Positive reinforcement training

Positive reinforcement training is the opposite of conventional training.

All it really means is that we appreciate the good things in life.

You see all that your dog is doing well and reward him with treats and or praise him verbally as well as physically.

We can be so quick to run to old methods of training when our dogs does something wrong instead of shaping the behavior to the desired cue.

Neither dogs nor humans for that matter learn well if at all by punishment. All it really establishes is resentment and a confused scared dog.

Dogs live in the moment so there is no use punishing a dog for something you didn't witness him do.

If your dog is chewing on your shoe you can tell him to leave it instead of just saying no and give him a favorite toy to chew on. My husky Ice knows the cue leave it very well and she does it with 99% accuracy. When I use this cue and she gives me the desired behavior I try to enforce it immediately...either by praising her or giving her something else to chew on.

It's the same with when your dog digs holes in your garden...take him to a spot that he may dig. And tell your dog to dig.

Our dog Gephetto loves to use his back paws to kick out some grass or sand...he knows he may not do it in the garden.

So when we go for walks and there is a place where he is able to do this we tell him to do so for instance at the beach or in the woods.

He does it only when we cue him to do so. And by giving this cue a name and establishing a certain time to do this he is just fine with not being able to do it in the garden.

Timing is everything in training. You must reinforce the behavior the moment it happens and not a second later or you may be reinforcing the wrong behavior.

That's why I don't use things like anti bark collars because it can fail in timing. Also it does not give the dog time to give the desired cue.

Rather teach your dog to "talk" when you want him too. Reinforce him when he is barking and later on only when you give the cue.

Do the same when you want him to be quiet. Ask him not to talk when he is quiet reinforce that and give it a name.

Remember that dogs bark just as we use words for communication.

Read some books about understanding what certain barking means.

Let your dog be one of the family and not just the dog in the back yard. It will pay off.

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