Your Dog’s Rules Are Personal — Make Them Universal
By Claudia Bensimoun
First published: World Cynosport Rally
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Does your dog understand what you say, no matter where you say it? By Claudia Bensimoun
Image Credit: Pixabay
Exclusive from RallyDogs: Ever trained your dog to “leave it” only to see them ignore it with a new person? A groundbreaking study from the Max Planck Institute reveals why: Dogs personalize rules to the trainer, not generalizing like kids do. I unpack Drs. Juliane Kaminski and Michael Tomasello’s PLOS ONE research on how dogs transfer (or don’t) cues to novel situations — with 2025 tips for more innovative training.
Dogs have always been great at understanding communicative signals given by trainers, handlers, and their owners. When we think about all the different ways that dogs work with us, and how they have become such an essential part of our lives, understanding human hand signals shouldn’t be a problem for our canines.
As reported in PLoS One, Dr. Juliane Kaminski and Dr. Michael Tomasello compared the pathways by which information is internalized in both dogs and infants. The researchers described learning as a “generalization of the originally acquired information to novel situations, new objects, new contexts, and new places.”
They compared how long it took infants to begin learning to copy instrumental acts, which started as early as 9 months. By the time a child is 2 to 3 years old, they’ll understand a new game through normative means. (“Normative” means “what every child understands or knows.”)
New research by Dr. Kaminski and Dr. Tomasello examined how dogs understood rules and how they did so. Would this be in a similar manner to human infants (episodic information which only exists in the immediate situation now), or generally, or as normative knowledge?
In this study, Dr.Kaminski and Dr. Tomasello researched whether dogs would disregard a cue not to take the treat (1) when the communicator of the ban was present, (2) after a brief absence of the ban communicator, and (3) in the presence of a new person.
Not surprisingly, it was found that our canine companions tended to retrieve the banned treat more often when the communicator left the room, even for a brief moment, or when a new person entered, than when the communicator stayed in the room.
Summary
These results suggest that our dogs “forget” a rule when the immediate person who gives the cue leaves, and demonstrate the importance of a demonstrator’s presence in modulating a dog’s response. These studies by Dr. Kaminski also indicate that a dog’s behavior changes according to the attentional state or mood of the person.
“Dogs apparently did not perceive what they witnessed during demonstrations as being universally applicable. The authors concluded that dogs associate a given piece of information with the person who communicated it,” via Plos-One.
According to Kaminski and Tomasello, “Dogs and other animals learn new things by observation and association; nonetheless, they can apply a communicative transmission pathway to transfer a bit of episodic information, which is relevant and important to the current situation,” via Plos-One.
This new study by Dr. Kaminski and Dr. Tomasello examines how much our canine companions are capable of rule-mediated learning, which predicts similar performance across settings, allowing dogs to understand a piece of information as a usual norm and, therefore, as an everyday norm.
The Study
In Kaminski and Tomasello’s research, conducted in Germany, owners and their dogs volunteered for the study. Thirty-nine pet dogs of various ages and breeds were included in the study, ranging from 8 months to 13 years. Testing was done at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. The testing room had a video camera and the necessary equipment, including a Plexiglas wall 120 cm high. The Plexiglas wall had a door, which could be opened remotely.
Behind the door was a hidden treat, and the owner (or a stranger) sat nearby, delivering either a positive or negative emotional cue (a “happy” voice/smile or a “stern” voice/frown). Dogs learned the “no treat” rule with their owner, then were tested in three conditions: owner present, owner absent (brief exit), or stranger present.
Results showed that dogs obeyed only when the original communicator was present — proving that rules are personalized, not generalized — and adjusted their behavior based on the person’s mood or attention. This episodic learning style explains why your dog “forgets” commands with new people, but thrives on consistent, familiar cues.
Your Dog’s Rules Are Personal — Make Them Universal
Kaminski and Tomasello’s PLOS ONE study proves one truth: dogs don’t generalize — they personalize. That “leave it” command? It’s tied to you, not the rule. But with consistent cues, short test intervals, and the same trainer, you can teach any dog to obey anyone. In 2025, this science powers apps like Dogo — turning episodic moments into lifelong habits. Start today: One person, one rule, one unbreakable bond. What’s your dog’s toughest “transfer” command? Share below!
Sources
Kaminski, J., & Tomasello, M. (2013). Generalize or Personalize: Do Dogs Transfer an Acquired Rule to Novel Situations and Persons? PLOS ONE. Original Study.
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