Training Your Dog
by Samuel Murray
http://www.dog-training-questions.com
Obedient dogs make the best companions. Time spent
training your dog will reward you with a pet that is deeply
bonded to you, respects you and is a joy to have around.
Training your dog doesn't mean extinguishing her unique
personality, it is simply a means of setting boundaries
- something that makes dogs feel secure.
Some owners unconsciously train their dogs to exhibit bad
behaviors. Since dogs are social animals, they are
interested in doing whatever gets them attention. Positive
attention is best, but if negative attention is all they can
get from you, they'll try to obtain that. This is why
yelling at a dog that has had an "accident" in the house
doesn't teach her to not do that. All your excitement
reinforces her behavior. The best way to let a dog know you
are displeased with her is to ignore her.
Positive reinforcement is the key to training your dog.
Basically, this means rewarding desired behavior. A reward
might be a food treat, lots of verbal praise in a high voice
and/or a good pet or scratch in her favorite spot. Rewarding
your dog's behavior accomplishes two things: it makes her
want to repeat the behavior to reap the reward and
establishes you as her leader. Some dogs are more assertive
than others, and will try to become dominant over you. It is
important that you remain the "leader of the pack," and
obedience training helps with that. However, even, and
perhaps especially, less assertive dogs benefit from
training. Following a leader is instinctive in dogs.
Training your dog allows her to employ that instinct to
follow someone else, and makes her feel more secure.
There are many training approaches within the realm of
positive reinforcement. Some behaviors will be
captured-rewarded as they occur-while others can be shaped
by gently coaxing the dog into the desired action. Most
professional trainers recommend using both a verbal commands
and hand signals to communicate with your dog. Besides
words/signals for behaviors such as sit, stay, and come, you
will need a "release" signal. This is a word or sound that
tells your dog she's done something correctly. The release
signal is always immediately followed by a reward, so that
the dog comes to associate it with something positive.
You have lots of option as to how you go about training your
dog. Libraries, bookstores and pet stores offer plenty of
"how-to" training books. You can also find a lot of great
information by surfing the Internet. If you prefer to have a
professional by your side every step of the way, enroll in a
basic obedience class. Major pet supply chains, humane
societies and dog clubs usually offer classes. These classes
are an excellent way to socialize your dog and educate
yourself. If your schedule doesn't allow you to participate
in a class, check your community phone book for personal dog
trainers. Most will come to your home on a regular basis,
and provide in-depth training custom-tailored to your needs.
Submit An Article
|
|
