Generalization
Dogs don't automatically transfer skills between contexts — here's how to teach Bryn that 'sit' in the kitchen also means 'sit' at the park.
Key Points
Dogs don't transfer skills automatically. 'Sit' in the kitchen ≠ 'sit' at the park.
After 5-7 different contexts, most dogs start to generalize on their own.
Each new context is faster than the last. The first few are the hardest.
When you change context, lower your criteria. New place = easier version of the skill.
The Problem
Bryn knows 'sit' perfectly in the kitchen. You take her to the park and she looks at you like she's never heard the word. She's not being stubborn — she genuinely hasn't learned that 'sit' applies here too. Dogs are context-specific learners. A behavior learned in one place, with one person, at one time of day, doesn't automatically transfer to new contexts. You have to teach it again in each new environment.
What Changes Context
Location (indoors vs. outdoors, familiar vs. novel). Surface (carpet vs. grass vs. concrete). Your position (standing vs. sitting, facing her vs. turned away). Other people or dogs present. Time of day. Your clothing (hat, sunglasses). Background noise. Even the room you're in at home can be a different context for a dog. Each change creates a new learning opportunity — and a potential regression.
The Process
Teach the behavior to fluency in one easy context first. Then re-teach it (usually much faster) in a second easy context. Then a third. After 5-7 contexts, most dogs start to generalize — they figure out that 'sit' means the same thing everywhere. The early locations are the hardest. Each new context gets easier and faster.
Practical Approach
Start in the kitchen. Then the living room. Then the hallway. Then the backyard. Then the front porch. Then the driveway. Then a quiet street. Then outside a shop. Then a quiet corner of the park. Each time you change context, treat it like a partial reset — go back to easier criteria (shorter duration, closer distance) and rebuild. Bring high-value treats for new environments.
Signs of Generalization
You'll know Bryn is generalizing when she responds correctly the first time in a brand-new location. When she offers behaviors without being asked in new places. When the number of reps needed to 'retrain' in a new context drops to one or two. When she responds to a cue from a person who hasn't trained her. These are signs that the behavior has become truly learned, not just context-dependent.