House pets to working dogs – is there a difference? In breed, drive and function – yes. However; in behavior, issues and problems – not so much. When training dogs clarity of task is the most important aspect of all training. Whether the purpose is to find and apprehend a suspect or dive off an elevated dock into the water, the dog must have clarity of task. Next to clarity of task, all dogs need an understanding of the basics. My basics are most likely much different then yours though. One of my golden dog training rules – does your dog know what the word “no” means? Does your dog have the ability to do an off-leash “recall” in any and all distractions? Does your dog understand the word “out or leave it”? If your dog doesn’t know or can not do these simple tasks all the tricks in the world mean nothing. You see too often we train dogs to look cool but we overlook “live-ability” aspects of training. Whether we are dealing with house pets or working dogs the basics must be the foundation of everything else.
Aaron Taylor / Owner – Ridgeside K9, LLC