Originally Posted by raindog

I think this is absolutely right in most cases. I think there are some exceptions to this however - especially amongst those dog breeds which have been developed to think independently, assess situations and act accordingly. I am thinking primarily of sled dogs and livestock guardian dogs. For example, you can train a Siberian Husky (or rather it can train itself) to do anything, but it will make its own decision about whether it follows commands. A husky may retrieve a ball the first couple of times it's thrown, for example. But the next time you throw it, your dog is likely to give you an "old fashioned" look which says - "You threw it - you f*$*ing get it!"
These sort of dogs may well be obedient 99% of the time as they like to please you and are probably having fun basking in the attention you are giving them. It is the 1% which is the problem, when they decide that they will do what they feel is right, irrespective of commands from their owner.

Mick