When this trait is combined with the intelligence of the breed often the appearance of stubbornness results. It is the trainer's responsibility to make the exercise interesting and fun for the Briard. The old standbys of food, praise, and play usual work well with the Briard. However, each dog is different and it is the trainer's responsibility to determine which combination of the above motivators work best for a given dog. The extent to which the Briard is successfully motivated often directly correlates with the successfulness of the training endeavor.
Briards also are sensitive dogs and seem to have a sense of fair play.
If they believe that the correction was not appropriate or that it was excessive, often they shut down. Because of these traits, they do not respond well to harsh training measures that tend to work in other breeds. The newer motivational approaches work best with Briards. However, this is not to imply that aversives should not be used in the Briard training. The use of only positive approaches with no aversives often results in the dog believing that the exercise is optional or voluntary.