Dog Training Methods Revealed
Not training your dog is like not feeding it. Ownership of a dog is a responsibility. It’s vital that you establish a good relationship with your dog. The most ideal and productive way to accomplish this is through dog training. Training your dog must become a regular practice. If you expect to get the most out of training your dog, you as the owner must know the basic methods.
Types of Dog Training Methods
The different methods for training your dog pertain directly to how the trainer reinforces the dog’s wanted and unwanted behaviors. It can, of course, be positive or negative. In some cases, like when using a clicker, the correction can be neutral. All three forms of reinforcement (positive, negative and neutral) can be used in a variety of scenarios.
Treats/Rewards
The primary goal of positive reinforcement is to promote the repetition of good behavior. If the dog trainer commands the dog to sit, and he does so, the trainer should immediately hand over the dog’s reward. Rewards can come in many shapes and sizes. Treats are definitely the most used. However, in the absence of a treat, the dog owner or trainer can praise the dog verbally, give it an affectionate rub, or hand they dog’s favorite toy. All should suffice.
Corrections
The purpose of negative reinforcement is to force the dog to stop doing specific undesirable behaviors. For instance, you give your dog a command to sit and doesn’t do it, you can correct the behavior by holding the dog (taking its collar) and then making it sit while you verbally repeat the command. Your dog should begin to associate its position with the repeated command.
Corrections can come in other forms as well. Some pet owners are more physical with their dogs. They choose to use techniques like shock dog collars. For instance, when a dog crosses the threshold of an area that it isn’t allowed to venture into, it is greeted with an electric shock from its collar. Many dog trainers consider this practice inhumane. In fact, any practice that involves invoking physical pain is considered inhumane..
Click Training
A click is a sound that is neutral, used to communicate with your dog. Variations of it, as with Morse code, may be used to convey a series of messages or commands to your dog. One major advantage to using clicks is that you have no need to physically restrain the dog. This is the type of reinforcement recommended by a lot of professional dog trainers. They claim that clicking is an efficient and flexible way to train dogs.
Once you’re familiar with the various dog training methods, the next step you have to take is decide on the kind of dog training you want to implement initially. Some of the more popular forms of dog training include agility training, potty training, house training, and obedience training. You may choose to carry these out individually or simultaneously.
Have a great “dog training” day,
Dr. Alfonso
