This month’s quick tip

Does your dog sit outside, as well as inside, when you ask her to?

“He knows how to do this!”

Clients often tell me this when we're reviewing their dog's manners. There are reasons it can seem like a dog forgets what to do in a certain situation.

Sometimes, a dog learns a new behavior in a specific location, such as a training center or living room, and doesn't understand that the behavior is meant for other locations, as well. Pro trainers call this "generalization" and it's why I encourage you to practice your new behaviors at home, in the yard or park, on a hike, and so on.

What you can do: Take a pouch of easy-to-chew, special food rewards (think diced cheese, dog sausage, etc.) and practice behaviors when you're out and about with your dog. When you're visiting at a friend's house, ask your dog to do whatever they know very well: sit a few times in a row, touch your hand, come when called, etc. Do the same when at the park, taking a leashed walk, or on a hike.

Do you struggle, like I do, to remember the language you learned in high school? My French is pretty rusty because I don't practice. Like us, a dog's learned behaviors can become rusty without regular use.

You can shake off that rustiness by using your dog's mealtime kibble as a reward for sits and downs in the kitchen, living room, or yard, or teaching them to wait at the door before going outside, or on a mat while you prep a meal for your dogs or for yourself.

Petey (rear left) and Daisy (foreground) learned to wait on their mats while we prepare meals for them, for the simple reason that if they crowded around our legs we’d sometimes spill the bowls of food.

We do this every day at mealtimes, so the behavior never gets rusty.