Five Principles of Dog Training

5. SITUATION

Situation training is the process of defining triggers to create behavior expectations in a dog. Triggers are sights, sounds, smells, etc. These triggers, when properly defined, will signal to the dog how he/she will be expected to behave. When we as humans enter a library, triggers immediately influence our behavior because we have been conditioned to whisper, walk and move softly. These triggers tell us to behave far differently than when we go out to our favorite sporting event, where we have been conditioned to clap and shout. It is up to you to define these triggers for your dog. Be prepared to clearly teach your dog how you want them to behave in many situations such as, when you are eating dinner as a family, going for a walk around the block, going to the vet office, playing with the kids, going to the dog park, etc.