Puppy Obedience Training Using Positive Reinforcement

Puppy Obedience Training Using Positive Reinforcement – Today’s post is by guest contributor Amber Kingsley. This information is not intended to contradict, replace, or serve as a substitute for information obtained from a licensed professional.

Remember when we were kids and our parents told us that if we were good boys and girls, we would get presents from Santa Claus. When Christmas came, there were definitely presents under the tree for us. This is how positive reinforcement works, a reward for good behavior.

Puppy Obedience Training Using Positive Reinforcement

Although most dogs won’t wait until December 25th to get a reward, these techniques are successful training tools. In some cases, teaching an animal certain behaviors can save their life, keep them away from wild animals, or keep them off the streets, depending on whether you come from a rural or suburban environment.

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Remember to use positive reinforcement techniques carefully so that you don’t bribe your dog into performing certain behaviors. It’s also important to know when to use treats or praise at times that will produce the best results.

For example, if your dog usually barks at noises outside and you let him outside when he barks, you are giving him access to the yard for this unwanted and noisy behavior. Instead, try to train him to stop barking and reward him with a treat or affection when he does as told.

You have to be patient while training and you can use shaping behavior to get the end result you are looking for. Suppose you teach your dog to wave. At first he can only lift his paw off the ground. Then you can work your way up until his leg reaches your hand.

It is possible to make your dog the best he can be by using positive training methods. Check out this infographic on “30 Positive Reinforcement Training Tips for Your Pets.” Remember that animals respond to love and affection as much as they do to behavior.

What Is Positive Reinforcement In Dog Training?

Amber Kingsley is a freelance journalist and member of a pet enthusiast/animal lover group in her hometown of Santa Monica who has donated countless hours to support her local shelter with operations and outreach. She has spent most of her research writing about animals; Food, health and exercise. Remember how happy you were when your parents gave you a dollar for every A on your report card? They made you want to do it again, didn’t they? This is a positive reinforcement.

Dogs don’t care about money. They care about praise – and food or toys. Positive reinforcement training uses rewards (treats, praise, toys, anything the dog finds rewarding) for the desired behavior. Because the reward makes them more likely to repeat the behavior, positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog’s behavior.

Rewarding your dog for good behavior sounds easy, and it is! But to practice the technique effectively, you need to follow some basic guidelines.

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Proper timing is important when using positive reinforcement. The reward must come immediately (within seconds) after the desired behavior, otherwise your pet may not associate it with the correct action. For example, if you let your dog sit but reward him after he gets back up, he may think he’s been rewarded for standing.

Dogs don’t understand sentences. “Daisy, I want you to be a good girl and sit for me now” might get you a wink. In fact, dogs learn first from your body language, so first work on encouraging your dog to “sit” or “down” before asking for words. Holding a toy or treat, slowly move your hand over your dog’s head and back slightly so he has to sit up to see it. When your dog sits, you can lure him by slowly lowering your hand and bringing the treat closer to the ground in his front paws.

When your dog continues to behave, start adding the word “sit” or “down” in a calm voice and try not to repeat the word. Keep verbal cues short and uncomplicated.

Everyone in the family should use the same cues, otherwise your dog may get confused. It may help to post a list of signals where everyone can become familiar with them.

Dog Training Bible: Everything You Need To Know To Raise The Best Dog Ever From Puppy To Adult Using The Power Of Positive Reinforcement By Sarah Richey

Positive reinforcement is great for teaching your dog cues and is a great way to reinforce good behavior. You can get your dog to sit by:

Give them a pat or “good dog” to get them to sleep quietly at your feet, or put a treat in a Kong-type toy when they chew on it instead of your shoe.

Be careful not to inadvertently use positive reinforcement to reward unwanted behavior. For example, if you let your dog out every time he barks at a noisy neighborhood, you are providing a reward (admission to the yard) for the behavior you want to discourage.

It may take time for your dog to learn certain behaviors. You have to use a technique called “shaping,” which means reinforcing something close to the desired response and then gradually demanding more of your dog before he gets the treat.

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For example, if you’re teaching your dog to “shake,” you can reward them for first lifting their paw off the ground, then for lifting it up, then for touching your hand, then for you to hold their paw, and finally, you. Actually “shake hands” with you.

Positive reinforcement can include food treats, praise, pets, or a favorite toy or game. Since most dogs are highly motivated to eat, treats work especially well for training.

If your dog is not motivated to eat or drink, a toy, pet or small game can also be very effective rewards.

When your pet learns a new behavior, reward them each time they exhibit that behavior. This is called continuous reinforcement. Once your pet learns the behavior reliably, you will switch to intermittent reinforcement.

Obedience Training. Man Training His Vizsla Puppy The Lie Down Command Using Ball As Positive Reinforcement. Stock Image

By understanding positive reinforcement, you’ll find that you don’t have to keep treats in your pocket forever. Your dog will soon get used to your verbal praise as he cheers you on and even gets the occasional treat.

Context is everything. If you feed your dog from the dinner table, they may stick to handouts, but if you use treats during training sessions, your dog will understand that they are working for a reward.

Although there is currently no national credential for dog trainers, some organizations only certify trainers who use positive reinforcement training methods. Visit the Association of Professional Dog Trainers to find a trainer in your area or ask a local trainer what methods and techniques they use to make sure you are comfortable with this approach. A golden doodle puppy and trainer in a dog training class here at Doggy Business on June 4 in Portland, Oregon.

I was about a month into fostering a new border collie puppy when I had an embarrassing realization: my dog ​​had yet to meet someone who looked like me.

Use Positive Reinforcement When Training Your Pups — Pawsitively Pure Dog Food

I’ve read many books on raising a dog, and they all agree on at least one thing: socializing a puppy properly, especially during the critical period of eight to 20 weeks, means introducing her to as many people as possible. Not just people, but different people: people with beards and sunglasses; people wearing fedoras and sombreros; People jog; People in Halloween costumes. And, seriously, people of different races. Fail to do this and your dog will bark inexplicably at people wearing straw hats or large sunglasses.

This is an important factor in socialization in the new approach to raising the modern dog. It avoids the old, dominant Caesarean mating-style methods that were based on flawed studies of supposed hierarchies in wolf packs. These methods made sense when I raised my last dog, Chica, in her early years. I read the classic dominance books by famous New York trainers, The Monks of New Skate, among others, to teach her that I was the leader of her pack, even if it meant serious corrections like neck shaking. . Chica was a well-behaved dog, but she got frustrated easily when I tried to teach her something new.

Not to suggest I didn’t have a better option; Then there was a growing movement to teach dog owners the value of early socialization and reward-based training, and many trainers who only used positive reinforcement. But at the time, this approach was the subject of debate and derision: treatment-trained salespeople can do whatever you want if they know you have a cookie hidden in the palm of your hand, but otherwise they’ll ignore you. I proudly taught my dog ​​tough love.

This, with the help of a new class of trainers and researchers, I completely changed my methods and was shocked to find a breakthrough product.

Ensure Dog Training Success With Punishment Free Training, Rewards