doggietips

Hello again. This will be a 3 part series on using positive reinforcement as a training technique.

There may be individualized techniques used to get dogs to respond but all dogs can be trained the same way, without exception, without regard to the dog’s previous training experience and without regard to any personality quirks or general behavior. Dogs learn best using positive rewards and corrections. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t just reward your dog for doing good things because he has to learn that he can’t do the bad things as well. Dogs actually can learn to make good choices, albeit, in an instinctive and primitive way. Simply, they do what feels good and avoid what feels bad.

More and more professional trainers are using the reward method exclusively because dog training can be quick and effective using positive motivational techniques. Food is the principal reward used during the learning stages of your dog’s training. The food must be highly motivating for it to be effective. Non-food rewards, like ball play or petting, assume a greater role as learning progresses and in the maintenance stages. Non-physical forms of punishment can also be introduced after the dog’s performance is under good control yet needs to be more disciplined. Physical punishment should never be used. In order for both the dog and owner to develop an ideal relationship, training should be positive and enjoyable. If physical punishment is used carelessly or by someone not trained correctly, the behavior problem could worsen or new problems could arise.

Training your dog to do anything can be divided into 3 separate events. You give your dog a command, he responds and you either reward or punish him for his behavior. Let’s break this up a little. Your dog perceives your command as a stimulus event, which is anything about him that he can see, hear, taste, smell or feel. This can be in the form of a hand signal or voice command. Your dog then performs the command, which is considered to be the middle event. The last event is the consequence. If your dog performs as you commanded, he should be rewarded, otherwise, he is punished. Let’s see an example. Your dog is playing fetch with you in the park when another dog wonders by. You call your dog, using the basic command “COME”. This is the first event. You issued a command which stimulated your dog to respond. Your dog hesitates, just a little, but happily comes to you with his tail wagging and a great big smile. His response is the second event. When he reaches you, you praise him generously, then throw the ball again for him to chase. In this third event, you actually rewarded him twice, which is very okay. You petted him and you threw the ball again. Well done! Your dog will remember that if he comes to you when you call him, he will be handsomely rewarded. This is called Positive Reinforcement.

There are two kinds of learning involved in training your dog. One is called stimulus learning and the other is called response conditioning. Stimulus learning is a method used to teach the dog the meaning of things or actions around him. Your dog already knows how to sit, stay, down, come to you, etc, etc. Your dog now needs to make a connection between these things and a command, or stimulus. The trick is to teach your dog something new by associating it with something he already knows. For example, teaching your dog to sit can be accomplished by issuing the command “Sit” right before your dog lowers his bum and sits. Response conditioning is simply reinforcing his responses or putting them under control. We’re jumping the gun just a little, but I hope you’re beginning to understand the pattern or order of events which is an efficient and effective dog training method.

Please stay tune for part 2 where we’ll discuss reinforcers.

thanks for stopping by and give your dog a hug for me

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