The dog training professionals agree that the best way (and certainly the most humane) to do dog obedience training is through the use of positive reinforcement training. This phrase refers to the use of positive reinforcement – rewarding good behavior and ignoring unwanted behavior.
This is unlike some of the once widely used dog training methods which included inflicting pain, intimidation and inhumane aversion training methods, including electric shock collars.
Dog obedience training with positive reinforcement works very well with dogs. Remember that your dog has a natural inclination to try to please you – which makes positive reinforcement effective. Your dog will also remember these lessons better and repeat the desired behavior more consistently.
Here are more tips and ideas that you can use to do dog training. Don’t try to train your dog on a lot of different commands in the first day. Only work on one command so your dog does not get confused.
1. Use meaningful rewards to train your dog. Dogs do appreciate praise and a pat on the head, but this will only go so far. In order to keep your dog interested, you should choose what dog trainers and animal psychologists term “primary incentives”. These include food, which is of course one of the best ways to motivate a dog. When you do dog obedience training, your dog may not remember that pat on the head but will certainly remember treats.
2. Keep good timing when you train your dog. When your dog obeys one of your commands, they have to be rewarded immediately. Remember that dogs do not have long memories and unless the reward comes immediately after the desirable behavior, they may not understand that the two are related. You will lose the effectiveness of your dog obedience training.
If you need a tool for training your dog, then consider a clicker. It’s a small hand held metal device that snaps a click. For a clicker to be effective, you must click it immediately, when your dog performs what you want. Then give it a treat. You instill in your dog a change in behavior associated with a sound and taste. This is a definite good combination for successful dog training.
You can do the same thing with your own voice; saying “Yes” in a happy voice will send the same message. Just remember to give the treat right away after this and say the same thing every time. This will cause your dog to associate the action, the marker and the reward. Consistency is the key.
Whenever trying to give your dog obedience training by introducing a new command, you need to determine which verbal cue you’ll be using before you begin training. Stick to this cue throughout your dog training. For example, if you’re trying to train your dog to stop jumping on you, use one command, say “no jump” instead of alternating between “get down”, “get off”, etc.
So many times, you make think your dog is almost human by what it does and how it reacts. Dogs have survival instincts that can be activated immediately. But since it can only comprehend a few words, you need to be patient, when you train your dog. Over time with repetition, your dog will begin to understand what you mean and want.
If you stick with your dog obedience training method, your dog will learn much more quickly – and you’ll be much happier with the results of your dog training as well. Take your time when you train your dog and you and your dog will have a lot of fun.
