Training concepts
What is proofing in dog training?
Many dogs do not generalize the way people expect. A sit taught in the kitchen may be, to the dog, a sit in the kitchen, facing a person, with a treat in view. Proofing builds the rest on purpose. Below is how we think about the three Ds, the ladder we run for sit and recall, and why 'he knows it but won't do it' is often, though not always, a proofing gap.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
The three Ds
Distraction, distance and duration, one rung at a time.
Distraction is anything competing for the dog's attention: a dropped crust, a squirrel, another dog. Distance is how far the handler is from the dog when the cue is given. Duration is how long the dog has to hold it. We raise only one D at a time. When we add distance, we drop the duration back to a second or two. When we add a distraction, we stand close again. Raising two at once makes a miss far more likely.
For sit, the ladder runs kitchen, back step, front yard, sidewalk with a dog across the street, then the same sequence from three metres away, then a ten-second hold. For recall, the dog wears a long line on every rung: hallway, yard, yard with a ball in play, a quiet off-leash corner, the same corner with dogs in view. We move up only after several clean first-cue responses in a row, and the line stays on until the top rung holds.
- One D raised at a time
- The others drop when one climbs
- A missed rung means one step back
- The ladder gets written down
Knowing versus doing
'Won't do it' is often a proofing gap, though not always.
When an owner tells us the dog knows sit but ignores it at the park, the dog is often right. It has practised the cue in a few settings, and the park, with its smells, moving dogs and a person asking from a tense posture, may be one where the same cue was never rehearsed. That is a common explanation, not the only one. Pain, fear or a reward that no longer competes can look identical, so we check the whole dog first.
This is the part of training that eats time, because the rungs have to be climbed in real places, and the pace varies from dog to dog. Every board and train we run has daily one-on-one training inside a structured routine, with real-world proofing. On-Leash Foundations, a two-week board and train at $1,865 plus GST, works on sit, down, stay and place around everyday distractions and ends with a handover lesson. Which program fits, including a smaller one, gets recommended at the consultation.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
What does proofing mean in dog training?
Proofing means practising a cue the dog already knows while adding distraction, distance or duration, so the same cue can hold in more places. A sit that only works in the kitchen with a treat in view has not been proofed yet.
What are the three Ds of dog training?
Distraction, distance and duration. They are the three variables we add, one at a time, to help a known cue hold in the real world. We raise one, lower the other two, and rebuild from there.
Is proofing the same as generalization in dog training?
They overlap. Generalization is the dog learning that sit means sit everywhere, not just where it was first taught. Proofing is the deliberate work we do to encourage that, rung by rung, rather than hoping it transfers on its own.
Why does my dog know a command but won't do it outside?
Often because the cue has only been practised in a few quiet settings, and outside is a context where it has never been rehearsed. That is a proofing gap, and it is common, but pain, fear or a reward that cannot compete with the environment can look the same. We start from the last place the dog succeeded, and we ask the vet about pain when the change is sudden.
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