How do dogs learn?

There is important similarity between how dogs (and most pets) learn and how people learn. We all learn through repetition.

Through repetition, dogs learn many things:

• Their routine for the day — when their human wakes up, feeds them, and takes them on a walk

• The link between a behavior and a consequence — perhaps that if they sit on command, they will get a treat. (The scientific name for this learning is operant conditioning)

• To associate two or more things together — knowing that their leash means it’s time for a walk. (The scientific name for this association is classical conditioning).