Dog Training & Health Tips

When it comes to dog obedience training, positive reinforcement is a wonderful way to train your dog. It is well known today as the best type of obedience training for dogs. It’s a pretty simple concept.

Reward your dog when he behaves in a way you want and ignore the behavior you don’t want.

Dog Obedience Training Starts at Home

If your dog chews up the couch,  jumps on your guests, barks excessively, digs up the yard, soils indiscriminately, pulls on a lead or exhibits any number of other annoying and destructive behaviors, you CAN learn here how to eliminate these behaviors. Dr. Dog teaches dog lovers how to train their dogs at home!

“Dr. Fetko, You have a keen insight into the finer points of canine behavior. It is not often that training methods are analyzed from the dog’s viewpoint. Your special knowledge is greatly appreciated.”

Using positive reinforcement is actually almost the exact opposite of how most dog trainers worked with dogs. Most times dogs were yanked or even hit for negative behavior and then briefly encouraged with a “good dog” or a pat on the head.

Sometimes even today people will use shock collars to keep their dogs from barking. Most times the owners are not wanting to hurt their dogs, they simple cannot find the solution to stopping their dogs from barking and disturbing the neighbors or their own families.

Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Their natural instinct is to please you – the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend to “stick” more, when a dog is able to figure out what you’re asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning “down” by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word “down” is repeated at intervals).

This type of correction is actually helping the dog to use it’s own brain to process the information which is far more valuable than reflecting on the negative emotions brought on by punishment. By using positive rewards for good behavior you dog will continue to seek ways to please you.

Another very common way that dogs will develop unwanted behavior is due to becoming very bored. Dogs can even become bored with our human type of reward by patting them on the head. According to Daniel Stevens this is actually not as rewarding to dogs as we think it is. He recommends using tempting incentives for good behavior.

Food treats and physical affection can be a dogs primary incentive to achieve a wonderful response from your dog.

With Dog Obedience Training, Timing is Everything

When you are using good dog obedience training you’ll want to  reward your dog right as he/she is offering the good behavior. Every time the dog is rewarded it understands exactly what behavior it was that earned him or her the reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct “click” when pressed.

The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you’d click the clicker just as the dog’s bottom hits the ground). You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying “Yes!” in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. To learn more about clicker training, click here.

Make sure that you give her the treat after the marker – and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only say “Yes!” or use the clicker sometimes, it won’t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she’s done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly).

So be consistent with your marker. – Be consistent with your dog obedience training commands, too. Although dogs can learn to associate certain words with objects and behavior they do not actually understand English or other languages in the way we perceive it.

Repetition is the key. Stick with a specific word to represent the behavior you are wanting your dog to exhibit.

Best Types of Physical Rewards

You’ve probably noticed that most dogs love being scratched near the base of the tail, at the end of their backside. They also love their tummy’s and chests rubbed or scratched.

Food Rewards – Let’s Not Go Overboard

Dogs love getting those little treats for good behavior. But did you know that if you switch it up and offer treats only now and then and offer other types of positive reinforcement like a back scratch or belly rub can help to keep your dog “guessing” so to speak. This makes them even more attentive during your training sessions.

When it comes to dog obedience training we want to be sure not to train our dogs in the wrong way as well. Ignoring your dog when it’s behavior is something you don’t wish to see will help your dog move on to behavior that you do want to see. Your dogs goal in life is to make you happy and when bad behavior doesn’t reap any reward they try harder to find ways that do please you.

In the past I have trained two of my dogs using a choke collar and the “good dog” pat on the head with a happy tone to reinforce and encourage good behavior. However, I have found that using both clicker training and Dr. Dogs methods will help produce much faster and longer lasting results. Plus, I no longer have to pay a professional trainer to assist me in the training. I can do it all by myself, which is a nice human reward.

Do You Know The Biggest Mistakes Most People Make When Trying To Obedience Train Their Dogs? Better Yet…

Would you like to know how to avoid them?

After reading my Free ‘How to Be the Alpha Dog and STOP Your Dogs Behavior Problems Report,’ you’ll know…

Why dogs bark… and what to do about it!
Why dogs pull on the leash and how to stop it…
More about dog nutrition to keep your dogs healthy and happy!
The reasons why your dog won’t stop digging.
Why your dog has is chewing your stuff and not his/hers. You’ll need this one quick!

Plus on-going Dog Obedience Training in My Free Newsletter Series – I Luv Dog Training!

Want More Visit dog obedience training tips? visit ADogObedienceTraining.com