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A Boxer Needs Positive Reinforcement Training |
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| Publisher: |
Richard Cussons |
| Date: |
2008-04-22 |
| Word count : |
441 |
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A Boxer dog brings so much fun in the family. His love and faithfulness to his master makes him ultimate pet, if not to everyone, at least to his owner's point of view. Having a Boxer dog around, you can somehow feel secure and not alone because this breed will definitely protect you as long as he knows you are part of his family. These strong dogs, despite the capacity to work as guard dogs, service dogs, guide dogs, therapy dogs and police dogs, are amazingly very good with children. Families, even with children, need not doubt whether to choose this breed or not because they can be playmates at the same time protectors of your little one. Aggression is not a big issue to this breed despite their distrust to strangers however, being headstrong is. Inappropriate obedience training often causes this issue. Dog trainers or handlers should know how to handle this strong and intelligent dogs so as to avoid problems such as this as well as other behavior problems. Dogs do not figure out commands on their own. Despite of their intelligence, training is still necessary in order to come up with a nicely trained Boxer dog with human acceptable behavior and traits. However, some training techniques effective to other breeds may not always as effective to this breed, just like for example training based on corrections. This technique may have limited usefulness when used in training a Boxer dog. Most experts opt for positive reinforcement technique since Boxers respond better to it. Positive reinforcement is one of the four types of Operant conditioning. In this method, there is something that is being added to the situation to increase the chance of the behavior being exhibited again. Positive reinforcers can be anything your dog finds rewarding- these include food treats, favorite toy, a chance to play with his favorite game, interaction with other dogs and of course your attention, touch, stroke or hug. When you are teaching your dog new trick or new command, he should be rewarded every time he does it correctly. When using food treat as a reward, better partner it with a praise in positive, happy tone of voice. Once your dog can already perform the command reliably, gradually decrease the reward until such time that you are only rewarding him occasionally with a treat or a toy, but with continued praise. Eventually, your dog will soon learn that if he keeps responding correctly, he will be rewarded with your praise and sometimes his favorite treat. Richard Cussons writes articles about Boxer dog. Visit boxersavvy.com and learn more about Boxer dog training.
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Related Article:A Boxer Needs Positive Reinforcement Training |
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Roland Jefferson |
2007-08-24 |
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Title: Boxer Dog Training: Using Crate Training For House Breaking
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If you are trying to find an effective way in which to house break your new boxer puppy, then you really should consider crate training. This type of boxer dog training is a very efficient and very effective way to train your puppy. This is because a boxer's natural instinct is to make their owners happy. What You Should Know About Boxer Dog Training With Crates The concept behind crate training is that your boxer will naturally strive to avoid soiling the area where it eats and sleeps. Whenever you place your boxer in the crate you are participating in a type of boxer dog training that will enhance this instinct. This is because your boxer will begin seeing the crate as its den and will try to avoid soiling the area. The key to making this boxer dog training successful is establishing a good routine, which will encourage your puppy to do its business outside. Of course, every time this happens you will need to shower him with praise and whenever he fails to not show him your frustration or anger. With this type of boxer dog training, it is important to only keep your puppy in his crate whenever you are not home. So, as soon as you get home you will want to take him out of his crate. From there, you will want to promptly take him to his toilet area. If you do not do this, you will only set back the process. For this reason, your puppy should be allowed to use the toilet every 45 minutes. Once outside, give him between 3 and 5 minutes to do his business. If he does not toilet during this time period, then you should immediately put him back into his create. On the other hand, if your puppy does his business, then you should reward him with praise, food, play, affection and either an extended walk or a period of play inside or outside of its crate. While you are engaged in this boxer dog training you will also need to keep a daily diary of when your puppy does its business each day. This is because when you feed your puppy on a regular schedule, his toilet schedule will also be consistent. Once you have a good idea of when he needs to do his business each day, you will find this boxer dog training to be a lot easier. Dealing With Accidents During Boxer Dog Training You do not want to punish your puppy whenever it makes a mistake or has an accident while you are doing this boxer dog training. Instead, simply clean up the accident. It simply means that you have allowed your puppy to have unsupervised access to your house too quickly. You need to remember that you cannot allow your puppy to have unsupervised access to your home before you can actually trust her bathroom habits. When the mistake happens, make sure that you go back to your boxer dog training and take a few steps back to help move the process along. Roland Parris Jefferson III is a web publisher residing in Santa Monica, California. Looking for more information and current articles on Dog Training? Then please visit our Hunting Dog Training Resource.
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Mark Singer |
2007-07-24 |
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This was a post I placed on the RSPCA SA site. It was in response to and article written by a lady that stated she had 2 dogs, and her second dog was trainind with positive einforcement training, and she was so happy with the results. [Name withheld] - I am so happy for you that positive reinforcement training worked for you. And yes I am sure there are many success stories such as yours. I would like to point out though that ALL correct dog training incorporates positive reinforcement. If you used a dog trainer previously that mainly focused on negatives in training, then I can understand why you had better results with your second dog. If you do use positive reinforcement training, but incorporate corrections for unwanted behaviour. The positives should ALWAYS out-number the negatives by at least 10 to 1. Also when using this type of training, all positives should be heartfelt and done with emotion, so the dog actually gets a sense of doing right. Negatives should be carried out with no emotion, but calm positive energy. Correcting a dog does not mean using the emotion of anger or frustration. During the correction even if just a harsh tone of the voice and maybe a loud hard clap of your hands, when your dogs stops the unwanted behaviour, reward immediately with praise using voice tone. Dogs feel a lot more secure and happy when they can predict the consequences of their actions with 100% accuracy. In the dogs world there is never any grey areas, it should be totally black or white.. you either can or you can’t.. there should never be sometimes. That’s where most people fall down with their training - Lack of consistency creating confusion in the dog. I am not sure that time out actually works in correcting unwanted behaviour in a lot of cases, but yes agree if used correctly may help with some behaviour problems.. Firstly a dogs focus is totally in the present. Most professional dog trainers and behaviourists agree that there is about a 1.5 second window for either rewarding a dog for correct behaviour, or correcting for unwanted behaviour. The problem I have with this form of ‘punishment’, is that the time delay between the act and the consequence could be delayed to much for the dog to associate banishment or being ostracised from its pack for the behaviour it was actually carrying out. Sure many dogs that have bonded strongly with their pack do not like being pushed away from the pack it belongs too, and usually after a period of banishment come back into the pack more subdued. But I am not totally convinced that the dog actually associates this form of punishment with its actions. If for example your dog is doing something wrong, so you go over to your dog and take him to time out.. How do we know the dog is not associating banishment with being picked up (or being led out) and taken to another room for time out. I went to a clients house that had a problem with her dog continually running away from her, nearly every time she went towards the dog. Sometimes the dog was ok..other times it would just run away. The dog began to read the owners body language, and even if the owner wasn’t going to do time out, but was a little tense the dog would back away fearing time out. So the dog started associating tense body language with being ostracised and then run away. Now this made the owner angry, so when she caught the dog instead of praising it she would banish the dog for running away. What was happening then, the dog was trying to make it harder for the owner to catch it.. so what happened, the owner got more angry. If she couldn’t catch the dog she gave up. Dog wins for avoiding her. This became a vicious cycle. My answer to her was to stop time out, as for one thing I wasn’t totally convinced it actually worked the way some think. My philosophy with my clients if trying to correct a dog for unwanted behaviour and you miss the 1.5 second window, don’t correct your dog it’s too late. Its amazing how many people I see go mad at their dog, the dog runs off, the owner chases, the dog enjoys this chase, plus also gets a sense of controlling the situation. Then owner finally catches the dog and goes mad at it.. What are we telling the dog? It’s fun to chase and you are in control, but not so much fun to get caught and you loose control. Next time the dog will try harder to not get caught, or if it has a strong fight instinct will eventually turn and growl to assert dominance or to keep control, because it doesn’t want to loose control by being caught….. Now hasn’t the owner just created more behavioural problems? So please be careful how and when you administer punishment, even if its just with time out… By Mark Singer Adelaide CanineTraining
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Jonathan Cheong |
2005-12-26 |
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Title: Advice To Using Positive Reinforcement And Rewards To Train Your Dog
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Training dogs using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry. Proponents of positive reinforcement swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the vast majority of dogs respond well to these training methods. One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to teach the dog what is expected of it. When the dog performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well. The important thing is that the dog is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing. Reward training has become increasingly popular in recent years, but chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years. When understanding what makes reward training so effective, some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful. The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock. It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups. Whatever their origin, there is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin in the humble wolf. Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. Since wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation it brings, is essential to the survival of the species. Every dog in the pack knows his or her place in the pack, and except in the event of death or injury, the hierarchy, once established, rarely changes. Every dog, therefore, is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance. The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the handler to set him or herself up as the pack leader. The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do. More importantly, the pack leader provides leadership and protection, and his or her leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack. It is important for the dog to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority. Some dogs are much easier to dominate than others. If you watch a group of puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the dominant and submissive personalities. A dog with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the handler for leadership. Even dominant dogs, however, respond very well to positive reinforcement. There are, in fact, few dogs that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training. Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a dog that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused dog can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond. No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. Based training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any dog. Discover How You Can Train Your Dog With Immediate Effective Results In Less Than 1 Week Using Proven Simple Steps For FREE Click Here => http://www.absolute-dog-training.com
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Connie Limon |
2005-11-26 |
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Title: Shih Tzu - Train Your Shih Tzu Using Rewards And Positive Reinforcement
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Training shih tzu and all dog breeds using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry. Proponents of positive reinforcement swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the vast majority of shih tzu and other dogs respond well to these training methods. One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to teach the shih tzu what is expected of it. When the shih tzu performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well. The important thing is that the shih tzu is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing. Reward training has become increasingly popular in recent years, but chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years. When understanding what makes reward training so effective, some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful. The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock. It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups. Whatever their origin, there is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin in the humble wolf. Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. Since wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation it brings, is essential to the survival of the species. Every dog in the pack knows his or her place in the pack, and except in the event of death or injury, the hierarchy, once established, rarely changes. Every shih tzu, therefore, is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance. The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the handler to set him or herself up as the pack leader. The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do. More importantly, the pack leader provides leadership and protection, and his or her leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack. It is important for the shih tzu to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority. Some shih tzu are much easier to dominate than others. If you watch a group of shih tzu puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the dominant and submissive personalities. A shih tzu with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the handler for leadership. Even dominant shih tzu, however, respond very well to positive reinforcement. There are, in fact, few shih tzu that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training. Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a shih tzu that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused shih tzu can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond. No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. Based training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any shih tzu. Connie Limon is a shih tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com This article is FREE to publish with resource box.
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Roland Parris Jefferson III |
2007-08-24 |
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Title: Boxer Dog Training: Using Crate Training For House Breaking
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If you are trying to find an effective way in which to house break your new boxer puppy, then you really should consider crate training. This type of boxer dog training is a very efficient and very effective way to train your puppy. This is because a boxer's natural instinct is to make their owners happy.
What You Should Know About Boxer Dog Training With Crates
The concept behind crate training is that your boxer will naturally strive to avoid soiling the area where it eats and sleeps. Whenever you place your boxer in the crate you are participating in a type of boxer dog training that will enhance this instinct. This is because your boxer will begin seeing the crate as its den and will try to avoid soiling the area.
The key to making this boxer dog training successful is establishing a good routine, which will encourage your puppy to do its business outside. Of course, every time this happens you will need to shower him with praise and whenever he fails to not show him your frustration or anger.
With this type of boxer dog training, it is important to only keep your puppy in his crate whenever you are not home. So, as soon as you get home you will want to take him out of his crate. From there, you will want to promptly take him to his toilet area. If you do not do this, you will only set back the process. For this reason, your puppy should be allowed to use the toilet every 45 minutes. Once outside, give him between 3 and 5 minutes to do his business. If he does not toilet during this time period, then you should immediately put him back into his create. On the other hand, if your puppy does his business, then you should reward him with praise, food, play, affection and either an extended walk or a period of play inside or outside of its crate.
While you are engaged in this boxer dog training you will also need to keep a daily diary of when your puppy does its business each day. This is because when you feed your puppy on a regular schedule, his toilet schedule will also be consistent. Once you have a good idea of when he needs to do his business each day, you will find this boxer dog training to be a lot easier.
Dealing With Accidents During Boxer Dog Training
You do not want to punish your puppy whenever it makes a mistake or has an accident while you are doing this boxer dog training. Instead, simply clean up the accident. It simply means that you have allowed your puppy to have unsupervised access to your house too quickly. You need to remember that you cannot allow your puppy to have unsupervised access to your home before you can actually trust her bathroom habits. When the mistake happens, make sure that you go back to your boxer dog training and take a few steps back to help move the process along.
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2007-07-23 |
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Title: Dog Training Online: How To Focus On Your Dog''s Needs?
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The first type of dog training is basic dog training. This type of dog training can be for puppies or for adult dogs that have never received any type of dog training. Positive dog training techniques involve using only praise and positive reinforcement. This means positive dog training rewards your dog for good behavior or when it performs a command correctly. Basic dog training can often be easier if the dog is on a leash. This is because the dog can't really run off or lose focus because you have him on a leash.
These are all of the important things you need to focus on when determining when to reprimand or reward your dog during dog training. Just be prepared to put more effort into it than you would with a younger dog and to always be patient. Praise is a great way to alleviate that stress. A stress-free dog learns quicker and has more fun. See http://www.dogtraining-online.us/dog-training-school/school-for-dog-trainers.php
The thing most needed in dog training is what experts define as "positive reinforcement." This refers to the way people reward their dogs with treats praises or both whenever their dogs show positive behavior. Through positive reinforcement dogs are able to comprehend that treats and praises will come whenever he shows good behavior. For example when the owner gives his dog some treats for obediently obeying his commands the dog will think that obeying commands when told equals treats. So training should be limited to this amount of time. So if you don't properly socialize your dog with people or other dogs expect bites any time. Most obedience and training schools won't take aggressive dogs as most of the places run classes with other members and won't let them be endangered. Your dog will not only begin to associate the verbal "sit" command with sitting but will start associating your hand signal too. As your dog learns start giving the sit voice and hand commands before you use the treat.
Experts say that dog behaviors can be controlled through proper training. Dog behaviors are actually responses that are mostly triggered by environmental and social factors. Or dogs that have been physically scarred and wounded. There are far more dogs waiting for adoption than there are owners to adopt them.
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DMF |
2007-03-01 |
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Title: Positive Reinforcement Helps When Training Your Dog
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Housebreaking any new pet can be a difficult chore, but with repetition and practice the challenge will become easier and easier. If you want the puppy to listen only to you, then don't allow him to play with other persons. Potty training your new puppy is a necessary evil.
You must do the same routine every single day and it is important to give your puppy a lot of extra attention as this will make the house breaking process much easier.
Your pet is living in a human world full of confusing things and behavior he can't understand. It is better to create good habits in the beginning, if you start early you can stop behavior problems such as biting or jumping on furniture.
Every dog owner knows that when he/she treats the dog with praise the dog will get greater satisfaction and will execute the command more readily than if the dog receives discipline in another fashion. So when training your dog needs positive reinforcement.
You can train a dog on your own, or you can join an obedience training class and get instruction from professionals. You will find many resources online and most of the online sites are free and you will find many tips and secrets to dog training.
If you really want to train your puppy you will need to put some effort into it. And some type of dog is trained just for that.
Having a dog that can perform tricks and is very obedient and well trained is the pride and joy of every dog owner. While they are generally warm, loving and loyal, they can be trained to be more obedient. Even if you only have your dog inside for a short amount of time he or she must be trained not to leave a mess.
The correct position for the heel command is your dog at your left side with his shoulder and front leg aligned with your left leg. When you and your dog have a good relationship and training will come very easily. As your dog progresses in his training, you’ll be able to give him a command in the middle of a crowded area and he’ll obey you.
When training your puppy make sure you use positive experiences because negative experiences might affect your puppy, so make sure you make the training positive and fun. And this training requires frequent, consistent, and appropriately timed positive reinforcement. Unlike man, dogs do not know how to differentiate between positive and negative attention.
Your dog will its best when it receives praise, so using positive words and reinforcement you dog will do it best when training him/her. There are two elements at work here: positive reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement. All positive commands should be spoken sharply and distinctly during training.
When training your pet you can use the treat system, this system is training with a treat by rewarding your dog with his/her favorite snack for following your commands or doing something good. Try to go outside with him at least every thirty minutes or so, and make sure you praise or reward him for relieving himself outside.
Properly crate training your puppy is one of the best things that you could possibly do.
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Jonathan Cheong |
2005-12-26 |
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Title: Advice To Using Positive Reinforcement And Rewards To Train Your Dog
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Training dogs using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry.
Proponents of positive reinforcement swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the vast majority of dogs respond well to these training methods.
One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to teach the dog what is expected of it. When the dog performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well. The important thing is that the dog is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing.
Reward training has become increasingly popular in recent years, but chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years.
When understanding what makes reward training so effective, some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful. The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock.
It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups. Whatever their origin, there is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin in the humble wolf.
Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. Since wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation it brings, is essential to the survival of the species. Every dog in the pack knows his or her place in the pack, and except in the event of death or injury, the hierarchy, once established, rarely changes.
Every dog, therefore, is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance. The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the handler to set him or herself up as the pack leader. The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do. More importantly, the pack leader provides leadership and protection, and his or her leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack.
It is important for the dog to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority. Some dogs are much easier to dominate than others. If you watch a group of puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the dominant and submissive personalities.
A dog with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the handler for leadership. Even dominant dogs, however, respond very well to positive reinforcement. There are, in fact, few dogs that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training.
Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a dog that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused dog can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond.
No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. Based training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any dog.
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Jonathan Cheong |
2005-12-29 |
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Title: Advice To Using Positive Reinforcement And Rewards To Train Your Dog
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Training dogs using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry. Proponents of positive reinforcement swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the vast majority of dogs respond well to these training methods. One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to teach the dog what is expected of it. When the dog performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well. The important thing is that the dog is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing. Reward training has become increasingly popular in recent years, but chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years. When understanding what makes reward training so effective, some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful. The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock. It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups. Whatever their origin, there is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin in the humble wolf. Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. Since wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation it brings, is essential to the survival of the species. Every dog in the pack knows his or her place in the pack, and except in the event of death or injury, the hierarchy, once established, rarely changes. Every dog, therefore, is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance. The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the handler to set him or herself up as the pack leader. The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do. More importantly, the pack leader provides leadership and protection, and his or her leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack. It is important for the dog to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority. Some dogs are much easier to dominate than others. If you watch a group of puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the dominant and submissive personalities. A dog with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the handler for leadership. Even dominant dogs, however, respond very well to positive reinforcement. There are, in fact, few dogs that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training. Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a dog that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused dog can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond. No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. Based training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any dog.
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Katia Lorenzen |
2007-11-16 |
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Title: Clicker Training: Positve Reinforcement Removes Dog Training Guesswork
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Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement in the field of operant conditioning wherein the clicking sound from a mechanical device marks a desired behavior in animal training. Contrary to popular belief, clicker training is not solely for dog training. This form of procedure is also popular among horses, cats and other pets.
Originally, clicker training was used as a method of obedience training for such unlikely trainees like dolphins in wild animal shows and carrier pigeons for military courier services.
Why clicker training works
The process works via association. If an animal performs a specific task according to the instruction it is given, reward is granted immediately, accompanied always by the clicking sound. The animal soon associates the clicking sound as a means to a promised reward. The longer the training process continues, the easier it is for the animal to follow instructions.
By far, this is the gentlest type of obedience training. Using force and punishment to bolster obedience in animals has always been a controversial issue. This issue is always weighed against traditional training versus the merits of such practice in the long term psychological health of the animal. Negative reinforcement may be in the form of aversive methods, caging, choke collars, force, punishment, sprays, and /or withholding of food or toy. Behavioral training using rewards has proven that animals subjected to this learn new behaviors easier, quicker and with more enthusiasm. They also end up healthier in body and mind.
With dog training, the clicker training method seems to work better than the other forms of positive reinforcement like food, positive attention, praise and voice reinforcements. This is due to the fact that the click pinpoints the "desired" behavior exactly. This eliminates the guesswork on the part of the animal, making the process go faster. Incredibly, animals using this method have learned new things in one to three clicks only, as compared to the weeks and months in conventional non-clicker training.
The clicker training provides a consistent marker in which the dog receives the same information. Also, the sound of the clicker is very distinct, which distracts the dog's attention from the other stimuli in the environment. Unlike verbal rewards like praise and verbal reinforcements, a clicker conveys no emotion whatsoever; thus the learning process is not marred by accidental slips of approval or disapproval in the voice of the instructor.
This kind of training seems also to work on puppies that are only several weeks old. This means that basic obedience, good manners and fun games can be taught to the animal at an early age. Family members and / or pert owners can be incorporate a bit of "clicking" in their daily routines. A walk to the park, a family picnic, or even watching TV can become a little training session for the animal. This informal mode of training even helps strengthen the bond between the animal and its instructor / pet owner. Clicker training is proving to be the most effective form of obedience instruction so far.
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