Learn Why Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Works For Dogs of All Ages.

In the past, the approach to training dogs was to use a ‘firm hand’ by adopting ‘tough love’ techniques including strict discipline, yelling, punishment and even hitting your dog if they did not do what you wanted them to do.
This was especially adopted with dogs used in all forms of security and guard work, resulting in many dogs becoming fearful, which often manifested into unwanted aggressive behaviour, with dogs even ‘turning’ on their owners or other family members.
Regardless of any success claimed using this form of training, PetsBook does not endorse this method and will not support any owner or business that does. To be clear, PetsBook advocates for all pets to be trained using a positive approach, rewarding good behaviour, not punishing bad behaviour.

This article will look at positive reinforcement dog training and why using positive reinforcement techniques is an effective method for dog training and promotion of good behaviour.

As with humans, dogs learn quicker when they’re puppies. This does not mean you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It may however mean in some cases you’ll have to approach the training of your dog with more patience. Ultimately though, the rewards for both will be the same, strengthening the bond and love between you.

When talking about ‘rewarding good behaviour’, it’s important to understand what the rewards are. Most dogs love their food, especially treats, so these make for an ideal way to reward your dog when they’ve followed your command.
Verbal praise such as ‘good boy/girl’ or a ‘good’ followed by your dog’s name, spoken enthusiastically, will also work a treat (pun intended). Lastly, loving physical contact will be received with joy, such as a rewarding rubbing of their neck, base of the ears or side of the shoulder, especially in conjunction with verbal praise.

The takeaway point here is rewarding your dog, whether in the form of treats, verbal praise, or a loving touch, is a good way to let your dog know the consequences of good behaviour, i.e. following your command.
Note too, the reward should be given within seconds of the desired behaviour, or your dog may not be able to associate the reward with the good behaviour.

Dog training clickers are used by many dog trainers and recommended by pet behaviourists as an effective method when combined with positive reinforcement training because the clicking sound is much more distinct for your dog and faster to deliver than verbal cues.
At the exact time that your pup displays the behaviour you want, click immediately, then give a treat to teach them the meaning of the click and provide the positive reinforcement connection. Training clickers are available from pet shops and are relatively inexpensive to buy, but valuable to have.

Tip: only use short, and consistent commands.

Dogs aren’t able to understand full sentences, so it’s important to use one- or two-word commands when training. I also recommend using your dog’s name first to get their attention and to let them know you are talking to them. Saying “Fido Come”, “Fido Sit” for example can be understood, where “Fido, please come over here and sit down next to me” will get lost in translation.
Swapping “Fido Come” with “Fido Here” will also cause confusion. Keeping one word for one action consistently will be get the desired result much faster.
It’s also important for all people, especially other family members to be on the same page and use the same commands for desired outcomes.

Never reward bad behaviour. Some people mistakenly take this to mean just don’t give them a treat, but any sort of attention can and often will, be taken by your dog as rewarding. If your dog does not follow a command, or indeed behaves ‘badly’, ignore them. This will send a message to the dog that their undesirable action will not get the rewarding treat they want, teaching, or training them by association that if they want a reward, and all dogs really do, that particular action won’t get them one.

Just like people, dogs have different learning curves and attention spans, so I also recommend never punishing your dog for not listening. Verbal punishment such as yelling, only creates a negative experience where your dog develops fear or aggression and never, ever physically punish your dog, as it’s cruel, leads to a negative relationship, and induces anxiety, all of which are counterproductive to training and desirable outcomes.
Again, just like with children, and people in general, you, and your fur baby will have good days and not as good days. If it becomes apparent, they are having a bad day, stop the training and play a game of fetch instead. You can try again later on that day, or the next day.

Summary of Why Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Works

For your dog, especially if still a puppy, to be happy and comfortable in your and their home, a consistent and loving environment is important in making your dog feel safe and stable. By rewarding desirable and good behaviour and completely ignoring undesirable and bad behaviour, the rewards for your dog training efforts will result in an obedient pooch, willing and eager to please by following each of your commands, knowing it will result in a food treat, praise, rub, hug, in fact any sort of attention from you.

Conversely, any sort of punishment only creates a negative experience where your dog develops fear or aggression, anxiety and a general negative bond with you, which will never lead to good behaviour or obedience.

In summary, positive reinforcement dog training equates to Command + Good Acton = Reward. It’s that simple!

If you’re a first-time pet parent and a little unsure, you’ll find many pet training clubs and pet trainers listed on Pet Directory available to help you.
For older dogs or if you’ve adopted a rescue dog, that has some issues, you might want to engage the help of a pet behaviourist to help work through the problem first.

Bear

Hi, I’m Bear, the Training Manager at PetsBook. With over 20 years experience using positive reinforcement dog training techniques, I’m proud to have the opportunity to help you develop a stronger bond with your fur baby, by teaching you useful commands with obedience training.