Most pet owners are not unaware that they are most likely in possession the three most powerful tools used in dog training. In you your cupboard you have dog treats, in the closet hanging is your leash and in your heart is a love for the dog in front of you. If you have those three things, you can train your dog. Let me explain….
Let’s start with the leash. Having a leash on your dog makes sure you control the access to the environment around them. Think of it this way, we want to isolate your dog’s options and set them up for success. This is especially important if you have a puppy or newly adopted dog. For instance, if your newly adopted dog jumps on the counter and is rewarded for that behavior by snatching a cookie he is much more likely to repeat the behavior again and again and again. If that same newly adopted dog was on a leash and their owner was attached to said leash the dog is much less likely to jump in the first place. If the dog does jump on the counter the owner would be there to give immediate feedback and stop their dog from getting the cookie. It only takes a few times for the even the most persistent dog to understand that counter surfing is an undesired behavior and does not lead to a reward.
Now let us bring the treats into the equation. Dolling out treats indiscriminately will not change your dog’s behavior for the better. However, properly timed rewards can have huge impacts on your dog’s behavior for the better. It is not debatable that positive reinforcement works for teaching behaviors. What I see folks struggling with is when and how to move away from bribing their dog with treats. This is where “markers” come in handy. “Markers” are away for you to signal to your dog that what they are doing currently will lead to a reward later. Using and understanding markers properly helps trainers get the most out of using positive reinforcement.
There have been entire books written about training dogs using “markers”, so I’d strongly recommend checking some of those out but let’s get back to the subject at hand. For the love of dog, be patient. When training a dog, I try to channel the love I have for the individual animal into patience. Patience is must for pet owners hoping to change their dog’s behavior. A dog is not likely to follow someone who is frustrated, confused or angry so learning to take a deep breath before taking actions goes a very long way.
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