# Good Behaviors Your Dog Taught Themselves?



## Colie CVT (Sep 15, 2013)

Just curious if anyone's dog seemed to just pick up good habits or behaviors without any real training. 

Myles one day just started to lay down when we had small dogs approaching us out and about in the world. I never asked him to do that. He will pause as he's walking forward and just lay down. Let them come up to him. He's always been really good at being appropriate with other dogs. I never really had to worry about that. He is very patient and gentle with puppies. Very appropriate in his greetings. But him laying down when smaller dogs approach was something that surprised me. 

He also surprised me the other day where I work. My sister came in with her husband and two chihuahuas around noon. Myles knows them all and loves them a lot. I usually let him run about at the end of the day and I noticed he paused halfway down the main hallway, turned around sniffing along the wall toward the exam room they had been in all the way to the bench they had sat in before he noticed me watching and came running over. I always joked about needing to do something with his nose. He finds tennis balls up in the foothills all the time. He's found us a chuck it ball too. No idea where or what triggers it, but he just pops out of the sagebrush with one. 

My dog makes me look like I know what I'm doing.


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## ashleylp (Jul 23, 2011)

Remy has always had a very soft mouth... even as a puppy he could carry an egg around the house!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Mystic just never thought of going potty in the house. He trotted right to the door from day one- no housebreaking really needed. Copley taught himself to stay in the outback part of the car even without a crate.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

We taught Penny to wait before getting out of the car. She expanded that to waiting permission to go out the doors of the house. Except when the UPS guy is here...he has treats!

She figured out that the throw on the couch and the one on the bed were hers. When they were removed for washing, she refused to get on the furniture until the throws were put back.


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Tayla doesn't have many good behaviors, taught or self taught, but one of her best is she is calm around food. When I'm fixing her food she just lays down quietly and waits. When we are having dinner she may check out what we have, but then lays down quietly. She is a horrible beggar, but again she just lays her head down and looks up with those eyes. She isn't right in your face. That's it. That's her one good thing we didn't have to teach.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I think puppies are always presenting awesome behaviors. It is up to you to catch them and encourage them. 

The process for dogs is they try different things to see what works to get what they want. Puppies especially are SPONGES when it comes to trying out all kinds of things and learning what brings good things or what's comfortable or again, what works. It's up to you to be watching and making big deal about it.


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## Colie CVT (Sep 15, 2013)

I've encouraged Myles's finding things and bringing them to us. Though some days he finds some rather... pecular things to bring to our attention. Like the plastic sack with underwear in it behind the school we often walk the field of! Now that was a special present lol! We left it hanging on a door handle for someone to find since the school was closed. 

Many things my dog does I have encouraged, but it just surprised me some things he offered, like laying down to let small dogs approach him. He had some less than happy encounters at the dog park when he was young, however he is convinced everyone could truly be his best friend ever, though he can be patient even with his enthusiasm lol.

I wish he'd taught himself to be house broken like that! xD I used a crate and taking him out every two hours, keeping him leashed near me, etc. He'll hold it for hours on end now if he must. His record was 18 hours the day my roommate forgot that I had to leave him home that day in his crate (which was in my room at the time). I only discovered when I came home from a VERY long day to hear he'd been silent the whole time.


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## gretzky (Dec 1, 2012)

These are great! Thanks, Megora, for the reminder that we're always training our kids 

For throw toys (balls, frisbees etc), Gretzky will drop the toy to us, run a little away, and crouch down expectantly waiting for the throw. So cute!


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## Cody'sMom (Nov 7, 2010)

Cody is unhooked from his leash as we walk up the driveway after walking but he hangs back just enough for me to go through the door first. Never taught him that. He's such a gentleman!


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

I can let Bear out the front door w/o a leash, because he goes straight to "his" car door and sits patiently waiting for us to take him for a ride. If I don't appear fast enough to open his chariot, he will do a single lap around the car to find me, tap me, then go sit by his door again. If I continue to take a long time, he will peek around the bumper and bark then go sit back down.

Turns out he loves going for rides. 


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## USAFWife74 (Jan 13, 2013)

Ellie knows when her feet are dirty, she's expected to sit. And then raises her paws. Of course, since we were in Germany, it was a requisite behavior. She just did it the first time, and I never really had to ask for it!


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## Colie CVT (Sep 15, 2013)

Too cute!  I love it when they puzzle out something themselves. 

I forgot another of Myles. He one day just started dropping the balls into my hand when we were playing fetch. Super handy when you're sitting on a couch and don't want to have to lean down to get the ball!


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## Heathhanly (Jan 10, 2013)

This is not a good behaviour but a nice one. If I am walking away from Meeka with my back to her she will run up behind me and put her nose into the palm of my hand. Just to let me know she is with me. She taught herself that. 


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Max taught himself to open the back door and let himself out. He also opens the door and comes back in.


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## Colie CVT (Sep 15, 2013)

That would be super handy! Myles can open crate doors, but I taught him that for a training competition we did lol.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

When Casper jumps up on the bed in the trailer, he does not jump on my head. You know, it's possible. Never had a dog do it, though.

He's never bolted out the front door. Of course, we've never opened it when the UPS man was out there.

He's never chewed up a shoe. He runs off with them, but he never damages them. He just slobbers all over them.

He was a horrible counter-surfer but gave that up. I don't think it had anything to do with training.

He never runs into me in doorways and has never run into me on the stairs. Great body awareness there.


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## Lucylulu (Aug 4, 2013)

Lucy does an automatic sit whenever I stop when we're walking somewhere! I didn't teach her that at all but since she started doing it I've been encouraging it because I just think it's great!


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## Gwen_Dandridge (Jul 14, 2012)

Maddie won't get out of a car until she is given permission. It's an interesting self-taught trait, but boy does it ever come in handy. I rely on it. It sure makes the difference between a safe dog and a hurt dog.

She also has a weird habit at night which we still don't understand. She will get up on the bed but when the light is turned off, she leaps up and goes to her bed. Three minutes later or sometimes an hour, she is back on the bed. No amount of convincing that she is allowed on the bed in that immediate time after the light is turned off has changed her mind in the least.


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

Jess and I often walk in wooded areas. We'll walk for a while and then i'll just casually say to him" let's go back ". He picked up on that word "back "at a young age and immedietly stops in his tracks and turns around when I say it. And he also sniffs out the same route we took to get there. My trail guide. He also waits to make sure I get safely across any streams.


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## Pixie (Jun 13, 2012)

Thwy can be so incredibly smart and understanding of our surroundings!

Pixie thaught her self to poo only at tue edge of the garden! Super handy when you fogert to pick it up and walk outside  never stepped on anything.



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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

We could take credit for teaching Thor to sit at 9 weeks, but really all we did was attach a word clue to his frequently presented behavior of sitting and waiting in many situations. Example while we were preparing his food, while a new person or dog was approaching, etc. Don't get me wrong, when those new people and dogs get close enough he does need training to keep calm.


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