February 2025 - 2 Minute Trainer

Walk Around Your Dog Training Game

Dogs like to be where the action is. Preferably right in front of you and able to watch everything that’s going on. Most of the time, that’s fine. It only becomes a problem for most people when they’re on the move and the dog insists on being in the path. The best example we’ve heard is when you’re trying to carry the boiling pasta pot from the stove to the sink. The dog, of course, is in the middle of the kitchen, right in your path. And, as you try to get around them, they have to move so they can see every move you make. Every step you take. They’ll be watching you. That’s when the Walk Around Your Dog training game is extremely helpful.

Most dogs don’t realize that they’re perfectly capable of watching without moving. It’s almost as if they can’t figure out what necks are for and turning their heads never even occurred to them. One of the Beginner Novice Obedience exercises is to put your dog in a “Sit/Stay!” in the center of the ring, leave them, and walk around the entire perimeter of the ring. When the exercise was first introduced, many experienced competitors considered it more difficult than the old five-minute out-of-dog’s sight stay.

One of the things to look for when teaching this kind of rock-solid stay is your dog’s head flip. When you start moving behind your dog, do they get up to follow your motion? Or, as you pass behind them, do they flip their head from one side to the other to watch you? The head flip is a good indication the dog knows what they’re supposed to be doing. And they might even do it.

A step at a time

Before you start playing the game, it’s a good idea to assess how far around you can get. Many dogs get up as soon as their person gets to their shoulder. Others are non-starters. If the person moves, they move. Still others will let you get to about their hips before they start swiveling around.

It’s important to note here that dogs are absolutists. They only understand “yes” or “no.” There’s no “maybe” or “sometimes” with dogs. That means any motion, other than the dog’s head or tail, means the dog doesn’t understand “Stay!” You’re not being mean, or too picky by not accepting less-than-perfect stays. You’re actually making it easier for your dog to understand what you want. If you accept a “sort of” behavior from your dog, your dog will never really know what you really want.

Start by getting a treat and holding it at your dog’s nose. Leave your hand exactly where it is as you try to step around your dog. Your hand doesn’t move. You also don’t actually give the dog the treat. See how far around your dog you can go.

If you get all the way around, that’s great! Give your dog the treat. Then try it with your dog by your side instead of in front.

Baby steps

If you didn’t get all the way around, you’re with most people. The vast majority of dogs start moving as soon as their people do. Start again, taking it much slower. If you can’t get anywhere, just stand in front of your dog, treat almost on their nose. Lean or sway to the side, back and forth. If your dog holds steady, give them the treat and start again. This time, move one foot slightly. Build slowly, one little bit of motion at a time. This is hard for dogs – you’re fighting against their instinct to always be in front of you. Reward for the tiniest bit of progress. Show your dog they’re getting it right.

You don’t always have to go the same way around your dog. In Obedience and Rally your dog is always on your left, so you always go counter-clockwise around your dog. That’s not necessary in everyday life. However, we always tell our competition students not to “fix it” when their dogs mess up. Move just a couple steps away and start over. That way the dog doesn’t incorporate the “fix” into the behavior.

It’ll come eventually

The “Walk Around Your Dog” can take quite a while to communicate to your dog. It’s one of those behaviors that your dog doesn’t seem to understand at all. And then, possibly weeks later, all of a sudden they get it and it’s rock solid.

Don’t hammer away at “Walk Around Your Dog.” Visit the game a couple of times a week and be satisfied adding a step at a time. Be sure to heavily reward any progress. Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. Getting it right, especially when it’s difficult, has to be significantly different from wrong. A jackpot for any incremental progress is a good idea.

Testing it out

We’re always putting our dogs’ “Walk Around Your Dog” to the test. With a small house and four dogs, you’re always trying to walk around somebody. It helps a lot if only one being is in motion at a time.

When to stop rewarding the dog

Dog training students always want to know when they can stop rewarding dogs. The answer’s easy. When you don’t care if the dog keeps doing whatever it is.

If you don’t care if your dog sits automatically when you stop moving, stop rewarding it.

If you don’t mind if your dog jumps on guests, stop rewarding polite greetings.

If it doesn’t matter that your dog eliminates outside, stop rewarding the dog.

Stuck forever

On the other hand, if you like what your dog is doing and want them to keep doing it, the rewards have to keep going. You won’t always need treats available in all rooms at all times. But you do have to acknowledge your dog’s good behavior somehow.

The form that takes depends on your dog. If your dog likes jaw scratches, do that. If a hearty “Good Girl!” makes their butt wiggle, use that. But if your dog has a “show me the money” personality, you’d better fork over the goods.

Keep in mind that dogs always do what’s most rewarding for them. You can believe as hard as you want that your dog should “know better” by now. But if every instance is a decision-making process, you want the dog’s choice to land on the side of the angels. There’s nothing wrong with stacking the deck to make sure that happens.

Dashing down the stairs

Our dogs all love playing training games. Our morning routine includes a trip down the stairs to the basement training space. Consequently, our dogs all love going downstairs. For a very long time, Simon would dash down the stairs whenever the door opened. Even if we were just reaching for a coat on the stairway coat hooks.

It took some time and effort to convince Simon that he wasn’t supposed to bolt down the stairs as soon as the door opened. We took the time and effort to set the situation up, teaching him to sit, wait, and move only when he heard his release word. In the beginning, the “Sit!” got a food reward. So did the “Wait.” For Simon, the release word means he gets to do what he wants – go downstairs. That’s the reward for good behavior. The food reward isn’t necessary.

He doesn’t always get to go downstairs. Sometimes we’re just reaching for that jacket. Our hand on the doorknob is his cue to “Sit!” and “Wait!” We can now open that door whenever we need to. Simon sees a hand on the doorknob and sits. He waits until we close the door again and give him a treat. We acknowledge his good decision with a reward. If we didn’t, there’d be no reason for him to keep doing it. Going downstairs is extremely rewarding for him. The alternative has to be as attractive.

Encouraging good decisions

A reward, whether it’s a yummy tidbit, tummy rubs, a game of tug, lets your dog know you’ve seen their good decision and like it. Over time, lots of good dog choices become just another part of the routine. Lately we’ve had a few dogs in classes who, for whatever reason, are frightened of going through doorways. For some, it’s particular doorways. For others, it’s all doorways. We don’t know why. We’ll never know why. Dogs never tell us their “why’s.”

All of these dogs are getting over their doorway phobia. In time, both the dogs and their people will be able to sail through any jamb without a second thought. Rewards won’t be required long term, but they are needed now. These people are asking their dogs to be brave and make a scary (to them) choice. The rewards given now build the equation: “When I go through the doorway, good things happen on the other side.” At some point it will become a non-issue. Then you can stop rewarding the dog.

Second nature

Many of the behaviors we teach our dogs become natural parts of life. You won’t always have to reward your dog for walking politely at your side, it will become a habit. In time, sitting when being introduced to guests will be the norm. Your dog’s default behavior will become going to their kitchen “Place!” when you’re cooking. Until those desirable things happen, the rewards have to keep coming.

Best dog training advice ever

Here’s the best dog training advice right off:

“Shut up!” That’s the best dog training advice we give people in our classes.

We wish there was a more polite way of putting it. But when we try, it’s ignored. We’ve tried:

Just wait!
Be patient!
Don’t say anything!
Let Fido think!

It just doesn’t penetrate until we say “Shut up!” We try to say it with a smile and a little chuckle. But it’s still startling. When we have to use it, we try to do it at the beginning of class. It gives us a chance to soften the blow and give it context. Because almost everybody talks too much when playing training games.

Our voices become garbled nonsense

Have you ever seen one of the Charlie Brown television specials? Remember how the adult voices were just garbled nonsense? For the most part, that’s how we sound to our dogs. They may love the sound of our voices, but the words are mostly gibberish. Dogs are capable of learning the meanings of dozens, if not hundreds of words. But they have to be distinct, taught clearly, and stand alone.

Knock three times. Say it once.

Once is all you need. We’ll use Puppy Push-ups, our class-opening exercise, as an example. Puppy Push-ups is a rapid sequence of position changes; Sit!, Stand!, and Down!, in random order. The faster you go, the more fun it is for both of you.

There is a learning period that takes some time. It’s not something most dogs are asked to do on a regular basis. They may be asked to “Sit!”, but that’s about all. How long it takes depends on how often you play, how fast you deliver the treats, and how willing you are to let your dog think.

If you stand with your dog in front of you, nothing in your hand, and say “Sit!,” how long will you wait before you repeat the word? If you’re like most, it happens within seconds. The command isn’t “sitsitsit!”

Say it once. If your dog doesn’t do it by a count of five, just look at their butt. Quietly.

Lessening the value

Every time you repeat a command, you’re telling your dog they don’t have to pay attention the first time. That another opportunity will come up, and they may not have to worry about that one either. There will always be another chance, so it doesn’t matter if they listen.

If your dog knows they have one chance to get it right, chances are much higher that they’ll be listening the first time. If your timing is prompt with rewards, they’ll comply even faster. Be ready with the reward, but be sure you’re rewarding, not luring.

Timing is everything

Dogs learn by the timing and placement of rewards. If their reward is almost simultaneous with performance, that performance improves exponentially. When you fumble around trying to get treats out of a bag or pouch, the dog has no reason to be crisp and precise. And if you repeat the same command multiple times, the dog will either learn to wait for the fifth repetition, or figure it’s not worth their effort.

Almost everyone is guilty of talking too much in training. We had to break the habit ourselves because talking is not allowed in obedience competitions. The rules actually spell out in detail when you’re allowed to talk to your dog and what you’re allowed to say. Frankly, the inability to constantly “cheerlead” the dogs makes for better training. You just have to wait for what you said to penetrate and send the signals from dog ears to dog brain to dog body.

Try it and see

The next time you play Puppy Push-ups, say a command once and wait. When you’re about to give up and repeat, stop yourself and wait another five seconds. That’s all. Wait a silent count of five. You’ll be surprised and delighted to see how much your dog already knows, if you’re patient and shut up. And that’s the best dog training advice ever.