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Dog Training - Rewards and Discipline One of the first things you need to know when you start basic dog training is how to use rewards and discipline and when to use them. This can actually be a rather controversial area. Some say you should never discipline your dog while they are learning and only use positive reinforcement/motivation. Others say: "What are you nuts? Some dogs need discipline to get the picture." Regardless of what school of thought you might belong to, the key is the definition of discipline. Discipline has many forms from smacking your dog to get its attention (not a good idea) to verbally using a word or tone of voice that means "Bah, you messed up there kiddo!" Smacking your dog only teaches the dog to do something based on fear. Using a word/tone of voice combo is the best method as it teaches them to distinguish between "Yes its ok you did good!" and "Nope, that's not right!" You might be thinking rewards are treats, and they certainly can be, but that isn't necessary when doing basic dog training. You may reward with pats, scratches, hugs and an upbeat, happy tone of voice to praise. Some dogs are motivated by food, others aren't. Once you know what motivates your pooch, you can use that reward primarily, with a back up for something different. Always vary the rewards to keep things interesting and keep Fido's attention. Rewards and discipline go hand in hand with attitude – yours and your dogs. Both of you need to be on the same page to get good results. Being positive, patient, upbeat and firm but fair will win the day. Let's face it! If you were a dog and someone started your training with an attitude that bit the big one, just how much do you think you would learn? Not much, you'd be too busy trying to get away from the negative vibes. Okay motivated, upbeat, happy, rewards in hand and a tone of voice that’s excited and happy – here we go. We're about to start basic dog training with Lesson One, the Sit! This one is a breeze (well ok, most of the time). Take a yummy treat or a toy that your dog adores, stand in front of him and then hold the treat/toy over his head and slowly move it backwards. With luck he'll plop his butt right down. Sweet success! Repeat daily until it's automatic. Occasionally you'll get the "Twister Routine" when the whole dog twists around in a pretzel. Laugh and start again. |
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