Regardless of whether you have a new puppy or an older dog, it's never too late to start teaching your dog life skills.
What is a life skill? The definition we use at Positively, is any skill that helps your dog thrive in the environment because she knows what to do in certain situations with or without being cued. Life skills are learned behaviors that you can teach your dog that have a useful function. Simple skills like learning to "stand" and "touch" to more advanced ones like "come" and "settle," have real world applications that help dogs cope and builds a common language between you. More examples:
- "Wait" is a valuable skill because it can be used before the front door is opened or before crossing a road, while "come" is a cue that allows your dog to be off-leash and return to you when you call her.
- Cues like "leave it" and "take it/drop it" can help prevent your dog from resource guarding by making the exchange of food and toys a game.
- Teaching a puppy to walk on a loose leash can help prevent leash pulling in the future.
Any dog can learn this way
- Find what motivates your dog! There is no such thing as a "stubborn" or "untrainable" dog – these are labels we put on dogs to explain canine behavior we find frustrating because our dogs are not 'listening' to us and doing what they're told.
- Make teaching fun! Treats, toys, and praise are common motivators when teaching skills.
- Teaching your dog fewer cue words and strengthening certain key responses will make it easier for her to learn. When you begin teaching a new cue, make sure you use her favorite rewards to motivate her and teach each cue in short ten-minute sessions a few times a day. When she is proficient you can begin using the cue she has learned in real-life situations.
- Every dog learns at a different pace, so be patient and make learning fun. Always finish each training session on a positive note and make your dog feel good with plenty of praise and even a brief play session.
Bottom line
Teaching your dog or puppy basic skills is important for general safety and is a great way to increase the bond and communication between you. But these skills are also the building blocks needed later in life to allow you to modify more serious and difficult-to-solve behavior issues like aggression or reactivity if they occur. It's never too early or too late to begin teaching your dog skills she can use to navigate her world.
