Generalization

How it works

Dogs learn contextually, so a behavior trained in a kitchen is initially a kitchen behavior. The room, the surface, the handler's position and even what they are wearing can all form part of what the dog learned. Generalization is built deliberately by practicing the same behavior in many different settings, starting with easy ones, until the dog treats the cue as meaning the same thing everywhere. It is the step most often skipped, and skipping it is why so many dogs are described as knowing something at home and forgetting it outdoors.

What it looks like

A dog with a solid sit in the kitchen does not sit in the yard, the street or the vet's waiting room. After two weeks of practicing in each, the cue works in all of them and in places never trained at all.

Commonly confused with

Proofing

Generalization is about new locations and contexts. Proofing is about a behavior surviving distraction, distance and duration. The two overlap in practice and answer different questions.

Related terms

Where this comes up