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Reward Your Dog When Obedience Training |
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Author: Ken Snodin
Rewarding your dog is the best motivator when training. It iswell known
that using rewards and other positive reinforcementwhen obedience
training a dog is the most effective method andachieves the best
results.
You can make obedience training fun for the dog - and
yourselftoo - by making a game of it. This makes both your dog and
you,as the trainer, more willing and motivated to give it your
all.Incorporate a period of play at the start and the end of
eachtraining session to ensure that the session ends
positively.Teaching your dog to heel is the most basic of all
theobedience commands. This refers to having the dog walk alongwith you
on a loose lead. Heeling is generally the firstobedience behavior
taught to a dog, and it is easy to teachthis using reward training.
Begin
the training by getting your dog a good training collarand lead. Make
sure the collar is strong and fits the dogproperly. If you don't know
how to fit the collar, ask a dogtrainer or the pet store manager when
you buy your trainingequipment. As you start to walk with the dog, be
aware of thedog's position in relation to your own. If the dog begins
toget ahead of you, pull gently on the leash. This will engagethe
collar and provide the dog with a gentle indication that heshould slow
down. You may have to apply more pressure in thebeginning until your
dog learns to accept the discipline. Ifthe dog falls behind, slow down
and encourage the dog to comeforward. Use a lure or the dog's favorite
toy to teach him towalk by your side. If you keep the lure at the
position you'dlike the dog to be, he will learn quickly to walk in
thecorrect position.
Always give your dog lots of praise,
treats, toys, and otherrewards when he or she does what is expected.
Dogs learn bestwhen desired behavior is rewarded in a positive
manner.Positive reinforcement means that when a dog does what
thetrainer wants, the dog receives a reward. This can be a pat onthe
head or a treat or toy of some kind. If the dog shows eventhe slightest
attempt to please you, especially at thebeginning of training, you
should lavish positive reinforcementon him or her.
It is much
less effective to attempt to train a dog throughreprimands and
punishment. Dogs become discouraged and confusedby too much punishment.
You may have to reprimand the dogsometimes to correct a potentially
dangerous behavior. Forexample, chasing cars or biting must be
punished, but thereprimands must be direct, short and directly linked
to the badbehavior. After the immediate danger is over, training should
goon, based on the reward method as before.
Dogs must learn to
associate rewards with good behaviors andreprimands with undesirable
behaviors. It is difficult tochange any negative associations once they
have taken hold.It's easier to train the dog properly in the first
place thanto try and retrain him later. You should teach your dog
toassociate behaviors like coming when called, heeling, andsitting on
command, with the happy and fun times you sharedduring training.
About The Author: To learn more about training and keeping pets visit http://www.petsize.com
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