Positive And Negative Reinforcement In Dog Training

Posted on March 7th, 2010 by Kurt Dorey

HERE'S A GREAT TIP! I've been following this dog trainer for a long time (I love her books!) and was really psyched to see that she has a video up now about this. It's only a couple minutes long but it's really helpful. Click on the video to watch it. It should answer your questions...

An obedient dog is a good dog, but they do not get this way naturally. In order to get a well-trained dog, one must begin the dog’s training and conditioning while the dog is still very young. For the most part, people attempt dog training on their own, however there are a few who may turn to an obedience school for very thorough dog training.

The first and most common form of training for dogs is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement simply means doing something positive for the dog to reward correct behavior. This can come in the form of physical or audible praise, or more effectively, in the form of a doggie treat. Pet owners often give dogs a treat to reward good behavior, as this is one of the surest ways to ensure the dog repeats those good behaviors in the future.

On the other side of the coin, many pet owners use negative reinforcement to combat bad behavior. This can be as simple as the classic “bad dog” or a tap on their behind to let them know that they were bad. Many advanced forms of negative reinforcement use some sort of electric collar.

There are shock collars available that are widely used in dog training to curb a particular type of bad behavior such as excessive barking. These are commonly known as “bark collars” and will send a mild electric shock into the dog’s neck each time he barks. By wearing a collar for an extended period of time, the dog learns to curb her incessant barking.

Another form of electrical negative reinforcement that follows the same theory is the shock collar for the invisible fence. The invisible fence will set up boundaries for the dog. After the dog gets a few shocks from trying to cross the boundary, the dog will eventually learn where it can and cannot go.

House training a dog is a very important part of dog training. The best way to house train a dog is with a mix of positive reinforcement and mild negative reinforcement. Give the dog a treat when it goes outside, and discipline it when it goes to the bathroom inside. Dogs can often recognize tone, so use this to your advantage. One quick note: try and avoid using their name (as in just shouting their name when they do something bad) as they cannot distinguish this and may think that you are just calling them to go out.

Training a dog is by no means easy but is well worth the time and effort as a dog can serve as a companion, guardian, or helper. Exercising patience during the dog training assures great results and helps build trust between owner and dog. A well-trained dog is an untiring pleasure that everyone can enjoy.

We built www.dogcollarandmore.com for all dog owners like our selves. We continue to update the site as a complete resource for you. One area of concern with owning a dog is dog training. You can look up all the answers for your dog related questions along with a lot of training techniques written by experts on our site.

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Housebreaking A Puppy – It’s Not As Hard As You Think

Posted on March 6th, 2010 by Mark Walters

It takes time and patience to housebreak a puppy. You need to understand that the learning skills of your puppy may be entirely different from the skills of another; therefore, training should not be rushed.

It is believed that the best approach to housebreaking a puppy is to set, and stick to, a simple routine. This routine should consist of habits that your puppy can be familiarized with. If you are consistent with your training methods, your puppy will learn faster and better. Regularly changing a puppy’s routine will confuse it, and confused puppies make slow, if any, progress.

The next step in housebreaking a puppy is determining the area of your yard that will become the dogs potty area. This is where your puppy will do all of its training as this is going to be your puppy’s comfort zone.

What you should do is take your puppy to the potty area every so often. When it begins to urinate or defecate, give the puppy a treat, or show it some love. This is necessary to give your pet the cue that it is doing what you want and that you are pleased with its behavior.

Talk to your puppy as much as you can whilst its in the potty area, using phrases like ‘go pee’ and ‘go poo’. Keep the phrases short and simple, and use a consistent tone, and your puppy will quickly learn to recognize what you are saying.

Another important consideration to take into account is when you feed your puppy. Housebreaking a puppy can definitely be made easier if he has a consistent feeding schedule.

Feed your puppy according to a schedule so that you can begin to learn its bowel and urine habits. You decrease the chances of your puppy defecating or urinating inside the house if you know about what times of day it normally needs to relieve itself.

Learn more about housebreaking a puppy by visiting http://housebreakingapuppyblog.org

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Puppy Training Tips From The Pros

Posted on March 5th, 2010 by Tom Clancy

New puppies are filled with so much energy and provide tons of entertainment for the family they become a part of. It’s a good idea to start training your puppy as soon as you get him, in order to make sure that he becomes a well-adjusted member to the family. There’s nothing more frustrating than an unruly ball of fur that turns into a very large unruly ball of fur. The puppy training tips described below should provide some helpful guidelines to getting started with various types of training.

Housebreaking: This is probably the most trying form of puppy training that will take place. There is a lot of one on one time needed to make this process as effective as it can be. People who are able to monitor their puppy all day long will use the method of watching for when the pup’s nose goes to the ground.

The most common sign of a puppy looking for a bathroom area is when his nose goes to the ground. He will usually do a bit of searching before he relieves himself, but it doesn’t take long. Being able to spot him when he first starts looking will give you a few seconds to scoop him up and take him outside. After he’s done his relieving outdoors, praise him and bring him back inside.

When people aren’t able to watch their puppy all the time and this method is sometimes used at night as well, a crate can be used to contain the pup. This isn’t used for punishment, but as a place for the puppy to remain for an hour or two at a time.

Dogs don’t usually make a mess where they sleep, so this area should be relatively safe from being used as a bathroom facility. Taking the puppy out of the crate every hour to go to the bathroom outside is often very effective. It’s a good idea to not leave him in the crate for longer than two hours at a time. Once he’s done his business outside, then he can romp around the house for a bit before he is placed back in the kennel.

Chewing: This is a natural pastime of puppies. They are often working their new teeth and simply need something to chew on. Give the puppy his own supply of toys. If you catch him chewing on something that he shouldn’t be, firmly say the word ‘no’ as you take it away from him.

You will need to replace this item with a toy of his own, so he knows that chewing is okay, but only on his toys. For new puppy teeth, having a clean sock with crushed ice in it is a great chew toy. This can be kept in the freezer when not in use and provided when there seems to be an excessive amount of chewing going on.

The key to having these puppy training tips be successful is by being consistent with each process. Getting frustrated and giving up will only confuse your puppy. There is a lot of work involved in the beginning with letting him know what all the rules are, but once he has them down, he will be a very well-behaved little pup.

Learn the secrets of how to train a puppy quickly and easily with proven puppy training tips used by professional dog trainers. Training a puppy just got a whole lot easier thanks to these insider secrets.

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What You Should Know About House Training A Dog

Posted on March 4th, 2010 by Brad Davenport

If you have ever wanted to get a dog, but were afraid of the training aspect of it- don’t worry. There are secrets of house training a dog that will make things a lot easier. You just have to be willing to practice three things: patience, diligence and kindness.

One great method is associating a word, such as “potty” or “outside”, with your trips out. If you get the dog used to hearing one particular word and go to the door that you would like for them to use at the same time, they will learn. Every dog loves association and when they can associate a task with a command you’re teaching them.

Another popular method for house training a dog is using crate training. This is where the dog is confined to a cage or crate and taken out at particular intervals to put them on a schedule. Most dogs will not eliminate in their sleeping area, so this method can work quite well as the dog learns that their bedding area is “home” and that they should go to the bathroom outdoors.

Another way the dog will learn to go to the bathroom outside is by using certain verbal commands or even a clicker to signal them when it is time to go out. For example, taking the dog out and using the word “potty” will allow the dog to start to associate that word with the need to go outside. You can even walk them over to the door that you want to use for this purpose so that they know where to stand when they need to alert someone.

These are some of the secrets of house training a dog. The important thing to remember is that they have to learn the same way each of us learned everything we know- by repetition and patience.

Are you in need of some useful information about dog training if so pay us a visit immediately. While you are there you can download for FREE an ebook titled dog breeding it’s yours for FREE!

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