The Skye Terrier is a very smart dog and a quick learner. The downside to this is they are just as quick to pick up bad habits as they are the good. Their training has to begin early and it has to be consistent and always fair throughout a dog's life so they understand what owners expect of them. Skye Terriers are never happier than when they are given something to do which is why they are so amenable to learning new things.
The key to successfully training a Skye Terrier is to make their training as interesting as possible and to avoid too much repetition. It's also a good idea to keep training sessions short which helps dogs stay more focussed on what it’s being asked of them, bearing in mind that the more intelligent a dog is, the faster they get bored. It's also important to show dogs a lot of patience bearing in mind that Skye Terriers do boast a bit of a stubborn streak in them, much like many other terrier breeds.
They do not answer well to harsh correction or any sort of heavy handed training methods, but they do respond extremely well to positive reinforcement which always brings the best out of these intelligent and quick witted dogs, especially when there are high value rewards involved. However, care has to be taken not to give too many food rewards because Skye Terriers are prone to gaining a lot of weight far too easily.
