The Three D’s: Building Reliable Behaviors in the Real World
Why the Three D’s Matter
Teaching your dog a new behavior is exciting — that first sit, down, or stay feels like a big win. But here’s the thing: a behavior that works only in your living room isn’t really “trained” yet.
That’s where the Three D’s come in:
Distance
Duration
Distraction
These are the building blocks that turn a freshly learned skill into something reliable anywhere. They help your dog generalize what you’ve taught them so it works in the park, on the trail, at the vet’s office — even with squirrels watching.
The Problem Without the D’s
Many training frustrations come from skipping one (or all) of the D’s.
You might think your dog “knows” sit, but:
You ask from 10 feet away and they walk toward you instead. (Distance)
You ask them to stay for more than three seconds and they pop up. (Duration)
A skateboard rolls past and they forget you exist. (Distraction)
It’s not stubbornness. It’s simply that the behavior hasn’t been tested — and built — under those conditions yet.
Breaking Down the Three D’s
1. Distance
Definition: How far you are from your dog when you give a cue, or how far the dog is from something they want or need to ignore.
Why it matters:
Distance changes context. A dog that will stay while you’re right next to them may struggle when you’re across the yard. Building distance gradually teaches them that your cue still applies — even if you’re not right there.
How to build it:
Start with you just one step away from the dog.
Gradually increase the space between you, rewarding success at each step.
If they break position, reduce the distance and try again.
Bagheera example:
When I first worked on Bagheera’s recall, I started from only a few feet away indoors. Once she nailed that, we moved to the yard, then the length of a long line. Each step gave her practice listening even when she wasn’t glued to my side.
2. Duration
Definition: How long your dog can maintain a behavior after you cue it.
Why it matters:
Duration builds patience and impulse control. Without it, “stay” turns into “pause for a second and then do whatever you want.”
How to build it:
Start with one second, then two, then five.
Reward throughout the hold — don’t just wait until the end.
End the behavior before the dog does, so you’re the one controlling the release.
Roo example:
With Roo, duration training for “place” was a game-changer. At first, she could only stay for a few seconds before wandering. By increasing the time slowly — and making it worth her while — she learned to settle in for minutes at a time, even with movement happening around her.
3. Distraction
Definition: Anything in the environment competing for your dog’s attention.
Why it matters:
Distraction is often the hardest D. Squirrels, food, other dogs, people — these can all make even a well-trained dog forget their cues if we haven’t practiced with them present.
How to build it:
Start in low-distraction areas.
Introduce mild distractions (a dropped toy, someone walking nearby).
Gradually add harder ones (other dogs playing, busy streets).
Bagheera example:
We built her loose-leash walking skills around mild distractions first — a rolling ball, a friend walking past — before tackling high-energy environments like a busy trailhead. By working up in layers, she learned that walking politely was still the best choice, even when exciting things were happening.
How the D’s Work Together
The Three D’s aren’t separate silos — they overlap. Changing one often changes the others.
Example: If you add distance, you may also be adding distraction (because the world between you and your dog is now “in play”). If you increase duration, distractions have more time to appear.
That’s why we usually:
Work on each D separately first.
Combine them gradually.
Increase only one D at a time when you’re raising difficulty.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Going too fast: Jumping from 5 seconds to 1 minute, or 2 feet to 20 feet, is a recipe for failure.
Adding too many D’s at once: More than one big change can overwhelm your dog.
Not resetting after a break: If your dog gets it wrong, go back to the last version they succeeded at and rebuild.
Forgetting to release: A release cue tells your dog the exercise is done — without it, they’ll guess (and usually guess early).
Training Plan: Building All Three D’s
Step One: Master the Behavior in a Quiet Place
Make sure your dog can do the skill reliably without distance, duration, or distraction.
Step Two: Add Distance
Increase your space by a foot or two at a time. Return to your dog to reward them rather than calling them out of position each time.
Step Three: Add Duration
Once they can do it close-up, ask them to hold it for a few seconds longer. Reward throughout, not just at the end.
Step Four: Add Distractions
Start small — a treat in your hand, a family member walking by. Gradually work up to bigger ones like other dogs or outdoor activity.
Step Five: Combine the D’s Slowly
Example:
Hold a sit for 10 seconds (duration) while you’re 5 feet away (distance) with a ball rolling nearby (distraction).
Gradually extend to more challenging combinations.
Roo and the “Park Bench Test”
One of my favorite real-world Three D’s challenges came from Roo. I wanted her to be able to hold a relaxed down while I chatted with someone in the park.
We started in my driveway, me just a few feet away for short durations. Over weeks, I increased distance and time, adding distractions like people walking past. Eventually, we were able to sit on a park bench with her lying calmly for several minutes — a real-life payoff for methodical Three D’s work.
Bagheera’s Trailhead Recall
Bagheera’s recall under distraction was built entirely on the D’s. At first, calling her back from sniffing a bush at 5 feet was a win. But by systematically increasing distance, adding longer pauses before rewarding, and introducing distractions like other dogs getting out of cars, we got to the point where she could recall from across the parking lot with people and dogs moving all around her.
Why the Three D’s Make You a Better Trainer
Working with the D’s forces you to slow down and be intentional. You stop assuming “they know it” and start proving they know it under different circumstances. It also builds your observation skills — you’ll start spotting exactly where your dog’s skills begin to falter so you can adjust.
Best of all, it makes training more fair. Instead of expecting your dog to perform perfectly in the hardest situation right away, you give them the steps to get there successfully.
The Big Takeaway
Distance, duration, and distraction are the real-world tests of any behavior. Train them separately, combine them slowly, and your dog’s skills will not just exist — they’ll hold up anywhere.
The Three D’s turn “My dog knows it at home” into “My dog knows it everywhere.”
