Train your Dog Using Praise and Reward

The Praise and Reward System is without any doubt the most animal friendly approach to train your dog. This method, often referred to as positive reinforcement training, is considered by experts to be the correct method of dog training.

In the same fashion as parent reward and praise a child for good behavior so it is with training your dog. The difference in dog training is, you praise your dog when the dog does something you approve and ignore your dog's behavior when you disapprove.

Some shocking methods for training dogs were once used. Unacceptable and cruel methods such as beatings, electric shocks were once common practice in dog training. Luckily these methods are no longer used as more and more people educated themselves about animals in general and more specifically about humane training methods.

The Praise and Reward System takes your dog temperament into consideration. This method allows the dog the needed time and the opportunity to recognize the commands. The praises and rewards make the dog understand that certain behaviors please you and dogs thrive on pleasing their master.

The training thus becomes more meaningful for the animal and soon you will see the dog behaving in a way you want him to. With time, the behaviors become more natural for the dog as the dog has a chance, in fact the opportunity, to use his own brain in deciding how to act.

To leverage your success in dog training follow these tips and tricks.

The use of food treats and showing affection to the animal work much better then simple verbal praise followed by a pat on the head.

The giving of the reward must immediately follow a behavior you want repeated. It must be clear to the dog as to why he is being rewarded. When the dog exhibits a proper behavior, immediately mark this behavior with a significant distinctive noise (such as a clicker) or by simply saying yes in an excited tone of voice, either will work. The treat needs to follow immediately so that the dog can understand that if he behaves in such a way, a treat is going to be given. Always use the same marker when the dog repeats the behavior and soon no treat will be needed for the dog to repeat the behavior. You need to be consistent for proper training to take place.

The commands used for training must be the same all the time. The dog needs to able to link the commands to the expected behaviors. Do not vary your commands as this will only confuse the dog. It is simply a matter of repetition until the dog associates behaviors with commands. A good idea is to pre-determine what commands to use, write them down and use them all the time.

You need to reward your dog in a fashion that is meaningful to the animal. Most dogs have a preference as far at what treat they like and as to what demonstration of affection they prefer. Some dogs will do back flips for a certain treats; other dogs just aren't big eaters and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a favorite toy, or through some physical affection from you.

You probably already have a good idea of how much the dog enjoys being touched and played with. Each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do.

The following are good ways to stroke your dog: most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears: gently rub the earflap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.

As far as food is concerned, just experiment with different food treats until you find one that the dog really likes. Some dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically instead of predictably. Giving the dog treats in an irregular schedule might prevent the dog from growing tired of the food reward. Some dogs could make a conscious decision to forego a treat.

No punitive measures have to be used with the praise and reward method which is a definite improvement in dog training.

With this type of training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see repeated. Not giving any attention is enough to make just about any dog miserable and is therefore an adequate deterrent. After a while the dog will decide to no longer use that behavior.

The more you give attention to the dog when it behaves properly, the clearer the connection will be between a bad behavior with no response and the good behavior where you give positive attention and rewards.

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Emil Desnoyers is involved in marketing, a recent project was The Traffic Magnet For more free dog training information visit Train Your Dog To Behave

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