Why do terriers and hounds often seem stubborn?

Most 'stubborn' behavior in terriers and hounds is due to them working for a different reward than the one you offer. They are often motivated by play and scent rather than treats.

How can I make training sessions more effective for terriers and hounds?

Short training sessions that end early are more effective as they build keenness, while long drills can lead to avoidance.

What is a common misconception about terriers, hounds, and independent breeds?

A common misconception is labeling these breeds as 'stubborn' when they are actually very capable learners motivated by environmental factors rather than direct commands.

What should I do if my dog ignores treats during training?

If your dog ignores treats, it may be more interested in the environment. Try using rewards that your dog truly values, such as toys or scent games.

Why is it important to understand a dog's breed group?

Understanding a dog's breed group helps identify what the dog was originally bred to do, which can inform training strategies and expectations.

Can adult and senior dogs learn new skills?

Yes, adult and senior dogs can learn new skills throughout their entire lives, so starting training later is not a lost cause.

What is the best reward for terriers or food-indifferent dogs?

The best reward is what your dog truly values, such as a favorite toy or a sniff break, which can be more motivating than food.

How can scent games benefit hounds during training?

Scent games and sniff breaks can be used as rewards, leveraging a hound's strongest drive to enhance training effectiveness.

Why might a dog eat dinner at home but ignore treats at the park?

This behavior indicates that the dog is influenced by the environment and the type of reward, not by a lack of willingness to learn.

What should be considered when training a reactive or anxious dog?

Reactive or anxious dogs benefit from a one-on-one training plan before joining group classes to help manage distractions effectively.

Dave Metcalf — Owner and Dog Trainer at Agile Dogs

Why Terriers, Hounds and Independent Breeds Test Your Patience (and How to Win Them Over)

Key Takeaways

•Most 'stubborn' behaviour in terriers and hounds is a dog working for a different reward than the one you offer.
•Play and scent often outperform treats for these breeds, so test both before you give up.
•Short sessions that end early build keenness; long drills build avoidance.
•Group classes help with distraction, but a reactive or anxious dog needs a one-on-one plan first.
•Adult and senior dogs can learn new skills throughout their entire lives, so a late start is not a lost cause.

You ask for a sit, your terrier glances at you and wanders off after a smell. Your hound hears ‘come’ and treats it as a suggestion. It feels personal, but it usually is not, and the fix is mostly about changing what you offer, not how loudly you ask.

This article sits under our hub guide, Are Some Dog Breeds Really Harder to Train Than Others? A Perth Trainer’s Honest Guide. Here the focus is narrow: what actually works with terriers, hounds and other independent thinkers.

What Do We Mean by Terriers, Hounds and Independent Breeds?

Breed groups describe what a dog was shaped to do, not how smart it is.

Terriers were developed to go after small prey and work without waiting for instructions. Hounds were developed to follow a scent or sight trail for long stretches. Other independent breeds share the same trait: they were bred to make decisions away from a handler.

That history is why ‘stubborn’ is a poor label. These dogs are often very capable learners, but their motivation points at the environment (smells, movement, small things that run) instead of at you. Your job is to become more interesting than that environment, which is a training problem you can solve.

Breed is a starting guess only. If you have a mixed breed or rescue, individual temperament tells you more, which we cover in Mixed Breeds and Rescue Dogs: Why Individual Temperament Matters More Than Breed Labels. If your dog is a high-drive herder, see Training High-Drive Working Breeds in Perth: Border Collies, Kelpies and Cattle Dogs.

A dog that ignores a treat at the park but eats dinner happily at home is telling you about the environment and the reward, not about willingness to learn.

Which Approaches Win Over Independent Breeds? Ranked

Five approaches, ranked on cost, time and how well they match the breed's drive.

1. Rewards your dog truly values, best for terriers and food-indifferent dogs

Find your dog’s real currency first. Watch what they choose when left alone: the dog who keeps bringing you a ball or dragging a rope is telling you. Tug is high value for many working and terrier breeds, and a sniff break on cue can reward the behaviour just before it.

Keep the toy out of sight until the reward moment, and store training toys separately from everyday ones. Scarcity raises value. Cost to start is close to nothing, which is why this ranks first.

Best suited for: Owners of terriers or any dog that sniffs a treat and walks away. It fits you if you can commit to timing the reward within a second or two of the behaviour.

2. Short sessions that finish early, best for easily bored dogs

Stop while your dog still wants more. Finishing on a high builds anticipation for the next session, while pushing until disengagement builds reluctance. Several brief sessions across the day beat one long drill.

Training before meals, where suitable for your dog’s health, also sharpens motivation. The drawback is that it demands consistency from you, since a skipped week costs momentum.

Best suited for: Busy households that can fit a few minutes in here and there. It suits dogs that tune out when drills drag on.

3. Scent games and sniff breaks as rewards, best for hounds

A hound’s nose is its strongest drive, so use it. Ask for a behaviour, then release your dog to investigate a spot you choose. You are paying with the thing the dog wanted anyway, and it also gives them a legitimate outlet.

The trade-off is control. Scent is a very powerful competitor outdoors, so start in low-distraction places and build up the way you would for recall.

Best suited for: Hound and hound-cross owners whose dog pulls toward every smell on the walk. It works best when you accept that sniffing is part of the deal, not the enemy.

4. Intermittent reinforcement once a skill is solid, best for lasting behaviour

Once a behaviour is reliable, stop rewarding every repetition and reward unpredictably. Intermittent reinforcement makes a behaviour harder to extinguish, which is exactly what you want in a dog with a lot of competing interests.

Do not start here. Thinning rewards too early is a common reason owners say a method ‘stopped working’.

Best suited for: Owners whose dog already responds well at home and in quiet places. It is the right step before you trust the cue in a busier setting.

Do not repeat a cue your dog cannot currently respond to. Walk over calmly and guide them instead, so the first request still counts.

5. Structured classes and behaviour consultations, best for distraction and problem behaviour

A group class gives you controlled distraction and a trainer watching your timing. Agile Dogs runs dog obedience training classes at $30 per session, with no lock-in contracts, and classes run for about an hour. Puppy classes are for puppies aged 8 to 20 weeks, at Claremont and Yangebup.

If the issue is lunging, growling or fear, book a behaviour consultation ($275 per consult) before a group. The honest drawback of both is cost: approaches 1 to 4 are free, and a busy class can overwhelm a dog that is not ready for it.

Best suited for: Owners who have tried the free approaches for a few weeks and stalled, or whose dog shows reactivity. Choose a consultation if your dog struggles around other dogs, and a class if it just gets silly with distractions.

How We Ranked These Approaches

Rankings are earned on the criteria below, not given by default. Agile Dogs' own services appear last because they cost the most to start, and that is shown plainly in the table.

Cost to start

What you pay before the first session. A buyer on a budget should know which options are free and which carry a published fee.

Time commitment

How much of your day the approach takes. A method you cannot fit into your week will not be used.

Fit with breed drive

Whether the approach pays the dog in the thing the breed group was shaped to chase, such as scent, play or movement.

Outside support needed

Whether you can do it alone or need a trainer to watch your timing and your dog's body language.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Option	Best for	Cost to start	Time commitment	Outside support needed
1. Rewards your dog truly values	Owners of terriers or any dog that sniffs a treat and walks away	Free to low	A few minutes of play per session	None
2. Short sessions that finish early	Busy households with dogs that tune out when drills drag on	Free	Brief bursts across the day	None
3. Scent games and sniff breaks	Hound and hound-cross owners whose dog pulls toward every smell	Free	Built into your daily walk	None to start
4. Intermittent reinforcement	Owners whose dog already responds well at home and in quiet places	Free	Fits within existing sessions	Helpful, not required
5. Classes and behaviour consultations	Owners who have stalled after a few weeks or whose dog shows reactivity	$30 per class session, $275 per consult	About one hour per class	Trainer-led

Which Approach Fits Your Situation?

Match your problem to the approach. If two apply, start with the cheaper one and move on only if you stall.

If you are…	Look for	Best fit
Your terrier refuses treats at the park but eats dinner at home	A reward the dog values more than food, delivered with fast timing	1. Rewards your dog truly values
Your dog is keen for two minutes, then wanders off	Sessions that end before the dog loses interest	2. Short sessions that finish early
Your hound drags toward every smell on walks	A way to pay with scent, not compete with it	3. Scent games and sniff breaks
Your dog does it perfectly at home and drops it when excited	A behaviour that is hard to extinguish	4. Intermittent reinforcement
Your dog lunges, growls or panics near other dogs	A one-on-one plan before any group exposure	5. Behaviour consultation

Questions Perth Owners Ask About Terriers and Hounds

Direct answers to the most common frustrations.

Is my terrier or hound actually stubborn?

Almost certainly not. Your dog is working for a reward you are not offering, and the environment is paying better than you are. Change the reward and the setting before you change the dog’s label.

Is it too late to train an older terrier or hound?

No. Adult and senior dogs can learn new skills throughout their entire lives. Expect more repetitions per stage, not a different process.

Should I start with a group class or a private session?

Choose a group class if your dog is sociable and just distracted. Choose a consultation first if your dog is reactive or easily overwhelmed, then move into a class once things are calmer.

Do small terriers need less training?

No. Small size does not remove the drive. For more, read Do Small Dogs Get a Free Pass? Training Challenges in Toy and Small Breeds, and Stubborn or Misunderstood? What Your Dog’s Breed Group Really Tells You About Trainability for the wider picture.

Ready to Work With Your Dog's Drive, Not Against It?

Call 0448 153 316 or send an enquiry and we will point you to the right class or session for your dog. Tell us the breed and what is going wrong, and we will take it from there.

Name(Required)

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Comments(Required)

Dave Metcalf

Owner and Dog Trainer · Agile Dogs

Dave is a fully qualified dog trainer in Perth with 20 years of experience in dog training and behaviour, holding a Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training and a Cert IV in Training and Assessment. He owns and runs Agile Dogs, which he started in Melbourne in 2011 and has been operating in Perth for over 8 years.

Author of 6 articles on Agile Dogs