The First 5 Things Every Sporting Dog Should Learn

Whether you're interested in agility, obedience, rally, or just building a well-rounded, motivated dog, the foundation matters. Before you get into jumps, weaves, or precision heeling, there are a few core skills every sport dog should learn first. These aren't fancy—they're functional. And they make everything else in your training journey easier, faster, and more fun.

Here are the first five things every sporting dog should learn:

1. Start and Stop Cues for Work

These are cues like “Are you ready?” and “All done” that tell your dog when training time begins and ends.

This matters because...

• It adds clarity. Your dog understands when they should be engaged with you and when it's okay to relax and do their own thing. This is like the verbal equivalent of a service dog's vest. When they're wearing it (ARE YOU READY?) they know they have to behave a certain way, keep their attention on their handler, and not do things they might really want to do (like pee on an indoor pot plant). When that vest comes off (ALL DONE) they're free to be a regular dog.

  
  

• It prevents pestering. High-drive dogs can become relentless about asking to work. A clear stop cue teaches them when reinforcement is no longer available. We have to be consistent with this, though. It can take a while for them to get the message!

  
  

• It conserves energy. We don’t need our dogs revving their engines all day. Save that intensity for where it matters—during sport work!

  
  

This simple habit creates structure, boundaries, and clear expectations, which helps both handler and dog stay sane and focused.

2. A Multiple Marker System

Marker words help dogs understand what they did right and what happens next. A multiple marker system goes a step further: it tells your dog what reward is coming, where it will appear, and what they should do to earn it.

For example:

• “Yes” = food reward, coming from your hand. The dog should stop what they’re doing and come to you for it.

• “Good” = the reward is coming to them. Keep doing what you’re doing. Could be food, a pat, or sometimes just praise.

This can help...

• Build (yet more) clarity in your communication. Communication expedites learning and reduces frustration in a big way.

• You shape emotional tone—“Yes!” builds excitement and speed, “Good” helps reinforce calm duration.

  
  

3. Active Engagement

An engaged dog is one who offers attention—without being prompted. They check in with you, look up for direction, and offer focus freely. This is not the same as teaching “watch me,” where the human cues eye contact. Instead, active engagement is dog-driven.

This is normally paired with the work start/stop cues. After teaching engagement in a variety of locations, we pick a novel place to train in one day. When the dog does exactly what we want and looks to us on the off chance we might play the engagement game with them, we say, "Are you ready?" and then we play for a few minutes (and end it with 'all done'). The dog still prompted you with engagement (we didn't ask them to look at us), and if we repeat this often enough, they actually begin to think that they're the ones that initiated the session with you. They think THEY are training YOU.

Why it matters:

• It builds resilience to distractions (partially because we pair these sessions with distractions, and partially because we can actually use the distractions as rewards for engagement, within reason).

• It makes your dog easier to train. Dogs that offer eye contact are usually listening to what you say.

• It promotes a stronger working relationship, because the dog learns that looking to you is rewarding in itself.

Like any skill, this one needs to be trained and reinforced—but once it's in place, it's magic.

4. An Active (Not Reactive) Mindset

This is where the real magic happens in sport training. Dogs can be either reactive or active in how they approach learning.

• A reactive dog waits: you show a cookie, cue a behaviour, and then they respond. They're REACTING to the food or reward, almost like it's a bribe.

• An active dog offers behaviours: They think that their behaviour creates opportunities for reward, and not the other way around.

  
  

This is important because:

• Active dogs learn faster. They aren’t waiting to be told what to do and they don't depend on a treat in front of their face to do it.

• It encourages creativity and autonomy for the dog, which boosts confidence.

• You’re training a thinking partner, not a robot.

  
  

We don’t want dogs sitting still waiting to be bribed—we want curious learners who are ready to try things to earn reinforcement.

5. How to Play Properly

Play is one of the most powerful tools in sport training—but only if both the human and dog understand the rules. Whether it’s with food, toys, or social play, there are boundaries and mechanics that make play useful rather than chaotic.

To give an example, one of the most important skills in toy play involves the dog's willingness to return and drop their toy. A dog who chases the toy, brings it back, and drops it promptly can repeat reps quickly. A dog who runs off with it or resists giving it up? That dog slows the session and adds conflict. We get way less reps and we often have to 'steal' the toy from them, which makes them less likely to bring it back next time!

This matters in sport training because:

• We want dogs excited and animated, and play is a great way to get that

• Efficient play = more training in less time.

• It prevents play from becoming frustrating or confrontational.

Playing isn’t just fun—it’s functional. And it’s a skill worth teaching from day one.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need a full agility course or a competition ring to start training your sport dog. These five foundation skills are powerful on their own, and they'll set you up for success no matter where your sport journey leads. The earlier you build them, the easier everything else becomes.

Want help getting started? Join one of our foundation classes or follow us for more training tips!