A renowned dog trainer has revealed the three breeds he “hates” working with.
Canine behaviourist Will Atherton, who boasts more than 900,000 YouTube subscribers, helps people choose the ideal dog for their lifestyle by sharing insights into various breeds’ temperaments and behaviours.
In a recent video, Will admitted: “The reality is, when you have worked with as many dogs as I have, even though we love dogs as canine professionals […] we all have our favourite breeds to work with, and our breeds that we really don’t like working with.”
He then detailed the three breeds that top his list…
Dachshund
Will said the Dachshund has “boomed in popularity recently”, and he believes this is also because of how they look.
He explained they were bred to be “incredibly tenacious hunters”, and added: “If people get them for the lifestyle of chilling on the sofa, maybe as an Instagram accessory, you are setting you and them up for failure.
“They tend to suffer with reactivity in extreme measures, they are very yappy little dogs, and because of their boom in popularity, it means that a lot of people are getting them with no real commitment to doing much with them, and it leads them down a path to become very obnoxious, frustrating little dogs.”
However, Will did say that if you commit to the level of training required, Dachshunds can be “cool, fun little dogs”.
Siberian Husky
Will revealed that despite having once owned a Siberian Husky – the first dog he rescued and rehabilitated – he dislikes working with them.
Will explained: “I’ll be completely honest, one of the reasons I wanted to rescue and rehabilitate that Husky in the first place – and I think if other Husky owners are being completely honest themselves – is that the driving force behind getting that breed is how they look. Because they do look absolutely beautiful.”
He cautioned against making the same mistake he did, highlighting Huskies’ “incredibly high energy output” that means they “rarely have the physically rewarding lifestyle they require”. Will also described them as “aloof”, “drama queens” that are challenging to train, and “more like cats than dogs”.
Shar Pei
Turning his attention to the Shar Pei, Will said: “They seem to be a breed that develops behaviour problems very, very easily, and when they do develop them they tend to be incredibly significant problems that are also incredibly difficult to fix. Pair that with their natural tendencies, characteristics and general demeanour, it makes them a dog that is very rarely a loveable, happy-go-lucky, well-behaved, well-trained, well-socialised canine companion.”
Despite this, Will acknowledged that he has encountered “great examples” of well-adjusted Shar Pei dogs, but also noted that this breed is one he has frequently seen “go seriously wrong”.
