In training, what percentage range indicates when to raise criteria after a behavior is performed successfully?

• A. 90-100%
• B. 70-80%
• C. 60-70%
• D. 80-90%

Answer: (C)

Raising criteria is about advancing the difficulty only after the dog is reliably performing the current behavior. The idea behind the 60-70% range is to balance reliability with progress: the dog is showing the behavior correctly more often than not, but there’s still variability. This level indicates the skill is solid enough to warrant a higher standard, while not waiting until perfection, which can stall progress.

In practice, once the dog meets the current criterion in roughly three out of five attempts (about 60-70%) across several sessions and—ideally—under a few different contexts or mild distractions, you can raise the criterion a small amount. Then you reinforce the more challenging version and continue to monitor performance to ensure the dog stays above the new threshold.

Raising too soon (well below 60%) risks rewarding inconsistent or incorrect responses, slowing learning; waiting for too high a success rate (e.g., 80-90%) can stall progress and reduce motivation. So the 60-70% mark serves as a practical, gradual stepping-stone to more advanced criteria while keeping the dog engaged and making meaningful progress.