From Kindergarten to Graduate School

I can still remember my kindergarten experiences, and the many skills I learned that prepared me for the next level of education. I learned public speaking during show-and-tell where I showed and told about my 3 year old sister who I brought to school. I learned about science when the janitor used his lever (hammer) to crack open a (too ripe) coconut that I thought my classmates would enjoy tasting. Unfortunately, I failed miserably at self control, but in fairness, even to this day, if something is (not) funny I will laugh uncontrollably.

Each level of schooling should to prepare us for the next, so simple math in elementary school is supposed to pave the way for math in high school; It didn’t, and I’m still traumatized by being forced to learn that New Math!

As always you’re probably wondering what this has to do with dog training, so I will digress…

Many dog guardians are aware that puppies need an education and that’s good thinking because in their very short developmental timeline, puppies go from infants to adults in the blink of an eye. But the biggest difference between a puppy’s education and an adult dog’s education is understanding how to take advantage of the very short sensitive period, which ends roughly around 14 weeks. This means teaching Pup about the environment in a positive way so he doesn’t freak out later in life when he meets new people, other companion animals, man-made objects such a cars, scooters, lawn ornaments, novel sounds, handling…in other words, everything!  Puppies who have had little exposure, negative exposure or no exposure during the first few months of life as well as through adolescence, (think pandemic puppies) are likely to behave like abused dogs as adults. As for the educational skills, such as potty training, basic manners and such, puppies and dogs can learn at any age, however, what determines a kindergarten level of education, compared to a college level or beyond, is based on the learning environment.

Often times I hear a client say that their dog will respond to the cue to come when called in the house, however, when outdoors, the dog has no clue. This is why the guardian will say that the dog knows the task, but he’s just being “stubborn”.  The problem, assuming that the dog had a rocket response to the cue indoors, is that environment is kindergarten whereas outdoors is a much higher level of education for the dog to acquire the necessary skills.

Think of every room in your home as kindergarten. This is a quiet environment, or should be, where one can practice basic behaviors, for example, sit, come, down, wait, target, and name recognition, however, transitioning to a new environment requires a plan so that your dog learns to generalize these cues gradually.

At this point you’re probably wondering about taking your dog for a walk, because who the heck walks their dog in the house? Clearly this is tricky because taking the dog for a walk outdoors in a high distraction environment is asking him to work at college level with no prior education, so to speak; this is why dogs typically react with all sorts of behavior displays that run the gamut of shear excitement to fear.

In order to minimize Pup’s reaction, I suggest mapping out the neighborhood and plan to slowly introduce Pup to each new environment. And when you do bring Pup outside, make sure to fill your treat pouch with tasty high-value food, according to your dog’s value system, because in “elementary school” there are more distractions competing for his attention, than in “kindergarten”.

If the home is kindergarten, and that could include the corridors of a multi-residential building, then elementary school could be a backyard, driveway, alley, or the sidewalk entrance way to home. High school could be a low traffic area such as the side streets around the neighborhood, gradually working up to busier intersections. College level could be the area where there is more foot and motor traffic. Graduate school is obviously the most distracting and highest level of education. This could be a dog park, taking Pup on public transportation if allowed, or perhaps dog-friendly venues such as department stores.

Before starting, always let Pup eliminate in order to optimize the situation. Remember when you were in elementary school and needed a bathroom break? Your dog’s needs must be met before he can concentrate too.

Let him explore this area to gather information; this is similar to a child looking for their desk and settling in. Next, work on calling his name. Be sure to reinforce him for learning how to respond in this new environment; this not only motivates him to want to give you more of the behavior, but also, it forms a positive emotional association to the conditions of the environment, just like the child that experiences a new classroom and the teacher.

Decide what other things you’re going to teach after the “name game” such as having him target your hand and perhaps use your “Puppy come!” cue to call him back when he’s walking ahead. Now, release him for a much needed break by letting him sniff to his heart’s content for fun!

Obviously, these are just ideas to get you to think more critically about what is needed to slowly acclimate your dog to new levels of education, and remember there are educated professionals available for pet-guardians to seek help.

While there are many comparisons of human education to canine education in that there is a hierarchy of schools, always be mindful of your dog’s need to learn gradually at different levels of difficulty and observe how he feels in these environments. Even a dog who enters into a graduate level, service-dog school, may not have what it takes to succeed, and that’s okay because there are plenty of other places where that dog or yours can be a rockstar learner in a less distracting environment!

While many dog guardians may think that their dogs are way beyond just doing basics, however, to paraphrase world renowned animal trainer, Ken Ramirez, he said that advanced training is just doing basics really, really well!

HAPPY TRAINING & ENRICHMENT

© Fran Berry CPDT-KA, UW-AAB all rights reserved 2025