If you've done any training with me, you've probably heard me at some point say, “Set your dog up for success!”

What does that mean, exactly?

The short answer is that you should set up the situation to best help your dog succeed at what you are working on. The easiest example of that is to start by training in a low distraction area. In most cases, that means in the house at a quiet time of day.

Setting up for success means starting new concepts with minimal distractions. We work in the house with no one else around. We work up to having other dogs or people around. We work up to moving outdoors. We work up to more noises and movement and other distractions around.

But it can also mean setting up the situation in other ways.

When I am first working on Come or Recall, I want to make sure my dog has some energy so I can use that energy and excitement to get a fast response. If my dog is too tired from a walk or play session, I might not get the fast response I want.

When I am first working on Stay, I want to make sure my dog does NOT have too much energy and excitement. I might want to practice AFTER a walk or a play session. Or after working on Come or Recall. If my dog is ready to rest, then a Stay becomes much easier to get started.

Think about WHAT you are working on and how much energy and excitement you want your dog to have. For some things, I want more energy. For other things, I want my dog more relaxed. Not exhausted, because that's not going to be helpful either if I need my dog able to focus on me.

Setting your dog up for success means thinking about what energy level and state of mind you want your dog in for the task. What is going to be the best time and location to work on the initial steps of a new cue?

For those who have taken Basic Training or Puppy Preschool with me, you should know the answer to this one already! Where is the best place to START working on Leash Manners?

Most people start working on Leash Manners when they are out on a walk. But is that the best place to start the concepts you want? No!

The best place to start working on Leash Manners, in most cases, is IN THE HOUSE! Again, we want to start with minimal distractions. Where are the least amount of distractions? It's not always going to be in the house. It depends what your household is like! But in most cases, indoors is less distracting than anyplace outdoors.

I start the concepts for Leash Manners in the house. There are no outdoor smells, no bunnies, no other people or other dogs (if I have everyone else in my household in another part of the house or away from home) so that my dog can better focus on me.

Then when I do move outdoors, I might work on the driveway or just out in front of a few houses on the sidewalk. Find a quiet place without too much else going on. When I first move outdoors with my dogs, I work on the back deck.

If I am working with a dog who has reactivity toward other dogs on walks, I do not start the skills I want out on a walk with other dogs around. I start working on the foundation skills I want in place at home or outside but with no other dogs around.

I set dogs up for success by building the skills I want without all the other distractions. Then I gradually add in the other distractions until my dog is able to perform the tasks I want in the presence of the distractions that my dog struggles with.

If I am struggling with my dog successfully doing what I want, then I need to end the session and rethink my setup. It's not a failure on the dog's part. It's a failure on our part to set our dogs up for success.

What are you currently working on with your dog? How are you setting up each training session to optimize success? If not, stop, rethink and start over.