Dog Training Secrets

Bringing home a new pet dog brings in excitement, happiness and a responsibility - providing your dog with an enriched life, with proper care and guidance. It is advisable to assume training your dog right from the beginning. A comprehensive training with the time tested techniques coupled with loads of patience would ensure a lifelong relationship with your four legged friend; one that is based on trust and understanding.

Positive reinforcement is a highly recommended technique for training the canine. Put in simple words, positive reinforcement refers to rewarding a good and favorable behavior and disregarding unfavorable behavior. Dogs have a natural tendency to want to please you and positive reinforcement banks on this attribute in the dog, in order to elicit good behavior from him. Training through positive reinforcement instills in your dog the self confidence to learn quickly. Positive reinforcement theory purports that just like human beings dogs too prefer to be appreciated rather than being punished. Provide something to your dog as a reward just after he has done something good or obeyed you. Your dog will repeat that action to get the same ‘reward‘ response and hence, through positive reinforcement you can shape your dog’s behavior.

Continuity, consistency and correct timing are the essential features to be followed while training your canine using positive reinforcement methodology. All the members in the household must consistently use the same commands to teach the dog as this eliminates confusion and helps the dog to get familiar with every command and learn the appropriate response to it. It may be a good idea to put up the common commands in writing at a place accessible to all. Usually the commands used for dog training are; sit, stay, off, stand, heel, leave it, come, watch etc. In order to shape the behavior of your dog, it is essential to provide him with continuous positive reinforcement. Through this you may teach your dog many tricks. You can start with reinforcing actions that are close to the response you want from the dog and then gradually take the step further by holding on to the reward till the dog gives the actual response. It is also advisable to give positive reinforcement to your dog each and every time your dog displays the desired behavior or action. Correct timing plays an important role in training your dog; the rewards should be given out as soon as the desired action or behavior is flaunted. As association of the reward with the appropriate action will be established if you immediately reward the action the dog performed. Using intermittent reinforcement technique is advisable after your dog has reasonably and consistently mastered one particular behavior.

Positive reinforcement may be a treat, like small and soft food tit bits of cheese, hot dogs, cooked beef or chicken etc; a pat on the back, an enthusiastic round of praise, saying ‘good dog’ with a happy note in the voice, giving a favorite toy or playing a short game with your dog. Positive reinforcement may be considered a powerful tool in not just training your dog, but also to motivate the animal to be a well behaved dog. It fosters an unshakable bond between you and your canine friend.