Dog training articles
By Michele Welton. Copyright © 2000-2010
How to get your dog to listen to you and do what you want
A lot of dog training methods are based on what makes the OWNER feel good, rather than on what actually makes sense to the DOG.
For example....
"Positive-only dog training" is a big fad right now.
With "positive-only" dog training, you bribe your dog to do something with food or a toy. If he does the desired behavior, he receives the reward. If he refuses to do it, nothing happens. You don't give him the reward, you don't show him how to do the behavior, you just do nothing.
"Positive-only" dog trainers frequently use a clicker device -- a little metal tab that makes a clicking sound when pressed with your thumb. Clicker training is a form of "operant conditioning" (a term some of you may recognize from your college psych classes).
Here's how it works: You click the clicker at the precise instant your dog is doing some desired behavior. You then immediately give a treat. The dog thus learns that whenever he hears the clicking sound, whatever behavior he was doing at that instant will bring him food.
Positive-only dog training sounds very noble and if your dog is food-oriented (many dogs are not), it works well for teaching fun things -- like tricks -- where it really doesn't matter whether the dog obeys or not. If you tell your dog to shake hands or roll over, and he doesn't do it, who cares?
But for teaching your dog to come when called in the presence of temptations or distractions...for teaching your dog to stand quietly while his teeth are brushed or his coat is groomed...for teaching your dog to act politely toward strangers and other animals, and for teaching your dog all the other sorts of behaviors you want a civilized family dog to do (or not do!), positive-only dog training just doesn't cut it.
Think about it. What happens when you want your dog to stop chasing a cat and come to you -- but at that particular moment he's not hungry or he would simply prefer to chase the cat rather than munch on a biscuit?
Owners who rely on positive-only dog training are stuck
whenever their dog "isn't in the mood" to do something.
A knowledgeable old-time trainer once said that if a dog really wants to chase a cat, he will chase it regardless of biscuits showering upon him like manna from heaven.
Positive-only dog training suffers from a serious flaw -- it does not teach your dog to respect you.
Ultimately, it is RESPECT that motivates a dog to be well-behaved even when he doesn't FEEL like being well-behaved at the moment.
It is RESPECT that movitates a dog to listen to you, to do what you tell him to do, and to refrain from doing what you tell him not to do -- regardless of his own personal preferences of the moment.
Read this eye-opening article on
Respect Training
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Balanced dog training
Real life for ALL living creatures (including ourselves) consists of learning from both positive and negative consequences.
- Positive consequences encourage us to repeat a behavior.
- Negative consequences discourage us from repeating a behavior.
Both are part of the normal learning process.
So the key to balanced dog training
is to provide both positive AND
negative consequences.
- Positive consequences means rewarding desirable behaviors with praise, smiles, petting, games, and treats.
- Negative consequences means correcting undesirable behaviors with your voice or hands, or with the leash or collar.
Then your dog will make a conscious, informed choice to do a behavior (or refrain from doing a behavior) not only when he's in the mood for a reward, but also when he might not care a hoot about the reward -- but he controls himself because he doesn't want the inevitable negative consequence that he knows will be forthcoming.
All of life works this way -- cause and effect.
Dogs are HAPPY with this kind of dog training because they understand it perfectly well. They WANT you to take the lead and show them the consequences and effects of ALL of their behaviors, so they can make informed choices.
Cause and effect is how your dog learns about the world around him. It's up to you to help him!
If you haven't read this article yet....
Respect Training
When your dog respects you,
you can teach him virtually anything
and he will stop any misbehavior
upon a single word from you.
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Read my dog training articles to learn how to teach your puppy or adult dog to respect you:
Respect Training
Sensible dog training means teaching your puppy (or adult dog) to respect you. Good manners will follow and behavior problems will disappear.
Teach Your Dog 100 Words
You dog has to know what you're saying before he can DO what you're saying. I've developed a list of 100 great words to teach your dog – and the best news is, even if you teach only a few of the words on my list, your dog will behave much better.
Solving Dog Behavior Problems
If you interact with your dog in the wrong ways, he will decide that you're not really in charge and the result will be misbehavior. Learn how to interact with your dog in all the RIGHT ways, and his behavior problems will STOP.
Training Schedule For Puppies
Just got a new puppy? Follow my puppy training program.
Housebreaking Your Puppy or Adult Dog
Bathroom manners (potty training, house training) for puppies and adult dogs.
Socializing Your Puppy or Adult Dog
Teach your dog to get along with the world. Avoid (or solve) aggressive behavior and shyness problems.
Copyright © 2000-2010 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved.
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