01/08/2026
HOW TO TRAIN A WORKING DOG
So, you’ve ticked all the boxes - you’ve been to the local pet dog school, you walk your working breed for an hour (or more), and yet your dog looks at you like:
“Thanks for the warm-up! Now what are we doing?”
The obedience exercises you were taught might look good at home, but in the real world your dog still feels impossible to control, unfulfilled, and never truly content.
Why is this happening?
Most generic pet dog programs focus on behaviour first:
• Sit/drop/loose lead walk
• Stop jumping/stop biting/stop chasing
It becomes a heavily suppressive process unless the dog is provided productive outlets for their innate motivators, paired with obedience skills. The dog is being held back from doing the very things it was bred to do. Sure, they’re sitting politely for a treat, but for a working dog (and highly driven breeds), that’s not fulfilling. They are in a constant state of deprivation.
What do they actually need?
Emotion drives behaviour. If we don’t build the right emotional foundation, obedience becomes a band-aid at best. The catch? Early emotional development doesn’t look like “training” to the untrained eye. But it’s where the real work and real progress happens.
Three Pillars of Early Development
1. Environmental Exposure
Show your working dog the world. Get them confident with different surfaces, noises, people, and environments. Build neutrality where it matters. The goal: a happy, open, and confident dog.
2. Prey Development
Most “problem behaviours” later in life come from poorly channeled prey drive - chasing cars, cats, or little fluffy dogs. The solution? Become the outlet. Play with your dog. Use tugs, balls, food chases. Make yourself the source of fulfilment.
3. Foundational Training Skills
Forget about the polished sit-stays for now. Instead:
- Develop highly valued rewards.
- Condition markers.
- Shape/lure fun, simple skills (e.g., run around a cone).
- Handler engagement should be a priority.
These foundational skills prepare your dog for high level training later and make those obedience skills stronger, faster, and far more reliable.
