Dog training: 4 tips to train your dog with positive reinforcement
Dog training is the most important premise to reward her/his good behavior.
The education of your dog is fundamental to create a harmonious family life. Using positive reinforcement means to reward the good behavior and to avoid the violence when you train your dog.
Here we give you 4 tips to train your dog with positive reinforcement.
1. Timing Matters
The dog training process sometimes could be frustrating. The dog could be more motivated with some easy exercises than with complex ones. The key is to stimulate your dog when she/he does something that you like and you must do it right when this is happening, otherwise it will be more difficult for your dog to associate the reward with her/his behavior.
For example, when we arrive at home and our dog hasn’t destroyed the furniture, it will be time to reward her/him and congratulate her/him to understand that this is the expected behavior.
2. Use a Variety of Rewards
The success of the dog training is proportional to the motivation she/he gets from the rewards. For this reason, it is important to discover the reward she/he like the most. For gluttonous dogs, you can give them a small gastronomic delight (homemade cookie or ham), in the case of active dogs, take them out for a long walk at the park, for cuddly dogs, give them a good dose of caresses, and for the flirtatious ones, a brushing of hair will make them extremely happy.
It is a matter of discovering what is it that produces more pleasure to your dog so you can offer it or use it as a reward when she/he behaves properly.
3. Be Constant, Coherent and Patient
The key factor in a successful education is coherence. Dog owners should be consistent and coherent in educating the dog. The absence of a reward when the dog obeys you is incompatible with a positive reinforcement education. If the dog receives its motivation in an intermittent way, the dog’s response will be inconsistent. The guidelines and limits must be coherent. For example, if a dog arrives to a new home and we want him/her to avoid entering a room, everyone in the house should maintain that rule and reward the dog in the same way.
It doesn’t matter what commands are you teaching to your dog, it takes time but with consistency and a lot of patience we will obtain the results .
4. Avoid punishment
Your dog will have inappropriate behavior from time to time, however you must avoid the physical punishment at any time. It is advisable to make your dog to understand what is not an acceptable behavior. If you expect that the dog should not eat garbage in the street, it will be enough to tell her/him “NO” with a firm voice (without shouting or using violence, of course) just to make it very clear when this happens.
By following these points, you will see how your dog will have a better behavior. The bond between you and your dog will be stronger since you are avoiding the violence.
Do you have any other suggestions regarding training a dog? Please let us know in the comments below.