When dogs are awake, they’re always learning - whether we want them to or not. Dogs learn when they interact with us, other people, and the environment. Thinking about this can make a big difference in our outcomes.
Set a Goal.
Knowing what we’re training can help us achieve that goal. There’s no one set of skills that a dog needs to know to be a “good dog.” Each dog and each family will have different needs based on personalities, lifestyles, and interests.
Each skill or behavior has a range of how well we want a dog to know that skill. For example, “Sit.” While we all know what a “sit” looks like, there are a lot of possible questions. Here are just a few:
- How quickly should your dog begin to respond when you give the signal?
- How fast should your dog move to complete the sit? This will not be the same for a really big dog and a tiny dog.
- Do you want your dog to sit square and centered, or is it okay if they sit over onto a hip?
- Do you want a word or a hand signal?
- Should your dog sit right in front of you or where they are? 5 feet away? 10 feet? 100 feet away?
- Will you be standing? Sitting? Lying on the ground? In a separate room and watching from a camera?
- Should they be able to go from a run to a sit?
- What if there is a squirrel nearby? Other people? Dogs playing in the park?
Look at Rewards.
A common saying in dog training is that “consequences drive behavior.” Dogs want good things to happen, and they want to avoid unpleasant experiences. Using rewards is a great way to build new behaviors.
For some dogs and behaviors, we may use food rewards, whether this is dry dog food, tiny pieces of chicken, or pet store treats. For other dogs, we might use a fetch toy or a game of tug as a reward.
Food rewards are often easier for people and dogs newer to training. Treats are ideal for behaviors where we need more calm feelings, and toys are an excellent option for when we may need more action or intensity.
Test your rewards to see if your dog is interested. If you want to train in the park, we want to be sure that your dog will eagerly eat his treats before we ask him to learn a skill at the park or perform a skill at the park. If he’s too excited to eat those, then we may need something more delicious, or we may need to start in an environment that is less distracting than the park. You can read more about selecting food rewards here.
If your dog loves playing in the backyard, we need to check how he feels about tug in the front yard before we work on skills there. Do we have a toy appropriate for playing tug while on a leash? Can we put the toy in our pocket? Does your dog understand how to play in a location other than the backyard?
Choose an Environment.
We want to start with minimal distractions and gradually increase distractions over time. You can read more about distractions here. Beginning in a quieter environment will give us a point of success and the opportunity to build behaviors over time.
If our initial environment is too challenging, a training session may lead to frustration for you and your dog.
Outline a Training Plan.
A training plan outlines where you are now, where you want to be, and all the steps in between. This is often one of the more tricky parts. A pre-written training plan, such as one you find online or in a book, may be appropriate. Your dog may need more steps, fewer steps, or different steps.
An experienced trainer will know how quickly to move through the steps, when to adjust, and when to roll back a step or two. Someone new to training may move through the stages less efficiently. If you move too quickly, your dog will not be confident, and you may get stuck in your training. If you move too slowly, your dog may be frustrated when you eventually move on.
A Sample Training Plan
Here’s an example of a training plan. A trainer will want to see a dog be at least 90% successful at each stage before going to the next step. We will want to see a few repetitions at each stage to be sure a dog demonstrates confidence and competency before we move on.
Your dog will get a reward if they hold still for the challenges. If they get up, we ask them to sit and try the same level again.
- Your dog sits in front of you
- Your dog sits in front of you while you pick up your foot 3” and put it back on the ground.
- Your dog sits in front of you while you pick up your foot 6” and put it back to the ground.
- Your dog sits in front of you while you move your foot 4” to the side and back to the starting point.
- Your dog sits in front while you move both feet to the right 4” and then back to the starting point.
- Your dog sits in front while you move both feet to the left 4” and then back to the starting point.
- Your dog sits in front while you move both feet back 4” and then return to your starting point.
- Your dog sits in front while you step back 8” back and then return to your starting point.
If you couldn’t tell - this was the beginning of a stay training plan. For some dogs, we may need 1” increments. For others, we might be able to move more than 3” at a time.
While this sounds slow, more training steps in the beginning often lead to faster, longer-term progress.
Work Through your Training Plan.
Move through your training plan while adjusting the plan as needed. If you or your dog are frustrated, add more steps. If your dog progresses quickly, you might skip steps or do fewer repetitions at each stage.
Reflect back on your sessions and continue to adjust your plan if you are not having success. If you are new to training, a professional can assist you in changing your training plan or looking at a different approach. Someone who has spent more time can help you be more efficient as you and your dog progress.
What Next?
Once you’ve achieved a goal, you might decide to make something more advanced or pick a new goal. We often get asked, “When is a dog trained?” but that’s like asking, “When is a person educated?” There’s always more dogs can learn - the limits are your time and creativity!
