Dog trainer reveals popular breed 'experts never own' as it's 'more cat than dog'
An expert dog trainer has revealed what he believes to be the most challenging dog breed to train in the world.
Canine behaviourist Will Atherton, with more than 900,000 followers on TikTok, regularly shares training tips and advice on what breeds are suitable for which people, depending on temperament and lifestyle.
In one of his viral videos, Will was asked: "What is the hardest dog breed I've ever had to train?" With extensive experience working with thousands of dogs spanning hundreds of breeds, Will is exceptionally qualified to weigh in on the subject.
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He said the breeds that often pose the greatest training challenges are those "bred to work very independently". He added: "You combine that with violent or guarding tendencies, and it often means - not necessarily that they're harder to train - but the potential for things going wrong goes through the roof."
In Will's experience, livestock guardian breeds such as the Caucasian Shepherd or the Turkish Kangal exemplify this "perfectly". However, there's another popular breed Will consistently finds more "challenging" to instruct - the Siberian Husky.
He said: "It's why you will rarely, if ever, see practising dog trainers or canine professionals actually owning them. And my opinion is that they are more cat than they are dog."
The comments section was filled with owners sharing their own Husky experiences, with many agreeing with Will's sentiment. One commented: "As a third time Husky owner I partially agree with that statement. They sure are stubborn and independent, though very smart, they just get bored, really." Another shared: "Yep! My Husky has been through three trainers. He listens most of the time."
This comes after another dog trainer revealed three "large" breeds he would never recommend for families, including one "monster of a dog" that he would not have around kids.