try it on the dog. Test something out in a situation where the outcome does not matter. Specifically, in outmoded usage, it means to refine a dramatic work before bringing it to a major stage in New York or London.

While the metaphorical use of the phrase does not refer to situations involving actual canines, the underlying assumptions in this phrase have been challenged in the past few decades. To animal rights activists, testing things on dogs—such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or genetically modified foods—is both unnecessary and cruel. In other words, the outcome does matter. The phrase suggests that you don't test the water by sticking in your own toe. Instead, you make your dog try it first. In this sense, the phrase is very different from kindred metaphors, such as “run it up the flagpole and see who salutes” or “send up a trial balloon.”