Often when I meet with people, they talk to me about what their dogs “should” be able to do. Or I ask them what skills are already in their dogs’ repertoire - that is, what tricks, or behaviors does the dog already know how to do fluently? This can be helpful information as we plan what new skills to teach or how to incorporate their current skills into the environment they are living in. When answering this question, a lot of people seem embarrassed that their dogs may not know certain things. “He can sit!” they say, “but he can’t fetch or anything fancy like that.”

Here’s the thing: there is no “supposed” to. While cultural conversation around dogs suggests that there are certain “commands” that a dog “must” know - that’s just not true. Not every dog needs to know every skill or every behavior.

In May, I attended a conference for Behavior Analysts. There were professionals there from all over the world, and people who work in the field of Behavior Analysis in a wide range of contexts. Most of the people at the conference work professionally with humans, and many were eager to talk about their dogs. Perhaps I should not have been surprised by the number of people who said to me, “My dog does [problem behavior], and I’m a behavior analyst, so I know how to fix it, but I just haven’t done it yet.” Here’s the thing. You might be a behavior analyst, but the chances are that you actually don’t know how to fix it.

This summer has been full of travel, and of course full of the accompanying pictures on social media. The more we have done this, the smoother the process has gotten. While I can’t provide specific tips on training without knowing you and your dog, and while there are a ton of articles out there about tips and tricks for camping with your dog - I’m happy to chime in with what has worked for me and Beacon! I’m not going to say “here’s what you should do” - because you know your dog, your experience level, and your comfort with camping best. You may be more advanced or just starting out. Take what works for you, and leave the rest!

This seems like this should be a simple question, answered with either, “Yes, it’s fine!” or “Actually, that can be problematic or detrimental.” But we have a more complex answer, with three main areas to consider: What does “okay” mean? What are the person’s goals? And what are the dog’s needs?