As a dog trainer, I often get requests from students wanting to skip ahead in the training program. Sometimes they’ve done classes someplace else, sometimes there are other reasons, but as a rule this is never a good idea   In fact, I spend far more time working on foundation skills than anything else, even with my very experienced dogs. Here are some things to consider when you are tempted to skip past the basics.

• Upper level training problems are usually the result of a breakdown in foundation skills. Broken start line in agility?  That’s a stay problem.  Scent work dog won’t push into tight spaces or jump up to reach elevated hides?  Often an issue with body awareness and confidence on new surfaces.  Dog barks at distractions on walks? Easy to prevent if your dog focuses on you when he hears his name. Working on advanced skills without rock solid basics will set you and the dog up for frustration every time. 
• Dogs don’t get bored, people do. Practicing foundations doesn’t mean doing things the same way in the same order and same location every time. Get creative about working in new spaces, adding distractions, changing your position or your dog’s, varying the type of reward and how you deliver it. All of this will make foundation skill practice look really different. 
• Good training should feel easy most of the time and should usually result in the dog getting it right. Yes, you need to challenge yourself and your dog but this needs to happen thoughtfully. If your dog is wrong more than right you need to adjust what you’re doing- he’s telling you it’s too hard. Think about how to simplify, break skills down, or find an easier environment to practice this skill.
• It’s not just the dog who is learning, in a good training program the handler should be learning as much or more than the dog. Dog training is an unregulated industry and not all classes or training programs are the same. Progressing to advanced skills without a solid foundation on how dogs learn and concepts like shaping and the use of marker cues makes troubleshooting very difficult when the dog or handler faces challenges. A good training program teaches the dog how to learn and the handler how to train, but not every training program provides this. 
• Foundation behaviors can help you build a great trial warmup routine because most can be done in small spaces with the leash on.  For pet dogs, using your basic skills like attention, position changes, and stay will make it much easier to include your dog on outings. 

What foundation behaviors will you practice today?