Techniques for Dog Training - Simple, enjoyable and successful

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    A very successful training method for teaching dogs a variety of desired habits is incentive training (which is also called lure training). And reward training, in addition to being highly effective, is a simple, enjoyable method to use. This unique training method offers much faster, more consistent outcomes than strategies that rely heavily on scolding, corrections, or punishment, and it does it in a way that is much more effective for both you and your dog.

Since reward training is so effective, it's actually one of the most common strategies for dog training. At its heart, incentive training works because if he does what you ask, you reward your dog with a treat or tidbit of food. The food reward is generally followed by verbal praise from the owner. Food and praise are helpful reinforcements that help your dog learn to equate positive things (food and praise) with the activity he did and enable him to replicate the conduct again.

In addition to being successful, reward training offers a much more friendly training experience than other approaches. Because it's a reward-based strategy, if he does as you ask, you reward your dog. In reward training, scolding, hitting, punishing or correcting your dog for not following your order is never used. You actually reward and affirm the actions that your dog needs you to do. This positive reinforcement makes reward training for owners and pets a much more enjoyable activity than punishing them.

However, you do need to be careful to just offer your dog treats during training sessions at the right time. If the timing of the rewards is unrelated to your dog doing what you ask, he'll be confused about what you want and will assume he'll get treats regardless of what he does. As a consequence, make sure you just praise your dog when he or she does something good.

Aversive dog training, under which dogs are conditioned to equate unpleasant actions with negative reinforcement such as scolding, corrections, or outright punishment, is similar to incentive training in several respects. When the dog executes the desired action, the negative reinforcement ceases. In principle, this approach discourages dogs from repeating undesirable habits and teaches them to do what their owners want, but it's a repetitive process that isn't nearly as successful as reward training. Reward training helps you to show your dog what you want him to do and then reward him when he does it, instead of punishing your dog for what he is doing wrong.

Take housing preparation, for instance. The two strategies take very different approaches to the task. Within the home, a dog will relieve himself in a number of locations, all of which are inappropriate. You'd have to wait for your dog to eliminate somewhere in the house before correcting him if you used aversive training strategies. Think for a minute about this. Isn't it unjust to punish your dog before he's learned your rules? You should also be aware that using this method for housetraining should necessitate multiple corrections and a considerable amount of time. Isn't it better, healthier and more reliable to simply show your dog the right place to relieve himself and then recover?

There is another reason why incentive training yields better outcomes than training with aversion. When it comes to dog training, continuity is important. If you are using corrections and punishment to deter unwanted conduct, each and every time he exhibits that behavior, you will need to discipline your dog regularly. We aren't robots, after all, and it's difficult to be able to do this at all times of the day. You never have to leave home and never take your eyes off your dog until you even have a chance to threaten him if he makes a mistake with his actions. Make a slip-up and neglect to discipline your dog for a mistake, and he'll learn that he can get away with wrongdoing occasionally. That definitely isn't the lesson you would like him to learn.

Reward training, unlike aversive training, does not require you to be perfectly consistent with your responses to your dog's misbehaviors. In fact, he can learn just as easily (if not more so) if the rewards he receives for desired behavior are sporadic and inconsistent instead of being given every time he performs the behavior. You don't need to reward your dog every time he does as you ask. And, above all, if you make errors with aversive training, you risk losing the trust of your dog. That won't happen with reward training, where mistakes can momentarily perplex your dog, but they won't make him violent, afraid, or suspicious of you.

You may use incentive training to teach your dog a variety of obedience commands ("sit," "stay," "come," and "down," for example) as well as a variety of fun tricks in addition to housetraining. But with incentive preparation, you can also prevent problem habits. If you want to train your dog not to chew on your socks, for instance, show him what he's supposed to chew (for example, a toy) and then praise him when he chews on it. Or, if you want your dog to avoid jumping on your guests as they come through your door, teach him to sit and praise him for that behavior when visitors arrive.

While some owners do not like reward training because they feel that dogs trained in this way obey their instructions merely because they want a treatment and not out of a sense of loyalty or respect, there is no doubt that reward training is successful. Even if you agree that dogs benefit from reinforcement training simply because they are "bribed," isn't that superior to obeying out of fear of punishment? Not only that, but treats are not the only kind of reward that can be used as a helpful reinforcement. It can all be just as inspiring to compliment your dog with an enthusiastic, cheerful tone of voice, give him toys, and give him a lot of physical affection, as giving him treats or food.

I understand how challenging and time-consuming training a dog can be. You can put an end to all of your dog's "problems" with patience and discipline, but you must do so correctly.

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