The Right Stuff
Training your furry friend should be a fun and happy experience for both of you. We want our best buddy to enjoy being with us as much as we enjoy being with them. Positive reinforcement dog training is a friendly, non-punitive method of teaching your dog to perform behaviors by using treats or other positive actions as a reward. Rewarding appropriate dog behavior makes that behavior more likely to occur in the future and is one of the most powerful tools you can use to shape or change your dog’s actions. Positive reinforcement dog training not only teaches your dog what behaviors you desire (as well as those you don’t) in a humane manner, it also creates a stronger bond between you and your dog.
Timing is the key with positive reinforcement dog training. Your dog must be rewarded immediately for responding appropriately to a cue. Through reinforcement (treats), your dog will associate particular behaviors with actual rewards. Everyone in the family should use the same cue system and should never reinforce the wrong behavior. If you cue your dog to sit, she should be given a treat the moment she does.
Most pups will happily work for tasty dog treats. You should choose treats that are small, soft, and easily broken apart. Treats should be highly valued by your dog and easily consumed. You want your dog to quickly eat her treat and look to you for more. It’s a good idea to experiment with several different treats and find out which ones work best.
In addition to the food reward, each time your dog responds appropriately to a cue, you should also offer verbal praise. When your dog is learning a new behavior, she should be rewarded every time she does the behavior. It may be necessary to use “shaping,” with your pup (reinforcing something close to the desired response and gradually requiring more from your dog before he gets the treat). For example, if you’re teaching your dog to roll over, you might reward her first for laying down, then for laying down and rolling on her back and finally for laying down and rolling all the way over.
Once your dog responds reliably to a cue you should only reward her for staying committed to the behavior. If you cue your dog to sit and stay, you should reward her only when she is tempted to break the sit and doesn’t. By following these steps and being consistent, training your pup can be a rewarding experience for both of you.
