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Dog Obedience Lessons in Vancouver - Dog Obedience
from:It's now widely accepted among the majority of dog training
experts that the most effective and most humane way to train
your dog is through a process called positive reinforcement
training.
This is a fancy phrase for what's a very simple theory: using
positive reinforcement for rewarding the behavior that you wish
to see repeated, and ignoring the behavior that you don't want
repeated.
This method is in direct contrast to some of the now-outdated
but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were
terrible to be honest: physical pain and intimidation (such as
hanging an aggressive dog up by her collar), or inhumane methods
of aversion therapy (such as shock collars for barking).
Positive reinforcement works with your dog. A dog's natural
instinct is to please you - the theory of positive reinforcement
recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend
to "stick" more, when a dog is able to figure out what you're
asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning "down"
by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word
"down" is repeated at intervals). When you use positive
reinforcement training, you're allowing your dog the time and
the chance to use her own brain.
Some ways for you to facilitate the training process in your
dog's obedience lessons:
- Use rewards that mean something. Dogs can get pretty bored
pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a "good
girl".In fact most dogs dont even like being patted on the head.
- 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. You can 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.
- Be consistent with training commands. 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 will
just confuse her; you'd pick one phrase, such as "No jump", and
stick with it. Even the smartest dogs don't know English - they
need to learn the actions associated with a particular phrase.
How to reward your dog meaningfully
All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations
of physical affection. Some dogs will excited for a bone; other
dogs just aren't big eaters and prefer to be rewarded through a
game with their favorite toy, or with a bit of physical
affection from you.
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 theories into
practice, or be required to undertake any harsh measures.
When it comes to using positive reinforcement training, all you
have to do is ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see
repeated. Not getting any attention 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 From The Author Dr Ruff.
Hopefully this brief article has given you a good basic insight
into the more helpful attitudes and techniques to use when
training your dog. However, the subject remains pretty complex,
and it's a good idea to learn as much about effective training
techniques as possible.
One excellent resource for dog training isa program called
SitStayFetch: the ultimate training and knowledge database for
dog owners in Vancouver. With a focus on preventing and dealing
with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and 'tricks',
SitStayFetch covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail -
all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere in
Vancouver.
You can check out
SitStayFetch by clicking on this link!
Secrets To Dog Training.
Learn how to obedience train your dog effectively to stop your dogs behavior problems. To find out more about this amazing guide: Read Our Review >>
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