Dog Training 101: Do You Have What It Takes To Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?
Written by Tom Cohen
Last updated · 6 min play time
Think you know how to get Fido to sit, stay, heel or respond to training treats? If you've recently rescued a pup and want to know how to get him to be a "good boy," you'll have fun testing your dog training knowledge in this fur-raising quiz!
Quiz written by
Tom CohenI'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.
Dog Training Quiz Questions
15 Questions · 208 Plays · No comments
Question 1
Which dog breed is so easy to train the American Kennel Club declared: "There is good reason this large and powerful breed is often used for police and military work"?
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AGreat Dane
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BChihuahua
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CSt. Bernard
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DGerman Shepherd
German Shepherd
German Shepherds are very easy to train, are loyal, and always want to work to please their human counterparts. Along with the German Shepherd, other breeds commonly used as K-9 officers are Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and Retriever breeds.
Question 2
If you call someone a "heel" it's an insult, but in dog training "heel" is an important command to keep your dog on his best behavior. What is another way trainers often describe the act of a dog "heeling"?
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AControlled walking
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BFood rejecting
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CLimited barking
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DCat eating
Controlled walking
Walking with your dog at a "heel" is basically a more formal way of talking your dog for a stroll than when your dog is on a loose leash. When a dog "heels" it is walking in a methodical, controlled manner close to your side.
Question 3
Those of us who have dogs know the frustration of a "training fail." When a dog fails to learn something you're trying to teach him, what is the most likely reason?
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AThe dog speaks Spanish and you speak English.
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BWhat we have here is a failure to communicate.
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CThe dog is stupid.
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DThe dog is unwilling to learn.
What we have here is a failure to communicate.
Dogs are highly intelligent creatures and always willing to learn. Training is essentially just a form of communication between a dog and his guardian. If your dog won't learn something, it's usually because you need to find a better way of communicating.
Question 4
Service dogs are among the most revered of all canine companions, and their work relies on solid training. What is it called when a service dog goes directly against the owner's instructions in order to make a better decision?
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AStubborn disobedience
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BNegligent disobedience
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CIntelligent disobedience
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DBad dog good dog
Intelligent disobedience
In "intelligent" or "selective" disobedience, a dog relies more on its training than on the commands from its guardian. In this case, a dog's keen instinct for the context of the situation comes to the forefront, as the first job of the dog is to protect its human companion.
Question 5
There are a lot of special tools trainers can use to get dogs to do things like go on America's Got Talent and win the hearts of the judges. What is it called when trainers teach behaviors in gradual steps using a marker and rewards?
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AWild conditioning
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BWakeboarding
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CTrickbaiting
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DFree shaping
Free shaping
Free shaping is commonly used to get dogs to do more and complicated tricks but reinforcing each step along the way. To do free shaping correctly, the trainer needs to be patient, observant, and have great timing when delivering the rewards.
Question 6
The Canine Good Citizen Test was established by the American Kennel Club to test a dog's achievements in training. Which of the following is NOT on the test?
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AComing when called
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BSitting politely for petting
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CEating slowly
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DNot reacting to another dog
Eating slowly
C'mon. Dogs never eat slowly! The other 7 things on the Good Canine Citizen Test are: accepting a friendly stranger, being well-groomed, walking well on a leash, behaving in a crowd, sitting, staying and laying down, not being distracted too easily, and behaving while separated from its guardian.
Question 7
It would be safe to say that Ivan Pavlov was one of the most famous dog trainers in history. In his famed experiment, what did he pair with feeding dogs to elicit a salivary response?
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ACar horn beeping
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BThe dog's favorite song
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CBell ringing
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DGunshot
Bell ringing
Pavlov's experiment began by demonstrating how the presence of a bowl of dog food (stimulus) would trigger an unconditioned response (salivation). He then designed an experiment using a bell as a neutral stimulus. As he gave food to the dogs, he rang the bell.
Question 8
Using negative reinforcement to train a dog is often considered unethical. Besides, who wants to be negative around a dog? Which of these is NOT considered to be a negative reinforcement training technique?
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AGiving him a treat when he gives you his paw
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BBopping him on the nose when he barks
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CPushing his butt to the ground when you say "sit"
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DGiving him an electric shock when he leaves the yard
Giving him a treat when he gives you his paw
Negative reinforcement refers to when something is taken away from your dog so that it increases the likelihood of that dog or puppy behavior happening again – it’s an example of dog behavior modification. In modern dog training circles, it's considered an unethical way of training an animal
Question 9
In April 2020, a University of Pennsylvania research program started training this breed of dog to sniff out Covid-19, hoping to employ them nationwide. Name this breed of virus-sniffing pooch.
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ALabrador Retriever
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BChesapeake Bay Retriever
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CCoonhound
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DHyena
Labrador Retriever
Research has found that viruses have specific odors, making them easy to detect by a dog's incredibly keen sense of smell. In addition to disease, dogs are adept at sniffing out drugs, explosives, contraband, and even bacteria that destroy crops. A dog may be man's best friend, but a dog's nose is a dog's best friend.
Question 10
Most people don't reward their dog for marking, but there is a training technique known as "mark and reward". What is this type of training also known as?
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AClick Training
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BMirror Training
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CFinger Training
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DToilet Training
Click Training
In this form of training, the clicker or marker communicates the EXACT moment your dog does what you want. The timing of the click is essential and every click must be followed by a reward.
Question 11
We all know it's important to choose the right words. In dog training, words like "okay," "break," or "free" let your dog know that a command such as "stay" is over. What is the term for these special words?
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ABreak words
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BCatch words
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CPasswords
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DRelease words
Release words
As explained on akc.org: "When teaching stay, you should have already chosen a release word. Reward your dog in place for staying (i.e. return to your dog to deliver the treat rather than telling your dog to “come” every time you practice stay). After rewarding your dog in place, say your release word, and encourage him to move. Reward him for moving when you use the release word so he starts to understand the word’s meaning."
Question 12
Anyone can be a dog training expert if you know how to motivate your dog to learn. According to Cesar Millan, the five essential commands you can teach your dog are sit, stay, down, come and what?
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AFetch me a beer
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BGive me your paw
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CLeave it
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DDon't bark
Leave it
As explained on Cesar's website: "[Leave it] can help keep your dog safe when his curiosity gets the better of him, like if he smells something intriguing but possibly dangerous on the ground! The goal is to teach your pup that he gets something even better for ignoring the other item."
Question 13
All dogs go to heaven, but not all dogs are easy to teach. Because of their one-track minds, which of the following groups of dogs are considered the hardest to train?
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ATerriers
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BHounds
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CRetrievers
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DShepherds
Hounds
Dogs such as basset hounds and bloodhounds are particularly hard to train because once they’re on a scent, it can be very tough to distract them from whatever they’re pursuing. So to sum up: great for tracking down murderers, not so great for playing "gimme your paw".
Question 14
This is a whippet, not only one of the fastest dogs but also amazing at a sport known as dock diving, which requires hundreds of hours of training. A whippet named Sounders holds the record, diving how far in 2019?
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AJust over 28 feet
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BJust over 22 feet
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CJust over 35 feet
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DHe actually never landed
Just over 35 feet
A 4-year old whippet named Sounders leapt 36 feet 2 inches at a dock-jumping competition held at Michael Ellis School in Santa Rosa, California, USA, on September 22, 2019. As Devo would say: "if you're dock diving, you must whippet."
Question 15
Some dogs will rip up pillows or trash the place when their person leaves, but be totally calm and collected when they're at home. Why do dog behaviorists think that some canine companions act this way?
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AThey really hate those pillows
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BThey're saying "don't leave me alone!"
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CBecause there are no immediate consequences
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DThey're telling you they're not feeling well
Because there are no immediate consequences
Dogs are creatures of positive and negative reinforcement. In the absence of either, they'll do something repeatedly if there are no signals coming either way from their person. When you're not home, their behavior of sitting quietly and behaving is not rewarded so they do what feels good to them.
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