But he knows this behavior! (So why isn't he doing it?)
If I had a dollar for every time I was told “my dog knows XYZ behavior,” only to have their dog stare at them blankly when asked to perform said behavior, I’d be one wealthy dog trainer!
What happens next is generally a scramble to excuse their dog’s lack of a response (“He had a big day yesterday, he’s just tired.”) or put the blame on the dog and remove it from the human entirely (“This dog is so stubborn!”)
While it certainly might seem like your dog is “blowing you off,” this isn’t usually the case. Your dog’s lack of response is often because he doesn’t know the behavior as well as you thought he did. Generalizing new skills and behaviors is something that I think that most dog guardians overlook when training their dog.
Generalization is the concept that humans/other animals use past learning in present situations of learning if the conditions of the situations are regarded as similar [1]
For example, if a child learns how to zip up zippers on a sweatshirt and is able to take that skill and apply it to backpack and sleeping bag zippers, their skill of zipping up zippers has been generalized.
When we’re talking about generalization in dog training, we’re talking about a dog who is able to perform a behavior, or experience an emotional response, across various contexts.
In general, dogs and their behavior are highly context specific - they look for cues in the environment that tells them when and how to behave or respond. While dogs are not as apt at generalizing as humans are, they are still more than capable of doing so with the correct guidance!
If you taught your dog the behavior “sit” in your living room while you were sitting on the couch, you might find that your dog struggles to respond correctly to this cue when you are standing in the bedroom. The ‘picture’ has changed (your position, the location), and the dog is not receiving the same context cues as before.
To help our dogs generalize behaviors, or turn their behavioral “tricks” into “habits,” that they can successfully perform in a variety of environments and around a variety of distractions, we need to include variety in our training.
We want “sit” to mean “sit” no matter where we or, or what’s going on around us.
I like to think of generalization training as the “Dr. Seuss” of dog training. You probably know the famous book “Green Eggs and Ham,” where Sam is asked if he can eat this odd meal here, or there. On a train, or in a plane; way down low, or going slow (you get the picture.)
Essentially, Sam is being asked to generalize the behavior of eating green eggs and ham.
When we are helping our dogs generalize a behavior, it’s important to consider:
The position we are in when training - if sitting, be sure to train the same behavior while you are standing. Can your dog respond properly when you are crossing your legs? What about if you turn your back on them?
The environment - what room did you teach this skill in? Go ahead and repeat those training steps in a different room, until your dog can perform this behavior all over the house. Then, take this skill outside! Train in the backyard, then the front yard, before starting to go on “field trips” to train in novel locations.
What distractions are present? Training at home with nothing else competing for your dog’s attention is vastly different than training in a room with 4 other dogs, like we might do in a group training class. Different distractions will alter the environmental ‘picture’ for your dog, and will influence their ability to respond (and respond correctly.)
We need to thoughtful about how we go about training our dog to generalize behaviors. Going from the living room to the middle of a pet-friendly shopping mall is a massive leap, one likely to result in frustration and/or failure.
As I tell my students regularly, it is our job as our dog’s guardian to set them up for success. We can do so during generalization training by:
Changing the ‘picture’ gradually.
When adding distractions and variability into your training practice, do so thoughtfully and gradually. Change one piece of the picture at a time, until your dog understands the behavior, and then change something else.
Breaking things down for the dog.
When training in a new ‘picture,’ don’t simply give a cue to the dog and expect them to perform it (remember, they don’t know it in this setting yet.) Think back to how you originally trained this behavior - maybe you used a food lure, or a hand signal - and incorporate those helper cues into the training. Once your dog starts to connect the dots (“Oh, you mean sit! I’ve done that before”), you can typically fade those helper cues out quickly.
Having realistic expectations.
Don’t ask your dog to perform a behavior beyond their learning or outside of their physical capabilities. Be mindful of their limitations and set realistic expectations for each training session.
Building off of their success.
Since our goal is to set our dog up to be successful, increase the difficulty of the exercise in a way that your dog is likely to continue “winning” the game. I like to ensure that my dog is responding to the cue correctly 80% of the time, or 4 out of every 5 times I cue it, before increasing the difficulty (or further changing the picture.) Anything less than this and I am going to stay at this step until my dog better understands, or, I’ll go ahead and make things easier for them.
Generalization isn’t the “sexiest” part of dog training, but it is essential to having a well-trained dog. Once you’ve taught your dog a new behavior I want you to turn on your Dr. Suess thinking and start to ask them “can you perform X behavior when….”
Have fun with it, and be creative! Keep your training sessions short and engaging, ensuring that you and your dog are having a good time.
Before you know it, your dog really will know “sit", no questions asked.
Stay awesome,
Vanessa
Check out our line-up of in-person classes in Prince George and Fort St. John, BC, that are great opportunities to practice generalizing your dog’s behaviors and turning their “tricks” into habits.
Vanessa Charbonneau, is the author of Dog Care for Puppies: A guide to Feeding, Playing, Grooming and Behavior. She owns Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, employing force-free training techniques to work with companion dogs and their owners. Charbonneau lives in Prince George, BC with her husband, two daughters, and one dog.
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