're boring to me.  Instead I want the dogs no one else wants: high drive, wicked smart, high energy, etc.

I also like a challenge.  Maska would, no doubt, increase our chances of world peace, too, but he does have the typical hound independence.  And, some of the dogs I have run across over the years as a trainer would curl your hair.  Would I own them?  Nah.  Do I enjoy the challenge of training them?  Yup.  Now, if someone could just tell me how to find more "easy" owners........

I don't think "ease of training" has anything to do with a dog being "easy to live with", which I presume is what people mean when they say an "easy" dog. I think an "easy" dog is a dog who is well, "moderate": moderate energy, moderate drives, moderately easy to train (super-easy-to-train-dogs are actually often more difficult for the novice to train, because they are not forgiving of mistakes), moderate laid-back personality, relaxed forgiving temperament.

For my next dog I want one who is super laid back. I love Rascal to pieces, but I hate having a dog that people can't, for example, stroke affectionately. I hate having a dog that I have to take tons of precautions for so he doesn't bite people. I hate having a dog who requires extreme focus in order to manage him and his environment.

My childhood dog was a super mellow Sheltie. She was perfect for me. Pretty easy to train (though occasionally willful), very gregarious and friendly, no temperament issues at all. I would love an "easy to live with" dog. And by that I mean just a "bomb-proof," unflappable, stable temperament. 

Xeph

I agree with Cressida.

How does one define easy?

Easy to train?  Easy to show?  Easy to live with?

The German Shepherd Dog is "easy" to train, as they are wicked smart and as a general whole, are incredibly biddable.  Easy to show?  Heck no (and I'm including sports such as schutzhund and agility).  Easy to live with?  Depends entirely on the dog.

I now realize that I wasn't entirely clear what I meant in my original post (I blame it on the benedryl).  But I have also had problems defining what I mean by "easy" dogs although I know I have had them and so I used the term easy to train as a catch-all since I believe to some extent that you train a dog or they train themselves to be easy to live with.

My goldens have both had tons of energy but also have natural off-switches.  I have never had to use NILIF.  Lord knows, when I prepare their dinners the puppies are chilling in the living room, I frequently deliver their food.  How do I explain, they are easy!

In terms of training for competition we have had our challenges.  We started in agility since it is more exciting for young dogs and Selli was really bored in obedience, but Goldens are commonly handler focused which presents big problems in making time in the upper levels of competition.  But those are more my issues than Selli's, I need to think and react faster to let her now where she should go.  In obedience we need more practice, once again my issue.

It does come down to my personality, I would prefer to spend my time letting my dogs run free than training them.  However, I have nothing but respect and admiration for people who are more dedicated to training their dogs.  That is why I chose easy dogs.  

I gotta say, I was spoiled by my 'easy' dogs.  Co-Co was a bit more hard-headed but still all in all it didn't take much to get her to be pleasant to live w/.  Now we have Mystic....and issues.  In some ways I wish she was as easy as the others, but then again I think trying to work through her issues is bringing us closer.  I don't think I could do more than on 'hard' dog at a time though, and compared to what some people take on Mystic is still 'easy'.

Xeph

If you don't know what you're doing, or aren't willing to learn, you better stick your head between your knees and kiss your butt goodbye...give a wave to your sanity as it speeds past ya too

What she said! LOL

Cara and Mia were super easy, but I didn't know that until I got Jaia and B'asia...   Emphasis on the B'asia. I didn't consider whether or not any of them would be easy. I've wanted Shepherds all my life and I love challenge, so the question of ease (of training or living with) didn't really enter into it.

mudpuppy

I don't think "ease of training" has anything to do with a dog being "easy to live with", which I presume is what people mean when they say an "easy" dog. I think an "easy" dog is a dog who is well, "moderate": moderate energy, moderate drives, moderately easy to train (super-easy-to-train-dogs are actually often more difficult for the novice to train, because they are not forgiving of mistakes), moderate laid-back personality, relaxed forgiving temperament.

I agree. The Volhard personality test says that a dog with high pack drive and low prey drive is the perfect family pet. That would be an "easy" dog, while one with very low pack drive, especially with high prey or fight drive could be quite difficult, especially for the novice dog owner. One of my dogs scored very high in both pack AND prey drive, not sure what that means.  

Cassidys Mom

The Volhard personality test

Interesting test! Thanks for that.