In honor of Changing A Pet’s Life Day on January 24th
and also in honor of Dog Training Education Month which is coming up in
February, we here at Mickey’s thought it would be a wonderful idea to spread
the word about Positive Dog Training.
Did you know the #1 reason dogs are relinquished to the
shelter is because the dog is untrained? The dog jumps up, barks at everything,
pulls on leash, isn’t potty trained, doesn’t like people, doesn’t like other
dogs; the list goes on and on. This could have been avoided with some simple
obedience training.
Why does your dog need to be obedience trained? The reason
is very simple. A trained dog is a good dog. A dog with obedience training is
less likely to be destructive in the home, less likely to run away, less likely
to bite someone, and less likely to be abandoned in an animal
shelter.
Positive dog training is based on two concepts. The first is
‘associative learning’ which is the idea that if two things tend to occur at
the same time, we begin to expect one when we see the other. The most famous
example is Pavloc’s dogs who would salivate at the sound of a metronome because
they associated the sound with the appearance of food.
The other concept is ‘operant conditioning’ which is the use
of consequences to modify behavior. By rewarding the desired behavior and
ignoring any unwanted behavior, we can increase the desired behavior and almost
entirely eliminate unwanted behavior.
What this means is that positive dog training helps the dog
associate a stimulus (like a sound) with a desired behavior (like “sitting”).
First your dog learns what you want him to do, and then he learns the command
for doing it. To do this, you need to use a lot of positive reinforcement by
using praise and positive actions or rewards to teach your dog right from
wrong. The key is to determine what motivates your dog and use that motivator
as a reward upon correct performance. You can use treats, toys, physical
affection, verbal praise or a combination of any of those.
Traditional dog training methods typically attempted to
teach the command and physically force the dog to do the desired behavior. They
often use methods that include devices such as choke collars, prong collars, or
electric shock collars. The idea is to use pain to force the dog to do a
specific behavior. Punishment and coercion often lead to aggression. Positive
dog training methods, however, rarely, if ever, result in aggressiveness or
related undesirable behaviors.
As positive dog training methods are emerging more and being
accepted by more trainers and pet owners, it is becoming clear that is has many
advantages over the traditional method. For example, positive dog training
activities tend to have better timing and are more specific. This combines to accelerate
training and focus on the desired behavior. And as your dog learns to look to
you for leadership, the bond between you will strengthen. The use of pain is
not found among positive dog training methods. Pain is not required for
learning; in fact, pain can actually lower your dog’s ability to learn by
increasing his stress.
Now I know it’s all well and good to explain to you what it
is, but what you really want to know is how to use it. Let me go over how you
will implement positive dog training and what tools you will need in order to
do so properly so that you can start building a path to a happier life with
your dog!
The most helpful piece of dog training equipment you will
ever own is a dog crate. They come in many different shapes and types, but the
size is the most important part. The dog crate should be just big enough for
your dog to stand up and turn around in. Your dog crate will be an invaluable
piece of dog training equipment for both house training and obedience training.
You are also going to need a leash and a collar. A leather
leash is recommended, but a nylon leash is ok as well. Just be careful if you
have a puller as nylon leashes can leave burns or cuts on your hand. Stay away
from leashed made of chain- the noise they make will be confusing during the
training process and can also cause harm to you or your dog if he’s a puller.
Just like the leash, a leather collar is recommended. The
leather will give you a great deal of usability and sturdiness, not to mention
greater comfort for your dog.
And of course we can’t forget the training pouch to hold
treats (or toys if your dog is more toy motivated). You can also get a clicker to help in your training endeavor. Clicker’s sometimes makes it easier for some
people because they can click quicker than they are able to get words out.
When using positive reinforcement, it is important to reward
your dog immediately upon responding correctly to the cue. For example, if you
tell your dog to “sit” and he does so, you need to immediately let him know he
did a good thing by telling him “yes” or “good” (or clicking if you use a
clicker). Then you promptly give him a treat (or let him play with his toy).
Remember, the reward must be something that your dog really loves so make sure
you try a few things before buying a bunch of something only to realize your
dog isn’t partial to it.
While you are training your dog to respond to new cues, you
will want to reward him every time the correct action is performed. However,
once he has successfully mastered the cue and is performing consistently
without hesitation, it will no longer be necessary to provide rewards each time
he performs the specific action. Simply reinforce him verbally that he was
correct by telling him “yes” or “good”.
The two biggest things with positive reinforcement is
consistency and timing. Be consistent in your training methods and be sure
everyone in the house is taught to train your dog the same way so that there is
no confusion. Use the same words and hand signals each time you train the cue
and be sure to reward your dog right away when he gets it right.
Last but not least, have fun! This should be fun for both you and your dog. If either of you is not having fun, then you’re doing something wrong. Accept the fact that training your dog will take time and patience but eventually your consistency and persistence will pay off.
For training treats, toys and other supplies, check out this link: Dog Training Supplies
Visit Mickeyspetsupplies.com for all your favorite dog training treats, dog chews and great dog training supplies. Use code TRAIN for $3 off your $25 order.
If you have any training specific questions, feel free to
email them to Heather at calmtraining@outlook.com
to get training advice from a Certified Dog Trainer.
