Have you ever taught your dog a behavior at home and thought, “They’ve got it!”—only to try the same behavior somewhere else and discover that your dog suddenly seems to have forgotten everything?
Don’t worry. Your dog probably hasn’t forgotten. What you are seeing is a very important part of dog training called generalization.
What Is Generalization?
Generalization is the ability to perform a learned behavior in different situations, environments, and circumstances. Dogs are very good at learning specific associations. This can also mean that they may learn that a particular behavior applies only in a particular place or situation.
For example, imagine you have taught your dog to sit when you say “sit” in your living room. Your dog sits beautifully every time.
Then you take your dog to the park and ask for a sit.
Your dog looks at you.
You ask again.
Your dog looks at you some more.
You might think, “But you KNOW how to sit!”
Your dog probably does—but the environment has changed.
At home, your dog has learned that the word “sit” predicts a particular behavior in a familiar environment. At the park, there are new smells, sounds, people, dogs, and other distractions. Your dog needs to learn that the same cue and behavior apply there too.
Dogs Don't Automatically Generalize
One of the biggest misunderstandings about dog training is assuming that once a dog learns a behavior in one place, they will automatically perform it everywhere.
Dogs don't necessarily see things that way. Think about teaching your dog to walk nicely on a leash in your driveway. The driveway may be quiet and familiar. Your dog has few distractions and has had lots of practice there. Now move to the sidewalk. Suddenly there are cars, people, squirrels, dogs, bicycles, interesting smells, and all kinds of new things happening.
The skill hasn't necessarily disappeared. The environment has changed. Your dog needs practice learning that the behavior still works in this new situation.
Generalization Takes Practice
A good way to help your dog generalize a behavior is to gradually practice it in different locations.
For example, if you're teaching a reliable sit, you might practice:
In the living room
In the kitchen
In the backyard
In the driveway
On the sidewalk
In a quiet park
Around familiar people
Around unfamiliar people
Around other dogs, when appropriate
In places with increasing levels of distraction
You don't need to move immediately from your quiet living room to the busiest dog-friendly location you can find. Instead, think about small steps.
Change One Thing at a Time
When working on generalization, it can be helpful to change one variable at a time.
For example, your dog may know how to sit in the kitchen with you. Try practicing in another room. Once that is going well, try the backyard. Then perhaps practice while a family member is nearby. Later, you might practice somewhere outside the home.
Each new situation gives your dog another opportunity to learn that the behavior applies in different circumstances.
Don't Make It Too Difficult
Sometimes we accidentally make generalization harder than it needs to be. If your dog can perform a behavior perfectly in a quiet room, that doesn't mean they are ready to perform it in the middle of a busy park. When the environment becomes more distracting, your dog's ability to respond may decrease. He is not being stubbornness or disobedience. It simply mean that the training criteria need to be adjusted.
If your dog struggles, make the situation easier. Move farther away from the distraction, choose a quieter location, shorten the training session, or return to a behavior your dog knows well. Then build up gradually.
Generalization Works Both Ways
Generalization isn't just about locations. Dogs may need to learn that a behavior applies with:
Different people
Different equipment
Different surfaces
Different times of day
Different levels of distraction
Different distances
Different environments
Different types of rewards
For example, a dog may happily lie down on the carpet but hesitate when asked to lie down on a hardwood floor or outside on wet grass. Again, the dog isn't necessarily being difficult. The new situation may simply require additional learning and practice.
Think of Training as Building a Collection of Experiences
Rather than thinking, “My dog knows this behavior,” it can be more helpful to think:
“My dog has learned this behavior in this particular situation.”
Our goal is to gradually give our dogs many different experiences with the behavior. Each successful experience helps them understand that the behavior isn't limited to one specific place or circumstance. Eventually, the dog begins to understand that “sit” means sit—not just when we're standing in the kitchen.”
Be Patient
Generalization takes time. If your dog struggles in a new environment, try not to become frustrated. Instead, ask yourself: “What can I change to make this easier for my dog?”
Training should be a process of helping our dogs succeed, not simply testing whether they can perform a behavior under difficult circumstances. The more opportunities your dog has to practice a behavior successfully in different situations, the stronger and more useful that behavior becomes.
The Bottom Line
Teaching a behavior is only the beginning. Generalization is the process of helping your dog understand that the behavior applies in many different places and situations.
So the next time your dog sits perfectly in your kitchen but seems to have forgotten how to sit at the park, don't panic! Your dog may not have forgotten. They may simply be telling you:
“I've learned this here. Now you need to teach me that it works there, too!”
