The most common reason people take obedience classes is to address a behavior issue such as pulling on the leash or jumping. Many of these problems are easily trained using operant conditioning, which is based on positive and negative reinforcement and punishment.
In this training, a click sound is used to mark a good behavior and immediately reward it. This is a highly effective training method.
Choosing the Right Breed
Choosing the right breed is one of the most important decisions you will make for your new dog. Dogs are bred for specific purposes, and these characteristics can be difficult to change with training. It is important to consider your lifestyle and decide if you will be able to accommodate the energy level and exercise requirements of a particular breed.
Many people choose a breed based on its looks and end up with a dog that is not compatible with their lifestyle. This can result in the dog being surrendered to shelters. It is also important to consider health issues, such as hip dysplasia and breathing problems that are common in some breeds. You may want to consult a veterinarian or trainer to help you decide on the best breed for your situation.
Getting Started
Dogs learn from their environment and their genetic makeup. While you can change some behaviors by using positive reinforcement, many others are simply a result of their natural intelligence and instincts.
Generally, people take training classes because they have some type of problem they want to address such as housebreaking, destructive behavior, barking or nipping. However, training can also be a wonderful bonding time for you and your dog.
When training a new dog, it’s usually best to break behaviors down into smaller parts. For example, if you’re training a dog to “settle,” start by walking them on leash short distances indoors and reward them when they stop pulling or tugging. Once they’ve mastered this, gradually work your way up to more complex behaviors and more distracting environments.
Training Basics
Training your dog is most effective when it is done consistently and in a distraction-free environment. It is also a good idea to perform your training sessions before your dog’s regular meals so that they will associate the cues with their food.
Begin by rewarding patient choices your pup makes without a verbal command, like sitting by the door and watching as you go in and out. Once they are comfortable with this, begin to increase the duration and distance of your recalls.
Teaching your dog to leave it involves retraining them to ignore or relinquish items that they find interesting or enticing. To start, hold a treat in your hand and present it to your dog. As soon as they move their head away from the treat, praise them and give them a high-value treat in your other hand.
Reinforcing Good Behavior
Rewarding good behavior is a crucial part of training. It helps dogs understand what they’re doing right and can help them learn new behaviors. A reward can be anything from a food treat to praise to physical affection, but it should be consistent and appropriate for the dog’s unique needs. Learn more on this at https://www.bulldogology.net/.
Using rewards to train your dog also helps them form a strong bond with you. This is much more effective than punishment, which can leave your dog confused and fearful. It’s also a lot less stressful for your dog, who can be more confident when they know their actions will be rewarded rather than punished. This is the kind of positive reinforcement that encourages learning and makes for a happier, more well-behaved dog. Dogs are more likely to repeat behaviors that have been reinforced, which paves the way for better obedience.
Punishing Bad Behavior
Punishment is a very important element of operant conditioning (the learning technique that associates positive or negative consequences with behaviors). However, it has to be used correctly in order to be effective. If it is administered too early or too late, the dog will not understand why he is being punished and it can be emotionally confusing and lead to unintended and often undesirable side effects.
Also, if you punish your dog but do not teach him what to do instead, you can actually be reinforcing the behavior. For example, if your dog jumps on visitors you may kneed him in the chest or use an e-collar and he will continue to jump because that behavior has been reinforced. It is best to find a professional who teaches positive training techniques rather than punishing methods.