Understanding How Dogs Learn

Dogs are complex creatures, but not necessarily in the same way that humans are.

One of my favourite analogies for explaining the basics of dog training is comparing it to teaching a child to walk.

When a child takes their very first step, the parents’ faces light up with excitement. The child is immediately praised, encouraged, and motivated to take another step. When they do, the excitement and encouragement continue.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is dog training in a nutshell.

Just as with a child learning to walk, we carefully set up the environment for success. The room is usually quiet, with very few distractions. The parent positions themselves directly in front of the child, offering support and guidance. They do everything possible to prevent failure while constantly encouraging and reinforcing every small success.

Dogs learn in a similar way, although often for very different reasons.

A puppy learns to walk largely through self-preservation and necessity. Mother moves away, taking food with her, and the puppy instinctively tries to follow. Through trial and error, the puppy discovers that those awkward little legs can actually move him towards what he wants.

The moment he reaches his mother, he is reinforced with food, comfort, and security.

The learning process continues. The puppy becomes more coordinated, falls over less often, and gets better at achieving his goal.

Both species learn through reinforcement, but for different reasons. The child is often motivated by social approval and encouragement, while the puppy is motivated by survival and access to resources.

The Problem with Anthropomorphism

One of the biggest mistakes dog owners make is assuming their dog thinks like a human.

This is known as anthropomorphism—the tendency to attribute human thoughts, emotions, intentions, and reasoning abilities to animals.

While it is a natural human tendency, it can often lead to misunderstandings about canine behaviour.

Dogs do not consciously copy our behaviour, nor do they sit around contemplating their decisions. Instead, they do what is most beneficial to them at that particular moment.

A dog’s behaviour is influenced by several key factors:

• Genetics
• Environment
• Prior learning
• Reinforcement history
• The skill of the person training them

Unlike humans, dogs live very much in the present moment. They do not dwell on the past the way we do, nor do they worry about the future.

This alone makes them fundamentally different from us.

Take a moment to think about some of the things your dog enjoys doing. Many of those activities would provide little or no enjoyment to you. Likewise, there are many things dogs can do that humans simply cannot.

The more we understand these differences, the better equipped we are to train and communicate with them.

Raising and Lowering Criteria

A fundamental principle of dog training is adjusting criteria.

Whenever we make one aspect of an exercise more difficult, we often make another aspect easier to maintain the dog’s chances of success.

For example, when teaching scent detection, I may start by having a dog search a group of boxes to locate and indicate on a specific odour.

Once the dog understands the task, I may want to increase the difficulty by introducing a completely different type of container, such as a PVC tube.

This raises one criterion because the dog must now recognise the odour in a new context.

To compensate, I may lower another criterion by reducing the number of boxes or distractions in the search area.

In other words, I make one part harder while making another part easier.

As soon as the dog successfully recognises and indicates on the new container, I immediately reward the behaviour.

This approach helps maintain confidence and encourages continued learning.

Learning Happens in Small Steps

Just like the child learning to walk, dogs learn best when behaviours are broken down into manageable pieces.

Every new behaviour should be taught incrementally.

Good trainers are constantly assessing:

• Previous success
• Current success
• Current failure
• Motivation levels
• Environmental influences

By observing these factors, we can adjust training to keep the dog progressing forward.

As behavioural psychologist B.F. Skinner demonstrated through his work on shaping behaviour, complex actions can be developed through a series of small, reinforced approximations.

In simple terms, we reward progress one step at a time.

Do Dogs Understand Words?

A common misconception is that dogs understand language the way humans do.

They don’t.

Dogs do not attach meaning to words in the same way we do. Instead, they form associations between sounds, behaviours, and outcomes.

When you say “sit,” the word itself means nothing to the dog initially.

Over time, the dog learns:

“When I hear this sound and put my bottom on the ground, good things happen.”

The dog isn’t asking, “Why should I sit?”

He’s simply responding to an association that has been repeatedly reinforced.

If dogs possessed human-like reasoning abilities, their behaviour would be very different from what we observe.

Teaching Dogs and Teaching People

I am always searching for better ways to teach dogs, but more importantly, better ways to teach people.

Information only becomes valuable when it can be understood and applied.

Teaching people effectively takes practice. However, when concepts are explained clearly and followed by practical experience, almost anyone can become successful at learning and teaching new skills.

Good dog training isn’t just about changing behaviour.

It’s about helping owners understand why behaviour occurs in the first place.

Behaviour and Emotion Go Hand in Hand

One final point that is often overlooked:

I am not just teaching a dog a behaviour.

At the very same time, I am conditioning how the dog feels about that behaviour.

The best training doesn’t simply create obedience.

It creates confidence, clarity, understanding, and positive emotional responses.

When we get both the behaviour and the emotional state right, that’s when real learning takes place.

If you wanting to know how to get the best out of your dog Contact Us – Sidney Aarons

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