Dog Behavioral Training - How To Effectively Communicate With Your Dog
Dog behavioral training is mostly about learning the right way to communicate with your pet. From our human stand point, the dog trainer or handler is the person who communicates with the pup, and via this communication they "tell" the dog pet which are the positive and which are the negative behaviors. The dog handler should also be knowledgeable about what things motivate the pet, in that way they can reach maximum results.
A dog handler has the responsibility of knowing how to communicate with the pet. A dog can also communicate with the handler, by using body language. For example, a dog can signal to the handler if he is not happy, confused, scared, excited, and so on. A dog’s emotional way of being plays a very important factor and should be taken into account when training the pup. If the puppy is stressed out or distracted, he will not learn properly.
Consistency with the dog hand signals and with the use of verbal commands is key to help the pet understand the commands faster and more effectively. It is crucial to understant that the reward of your pet friend isn’t the same as the reward market. A reward marker consists of the hand signal that lets the dog know the he has been good and that he has earned a reward.
So, what kind of rewards is appropriate at this stage? A reward can vary from a dog treat, praise, a dog toy or anything else that your dog enjoys and that is appropriate for him to have. If you do not reward your dog after doing the reward hand signal (the reward marker), then the value of the reward will diminish and this will make the training sessions more difficult.
In addition to the use of hand signals, there is also the clicker. Clicker have become very popular lately, and this is when used properly they can be very effective. Mechanical clickers are another type of reward markers. If you are using hand signals, or a clicker, the handler’s body language is one of the most important parts in the dog’s learning process. The significance of hand signals can be taught to your pooch through constant repetition, in that way giving the pup an opportunity to associate the hand gesture with the behavior that is expected from him.
Dog behavioral training using classical conditioning can also be an important part of training man’s best friend the punishment marker in addition to the punishment itself. Everyone agrees that using positive reinforcement is a much better way to train your dog, but there are times in which are necessary to use a certain level of negative reinforcement or punishment. The concept of "cross-contextualization" comes into play when the dog need to recognize that a signal used during indoors training means the same when the training is outdoors. The particular hand signal or command needs to be taught again in every new situation to prevent confusion from the part of the dog.
If rewarding the pet, there are occasions in which the trainers go through the process of esentially teaching the puppy to develop a great desire for certain toy or certain treat and therefore this object will become a very strong positive reward for the pet good behavior. This is called "building prey drive", and it is mostly used during the training of police dogs. The purpose of this kind of training is to have the dog work independenlty for prolonged periods of time in the hope of getting the toy or treat as reward.
When it comes to punishing a dog the owner need to consider what is the most appropriate way to do this. Punishment is different for each dog, and depends on the dog’s personality, age, experience, as well as their physical and mental conditions. Punishments should be used immediately to correct a negative behavior and not later on down the road, after the behavior has passed. Avoid physical punishment in your dog, this will just make the dog behavioral training more difficult.
