What Are Your Dog "Must-Haves"? Training Priorities for Real Life

We’re not talking about size, or looks, or even coat type. We’re talking about the intangible things that every dog who lives with you has to know.

For every family it’s different. We recently saw a video on social media where a woman talked about the things that are absolutes for her dogs. She said they have to like hiking, since she does. They have to be “neutral” in public, since she likes to take them with her. And they have to tolerate restraint for grooming or veterinary care. That last one is important to her since she has furry dogs, works as a vet tech, and her dogs are regular blood donors.

Not A Priority

It got us thinking about that old saying that “every dog is trained to its owners’ level of comfort.”

The things that are important to you are the ones you’ll be sure your dog knows. Some of our “absolutes” are pretty standard. Our dogs have to be housebroken. They have to come when called. And they have to be enthusiastic eaters.

That last one is probably not a priority for other people. But it is, actually, something you can train. If your dog starts out finicky, it takes some intestinal fortitude to change their attitude. They get 10 minutes to eat. Then the food disappears until the next meal time. That’s it. Eat it or lose it. (Of course, with the tiniest toy breeds, you'll want to clear a "tough love" approach with your vet first to make sure their blood sugar stays stable!)

Second Tier Training

You may have noticed that we’re pretty enthusiastic about training. We love seeing what our dogs can do, both for dog sport competition and fun games at home.

Much as we love those things, we don’t impose our wishes on our dogs. If there’s something they don’t like, they don’t have to do it.

Tango, Fran’s Brussels Griffon, amassed more ribbons and titles in Agility and Rally than any other of our dogs. And then one day he decided he was done. Fran respected that decision. For the rest of his 16 years, he enjoyed playing training games at home.

Your Dog, Your Dreams

We’d like to know what your dog behavior priorities are. Especially for small dog owners, sometimes the priorities are simply about navigating a big world safely and comfortably. Do you care if your dog begs at the table? Do you want your dog to play with other dogs?

One of our training class participants has a dream for his new dog. It’s a simple wish. He wants to take his dog to the beach and throw a ball into the water for his dog to fetch.

It may not seem like a big ask, but this dog came to them from a landlocked area. The sight of Lake Michigan was a lot for this dog. But there’s no reason his dream can’t come true. We’re betting there’ll be water-soaked tennis balls by mid-summer.

What about you? What is the one "non-negotiable" behavior or skill your dog must have? Let us know in the comments below!