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Virtually all dog training experts accept positive
reinforcement as the most humane and effective approach
to training your dog. Positive reinforcement is
essentially a very simple theory: reward the behavior
that you wish to see repeated, and ignore the behavior
that you don’t.
This method is a welcome alternative to the "old school"
techniques for dog training, some of which included
physical pain and intimidation (some called for hanging
an aggressive dog by the collar), or cruel methods of
"aversion therapy", like using shock collars for
barking.
Your dog's natural instinct is to please you, so
positive reinforcement is the most effective approach
towards training your canine companion. Lessons 'stick'
and are more meaningful when dogs are able to understand
what you're asking for with their brain (as opposed to,
say, learning "down" by being physically forced into a
prone position, while the word "down" is repeated at
intervals). Positive reinforcement allows your dog time
to absorb what it is wanted of them.
Using meaningful rewards is essential in making the
training process effective. Pat's on the head and "good
dog" can be pretty boring rewards after a while. In
fact, most dogs don't even like being patted on the head
- have you noticed their expressions, or how most will
balk or shy away when a hand comes towards their head?
The quality of learning is driven by tempting
incentives. Food treats and physical affection are known
as “primary incentives” by dog trainers, and both are
significant rewards that most dogs respond to reliably.
Timing is also a key: when a command is obeyed, you must
mark the behavior you're rewarding. When she gets that
treat in her mouth, she must understand exactly what
behavior it was that earned her the reward.
Some people use a clicker to help mark the exact moment.
The clicker, a small hand held sound-making device,
makes a distinct “click” when pressed. Dogs learn that
this noise means they have performed the desired
behavior. For example, if you ask a dog to sit, you’d
click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the
ground. Your voice can also be used to mark the desired
behavior, like saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone..
It's important to give her the treat after the marker –
and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only
say “Yes!” or use the clicker occasionally, it won’t
have any significance to your dog when you use it; she
needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means.
To her, the marker means she's done something right
whenever she hears it, and a treat is on it's way. So be
consistent with your marker.
Verbal commands need to be consistent too. When you’re
teaching a dog a command, decide ahead of time on the
verbal cue you’re going to be giving her, and
stick to it. For example, when training your dog to not
jump up on you, don't use a variety of “get off”, “get
down”, and “stop jumping”. Using more than one phrase to
get a specific result is very confusing, so settle on
something like “No jump”, and stick with it. Even the
smartest dogs don’t understand English! They need
to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions
associated with a particular phrase. Her rate of
obedience will be much better if you choose one
particular phrase and use it every time you wish her to
enact a certain behavior for you.
How do you reward your dog meaningfully? Every dog has a
favorite treat and preferred demonstration of physical
affection. Some will do back flips for a chicken
flavored treat, while others prefer to be rewarded
with a tug of war on their favorite toy, or maybe some
physical affection from you. You probably already have a
fair idea of how much she enjoys being touched and
played with – each dog has a distinct level of energy
and reactive expression, just like humans do. What kind
of strokes do dogs like best? Most dogs really like
having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their
back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently;
having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between
the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also
target the ears: gently rub the ear flap between your
thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.
Regarding food, it's pretty easy to figure out what your
dog likes. Try experimenting with different treats until
you find one that she really goes bonkers for. Trainers
have noted an interesting thing about food; dogs' most
reliable responses to training commands come when they
receive treats sporadically, rather than predictably.
Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs more interested
in what might be coming, prevents them from getting
tired of food rewards, and also from making a conscious
decision to turn away from an expected treat.
So what's the best way to correct your dog in a
meaningful way? Positive reinforcement training doesn't
require you to do anything that might go against the
grain, so you won't have to use any complex correctional
theories or harsh punishment methods. Positive
reinforcement training simply calls for ignoring the
behavior that you don't want to see repeated. Your dog
will get pretty miserable when you deliberately ignore
her, and that in itself is a powerful correctional tool.
Dog training methods of today stress that we should
ignore incorrect responses to a training command. No
reinforcement of any kind, even negative, is the best
way to get your dog to stop the unwanted behavior of her
own accord. If you make a big fuss over her when she
does get it right, and ignore her when she doesn't,
she'll be able to draw a clear distinction about what
you want.
RECOMMENDED READING: Hopefully this information
has given you a good basic insight into the more helpful
attitudes and techniques to use when training your dog.
Overall, this modern day method remains pretty complex,
and it's a good idea to learn as much about effective
training techniques as possible. One excellent resource
for dog training is Secrets to Dog
Training, the ultimate training and knowledge
database for dog owners. There's great information on
dealing with problem behaviors and obedience training,
and tricks as well! Secrets to
Dog Training
provides a lot of detail about many topics, and is a
great all around manual for dog owners everywhere. You
can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking on this link:
Kingdom of Pets Dog Obedience Training
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