09/02/2026
When you think of a well-trained dog, what comes to mind?
A German shepherd locked in on his owner? A Jack Russell doing flips on command? A border collie herding sheep through the hills of Scotland?
All of those dogs certainly qualify, but so does the family pet who gives you puppy-dog eyes during dinner or occasionally tries to start a game of keep-away with your socks. Unless a dog is being trained for a specific job, precision and absolute obedience usually aren't necessary for everyday life.
For the average family dog, we consider a few things especially important: a reliable recall, a solid place command, "drop it," and "wait." Just as importantly, the dog should be socially regulated around people and other animals. That means no biting, uncontrolled jumping, or serious reactivity.
Beyond that? A lot of training comes down to what actually matters to you and your household.
Most of the time, our goal isn't to make a dog perfect. It's to make the dog pleasant to live with.
That means figuring out three things:
What behaviors do you like?
What behaviors do you dislike?
And what behaviors do you complain about... but secretly don't mind?
We all have some of those.
Then we build the training around getting the dog and family to a point where everyone can safely and happily enjoy life together.
Here's what those three categories look like with my dog, Oberon:
Like:
He has one of the strongest understandings of appropriate play of any dog we've worked with. He's incredibly good at adjusting to other dogs and can often get shy or unsure dogs to come out of their shell.
Dislike:
Leash pulling. Every fiber of his Spitz breeding tells him that pulling is his job, so while we've improved it tremendously, it's probably something we'll always have to manage to some degree.
Like to complain about:
Begging.
I'll admit it: I trained Oberon to beg as a puppy because I think it's funny. He still listens to when we tell him to back away, but at this point, asking for a snack during mealtimes is basically part of our family routine.
A well-trained dog doesn't have to be a robot.
Sometimes, a well-trained dog is simply one who is safe, cooperative, enjoyable to live with, and knows the rules that actually matter in their home.
What behaviors fall into those three categories for your dog?
