by Erin Bessey, besseyspositivepaws.com
Have you ever watched someone with his dog and thought, “Why can’t my dog do that?” Or, “I wish my dog could walk nicely on a leash,” or even, “My dog could never be off leash!” Most of us have had those thoughts at some point.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting results right now. If your dog struggles to walk nicely on a leash in town, it seems logical to just keep practicing in that exact situation. But here’s where many people get stuck. We want the end result without building a strong foundation first.
Ken Ramirez, a well-known animal trainer and conservationist, says, “Advanced tricks are just the basics done really well.”
What Does That Actually Mean For Dog Owners?
When people think of “advanced” behaviors, they picture things like off-leash freedom, long stays, coming when called every time, or impressive tricks. But these aren’t really new skills. They’re basic skills done in harder situations.
For example, a dog who comes when called inside the house won’t automatically do the same thing outside with other dogs around or in a field full of exciting smells like deer or turkeys. The skill is the same, but the challenge level is completely different.
What Counts As The “Basics” (And Why They Matter)
So, what do I mean by “basics”?
• First, does your dog pay attention to you? Does he check in on his own, even when you don’t ask?
• Does your dog want to listen? Has he learned that responding to you is a good thing?
• How clear are you being? Does your dog truly understand what “come” or “sit” means, not just at home, but in different contexts?
• How is your dog feeling in the moment? Is he calm enough to think, or is he too excited, nervous, or overwhelmed to respond?
If these pieces aren’t in place, everything else starts to fall apart, much like trying to build a house on a weak foundation. The more you add on top of it, the more likely it’s going to crumble.
When we keep putting our dogs into situations that are too hard, frustration builds quickly. You might find yourself saying, “They listen at home but not outside.”
Your dog feels it too. He may become confused, shut down (stop trying altogether), or get so worked up that he seems out of control. Then a cycle begins. We ask, the dog struggles, we repeat ourselves or get louder, and the relationship starts to feel strained.
It’s not that your dog is stubborn. It’s that we’re asking for something he isn’t ready for yet.
Think of it this way: if someone fell into water over his head and couldn’t stay afloat, we wouldn’t keep throwing him into the deep end (or I would hope not) and count on him to figure out how to swim. We’d help him feel safe around water first, then comfortable in it, and slowly teach the basics of swimming.
And even when he’s ready to swim, we don’t start in the deep end. We start where he can succeed.
What “Doing the Basics Well” Actually Looks Like
Start with your goal. Picture what you want clearly.
Let’s use leash walking as an example. The goal might be to walk your dog calmly down the sidewalk with a loose leash. Your dog is relaxed and able to pass people and other dogs without getting worked up. The dog looks to you instead of the distractions.
Now break that goal into small, doable steps.
Start easy. Almost too easy. Inside your house. The goal is success. Short, frequent, successful sessions will help your dog learn faster than long, frustrating ones. This is how he begins to understand where you want him to be when on a leash.
Once things are going well, slowly make it a little harder. Try a new location, your driveway, back yard, or empty parking lot. But remember, new places are automatically more distracting, even if no one else is around. When you change the environment, make other things easier again. Ask for less. Train for shorter times.
As you train, pay attention to the dog in front of you. Is he calm and able to focus? Or is he too excited or overwhelmed? When you let your dog’s behavior guide you, everything starts to look a little different.
Instead of saying, “My dog knows this,” try thinking, “My dog can do this here, in this moment, under these conditions.” Work the basic behaviors in a variety of ways. When we change the environment and how long we train, we discover endless opportunities for working basic behaviors.
Final Thoughts
If you want an “advanced” dog, go back to the basics and do them better than you think you need to. People say novice trainers want to work on advanced skills and advanced trainers want to work on the basics. Be an advanced trainer.