14/08/2025
Very important info in this post 🙌🏼
Temperament Versus Training: Why Understanding the Difference is Crucial
In the world of dog training, two words are often thrown around as though they are interchangeable: temperament and training. Yet, they are fundamentally different concepts, and understanding the distinction between them can mean the difference between frustration and progress, between success and failure. Whether you are a pet owner, a seasoned trainer, or a working dog handler, your ability to separate temperament from training and adapt accordingly, is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.
What Is Temperament?
Temperament is a dog’s natural predisposition, their inbuilt operating system. It is shaped by a complex mix of genetics, early experiences, breed tendencies, and sometimes prenatal influences. Temperament governs how a dog responds to the world:
• Are they naturally confident or cautious?
• Social or reserved?
• Steady under pressure or quick to react?
• Adaptable or rigid in routine?
Temperament does not mean a dog cannot learn or change, but it does mean they will approach situations with a particular default setting. Think of it as the colour of the canvas you’re painting on, you can add layers and details, but the base colour will always influence the final picture.
What Is Training?
Training is the process of teaching, guiding, and reinforcing behaviours we want the dog to display, while reducing or replacing those we don’t. Training is a learned skill set, not an inborn trait. It’s what we as humans actively do to shape behaviour, from teaching a reliable recall to introducing advanced scent detection patterns. Training is flexible and adaptable, but it is always layered on top of whatever temperament the dog possesses.
The Key Difference
Put simply:
• Temperament is who the dog is at their core.
• Training is what the dog knows and can do.
If temperament is the raw material, training is the craftsmanship. You can’t ignore the material you’re working with. A master carpenter may be able to create beautiful furniture from oak or pine, but they’ll work differently with each because they understand the properties of the wood. The same is true with dogs, you can achieve excellent results with a wide range of temperaments, but only if you work with them rather than against them.
Why Temperament Matters in Training
Temperament has a direct and profound effect on training. For example:
• A bold, confident dog may embrace new challenges but be more likely to push boundaries and test limits.
• A sensitive, cautious dog may excel in calm, structured environments but struggle in noisy, unpredictable ones.
• A high-drive working breed may power through intense training sessions but quickly become frustrated without enough mental and physical stimulation.
If you try to train every dog with the same method, you will inevitably hit resistance with some. The training may “work” on paper, but it won’t be as effective, efficient, or sustainable as it could be if you adapted to the individual dog’s temperament.
Common Mistakes When Ignoring Temperament
1. Forcing a One-Size-Fits-All Method – Expecting every dog to learn at the same pace, with the same approach, is a recipe for frustration.
2. Mistaking Temperament for Disobedience – A slow-to-warm-up dog isn’t necessarily stubborn; they may just need more time and reassurance.
3. Overlooking Stress Signals – Pushing a nervous dog too far, too quickly, can damage trust and set training back weeks.
4. Failing to Challenge the Confident Dog – Dogs with robust temperaments need to be mentally stretched, or they’ll find their own entertainment (often at your expense).
Training the Dog in Front of You
A core principle for any competent trainer or handler is this: train the dog in front of you, not the dog you wish you had. This means:
• Assess Before You Act – Observe body language, reactions, and energy levels before deciding how to proceed.
• Adapt Your Approach – Your tone of voice, reward choice, pacing, and environment may all need to change depending on the dog’s temperament.
• Work With, Not Against, Instincts – You can’t erase a dog’s drives or temperament, but you can channel them productively.
• Be Flexible – What works today may need tweaking tomorrow, especially as confidence, maturity, or experience changes the dog’s outlook.
Why Temperament Can’t Be “Trained Out”
Training can significantly influence behaviour, but it cannot completely overwrite core temperament. For example, a naturally wary dog can be taught to cope better with strangers, but it may never become the life-of-the-party social butterfly. Similarly, a naturally high-arousal dog can learn impulse control, but they will likely always need regular outlets for their energy.
Understanding this protects both you and the dog from unrealistic expectations. Instead of trying to force a square peg into a round hole, you focus on setting that dog up for their version of success.
Balanced Training and Temperament
Balanced training, the thoughtful combination of positive reinforcement, fair correction, and clear boundaries, is well-suited to working with different temperaments because it offers flexibility. It allows the trainer to:
• Use higher rates of reward for sensitive or uncertain dogs.
• Implement clear structure and consequence for pushy or overconfident dogs.
• Introduce challenges progressively, building resilience without flooding the dog.
The common thread is adaptability, guided by observation and understanding.
The Takeaway
Temperament is the starting point; training is the journey. You can influence, shape, and improve a dog’s behaviour through training, but you can’t completely rewrite who they are at their core. The most skilled handlers don’t fight the dog’s temperament, they work with it, adapting their techniques to bring out the best in that individual.
For dog owners, this means letting go of unrealistic comparisons (“Why can’t my dog be more like…?”) and focusing instead on progress. For trainers and handlers, it means rejecting cookie-cutter programmes in favour of thoughtful, tailored approaches.
In short:
Know the temperament. Respect the temperament. Train accordingly. That’s where real success lies.
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