Successful Dog Training
Positive Reinforcement Method
It’s
commonly accepted among the large majority of seasoned
dog trainers that the most effective and humane way
to train dogs is through a process called Positive
Reinforcement.
This is a big word for a very simple theory: rewarding
the behavior that you want to see repeated, and ignoring
the behavior that you don’t approve.
This theory is in contrast to the once-popular but
now obsolete techniques, some of which were abhorrent
and inhumane: hanging an aggressive dog up by her
collar or using shock collars for out-of-control barking.
Positive reinforcement works with any dog. A dog's
natural instinct is to please her owner. The positive
reinforcement theory is based on the fact meaningful
lessons tend to "stick" more, when a dog
can figure out by herself what you're asking for.
Using positive reinforcement , you're allowing her
the opportunity to use her own brain.
Ways to facilitate the training process:
- Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get
bored quickly with a routine pat on the head and a
“good girl” (and, in fact, most dogs don’t
even like being patted on the head – watch their
expressions and notice how most will shy away when
a hand is reaching down toward their heads). To keep
the quality of your dog’s learning at a high
standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior.
Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers
refer to as “primary incentives” –
in other words, they’re both significant rewards
that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to.
- Use the right timing. When your
dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that
you're going to reward so that, when she gets that
treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior
it was that earned her the reward. Some people use
a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device,
which emits a distinct “click” when pressed.
The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a
dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a
dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as
the dog’s bottom hits the ground). You can also
use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying
“Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice
will work perfectly. Make sure that you give her the
treat after the marker – and remember to use
the marker consistently. If you only say “Yes!”
or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have
any significance to your dog when you do do it; she
needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means
(i.e., that she’s done something right whenever
she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming
very shortly). So be consistent with your marker.
- Be consistent with your training
commands, too. When you’re teaching a dog a
command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal
cue you’re going to be giving her, and then
stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump
up on you, you wouldn’t ask her to “get
off”, “get down”, and “stop
jumping”, because that would just confuse her;
you’d pick one phrase, such as “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 to reward your dog meaningfully
All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations
of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for
a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren’t
‘chow hounds’ (big eaters) and prefer to
be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or
through some physical affection from you.
You’ll 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
demonstrativeness, just like humans do.
The best ways to stroke your dog: 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.
As far as food is concerned, it’s not hard
to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment
with different food treats until you find one that
she really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers
have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond
most reliably to training commands when they receive
treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent
treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more
interested in what might be on offer - it prevents
them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from
making a conscious decision to forego a treat.
How to correct your dog meaningfully
The great thing about positive reinforcement training
is that it doesn't require you to do anything that might
go against the grain. You won't be called upon to put
any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice,
or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures.
When it comes to positive reinforcement training,
all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you
don't wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention
(because you're deliberately ignoring her) is enough
to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus
is a powerful correctional tool.
Contemporary belief in dog training states that we
should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training
command - that, with no reinforcement from us (yes,
even negative attention - like verbal corrections
- counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative
attention is better than no attention at all), the
dog will stop the behavior of her own accord.
The bigger the fuss you make over her when she does
get it right, the clearer the connection will be between
a particular behavior(s) eliciting no response at
all, but other behaviors (the right response) eliciting
massive amounts of positive attention from you.
Recommended Reading
One excellent resource for dog training is Secrets
To Dog Training: the ultimate training and
knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on
preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as
well as obedience work and 'tricks', Secrets
To Dog Training covers a vast variety of
topics in minute detail - all round, an invaluable
manual for dog owners everywhere.
You can check out Secrets To Dog Training
by clicking on the link below:
Visit
Secrets To dog Training
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