How To Reinforce Good Behavior On Your Dogs
Remember how happy it made you to get a reward from your parents after you aced your exam? Surely, it made you want to do it all again to get another reward, right? That’s positive reinfor
cement for you!
Positive reinforcement is a tool designed to reinforce good behavior on pets like dogs, cats and horses. Obviously, I am not going to compare kids to dogs. I am just going to point out their similarities with regards to reinforcing good behavior. While kids care about their rewards, dogs only care about praise and food. A positive reinforcement uses praises or treats to reward your dog for doing something you commanded him to do. The rewards will make your dog repeat the behavior until it is deeply embedded within his character. It is truly one of the most powerful tools for shaping the behavior of your dog.
While it sounds easy when you read it, it actually requires a bit more than what you think. Here is a dog training guideline to help you train your dog effectively.
Timing is important
When using positive reinforcement on your dog, the reward must be given right after the action is done. You want your dog to associate the act with the reward so you need to do this almost instantly. If you missed in giving the reward to your dog, he might think that the reward wasn’t meant for the act done successfully. A clicker can be used to perfect the timing of your dog.
Make it simple
Make your command as simple and as short as possible. While dogs can understand the mood of their owner, it is not enough to make them do something. You want a command to get them do what needs to be done. Dogs do not understand sentences so you need to make it as short as possible.
Here are some of the most commonly used commands for dogs:
- Sit
- Stay
- Down
- Roll over
- Come
- Heel
- Stop
These are just the most common commands for dogs. You can add as many as you like. http://www.lupkiscockers.com/dog-training-tips-to-ensure-your-dogs-good-behavior/
Be patient
If you’ve ever trained a dog before, you know how frustrating it can be at times. Do not let that bother you. Different dog species will require different level of patience. Some will instantly get a command while others may struggle. The key is to understand the right balance and be happy with the journey of learning.
Be consistent
If you are leaving in with other people, you want to make sure that you get them into the idea of training your dog. You want them to learn the commands for your dog to avoid confusion to your dog. You do not want your dog becoming all confused with different gestures and commands from different people.
By understanding positive reinforcement for your dog, you will make their behavior better. Not only will this make your life better but will also make your companionship a lot stronger.
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