“My dog knows… Sit, Come, Heel… unless…”

Does he REALLY?

This is a such a familiar comment from a dog owners. They tell me, “My dog knows these commands, but just does not obey”… if excited, if out of the home, if there are visitors, or if around other dogs.

May I suggest, the dog may not really know what you think he knows.

Let’s start with the simplest behavior – sit. Fido sits every morning for breakfast, and he sits for his afternoon dog biscuit. So, Fido “really knows” sit, right?

Not based on that information.

GENERALIZATION
One of the most important facts to know about training a dog is this: Most dogs do not generalize well. What does this mean? Dogs are “situational” learners. So being in the habit of sitting for a meal, does not prepare a dog for sitting for greeting a neighbor when out on a walk. The context, the environment, are entirely different.

What will prepare a dog for sitting to say hello to a person met on the sidewalk? Two things:

• First, being at ease and comfortable on a walk on the sidewalk.
•  Second, being instructed, methodically at first, to sit there. No shortcuts. With people incrementally closer. Treating the command more like it is a new concept. Your dog would tell you – it is a new concept when friendly neighbor is on the sidewalk!

Being at ease and comfortable wherever you’d like them to obey a command, is the more important of the two tasks. It should be your first goal in training your dog.


SOCIALIZATION IS ESSENTIAL TO GENERALIZATION
What do trainers really mean by “socialization”?. A well socialized dog is at ease with noise, crowds, wheelchairs and wind. A well socialized dog is a dog who is able to focus and process obedience commands in a variety of circumstances. They can only do this when they are not overstimulated or overwhelmed by a novel environment.

Note that a well-socialized dog is “at ease” around other dogs and people. He is not “so friendly” (over-excited) that he cannot focus.

Anyone who has trained dogs for work or competition can tell you the benefits of working with a “bombproof dog”, a dog who is comfortable and therefore not distracted by new people, places or things. And on the other side, others have stories of having a smart, eager dog at home, who falls apart when outside – nervous, insecure, aggressive, sensitive, over excited – all of the tendencies which will undercut optimal performance.

So, if it suggested that you bring your dog to a group class, think about these things.

“I WANT TO TRAIN MY DOG IN PRIVATE LESSONS – HE CAN’T FOCUS IN A CLASS!”
Many people will tell me that they would rather do private lessons, because their dog cannot pay attention in the presence of dogs, people, etc. Barring serious fear or aggression, these dogs should indeed be in a group class. All the sits taught in the kitchen will not help Fido sit nicely to greet the neighbor on the sidewalk!   

Whether you are training your dog for competition, want him to be polite on walks, or just have him manageable on trips to the vet – socialization is the key to an obedient dog you can ENJOY!