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Stop Your Dogs Behavior Problems!Training Your dog for both obedience and behavior in and around the home can be a daunting task. Stay Sit is the internets most successful dog training product. They have been online for over four years - which is a lifetime in "internet years"! (I think the conversion rate is 15 internet years to 1 human year! LOL) What is Positive Reinforcement Training? Essentially, it's a very fancy phrase for training your dog through the use of rewards when your dog performs the task you ask of him. Rover sits when you tell him to - he gets a treat! A dogs natural inclination is to try anything to please you and when you reward them for the correct behavior, it just doubles the learning scale. There is NO negative reinforcement in Positive Reinforcement Training. No choke collars, or shock collars, physical pain or intimidation. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as primary incentives. In other words, they're both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to. Use the right timing. When your dog obeys a command, you need to mark the behavior that you're going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior it was that earned her that tasty reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinctive 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. 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; he needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that he's done something right whenever he hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker. Be consistent with your dog training commands, too. When you're teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you're going to be giving him, and then stick to it. When training your dog to stop jumping up on you, you wouldn't ask him to "get off", "get down", and "stop jumping", because that would just confuse him; you'd pick one phrase, such as "No jump", and stick with it. Even the smartest dogs don't understand English so they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase. His rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish him to perform a certain behavior for you. All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren't big eaters and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you. One excellent resource for dog training is Secrets to Dog Training: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and 'tricks', Secrets to Dog Training covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail - all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere. You can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking on the link below: When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer - it prevents them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat. How to correct your dog meaningfully: The great thing about positive reinforcement training is that it doesn't require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won't be called upon to put any complex, correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punishments. When it comes to positive reinforcement training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention (because you're deliberately ignoring him) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is a powerful correctional tool. Contemporary belief in dog training states that we should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training command - that, with no reinforcement from us (yes, even negative attention - like verbal corrections - counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all), the dog will stop the behavior of his own accord. The bigger the fuss you make over him when he does get it right, the clearer the connection will be between a particular behavior getting no response at all, while the correct behavior get him the massive amounts of positive attention from you that he is looking for. Sign up for our FREE 6-Day Dog Training Course to get you started on training "Rover" to be the best behaved dog in your neighborhood! |
A Word about Breeds:
All dogs are not created equally, and not all dogs will follow through with all of the standards of the breed. We all know of the snappy Golden retriever or the affectionate poodle that goes against everything that you thought you knew. And while there is always the exception that proves the rule, there are enough of the dogs that do follow standards and traits to make them worth exploring when you are considering adding a dog to your family. Remember, dog breed traits are merely guidelines and may not fully and adequately describe each individual animal. Always evaluate a dog on its own merit, keeping in mind any potential traits that might seem troublesome to you.
Some dogs are known for being hyperactive, rambunctious creatures that have the potential to be destructive, incorrigible and potentially nuisances if they are not properly trained and monitored at all times. These include the Jack Russell terrier, the Labrador Retrievers, and the collie. Jack Russell Terriers also tend to dig when bored, while the lab will show his unhappiness by refusing to be fully housebroken. (Again, these are just generalizations, I am sure your lab is a perfect angel and only piddles outside!)
Some breeds are rampant barkers, or even worse, howlers. Vocal dog breeds include the Boarder Collie, who has a sharp, hard to take bark, the bored beagle that howls and, of course, the yappy poodle. Timid dogs tend to overreact to every sound or movement and will bark as well. This behavior is usually found in the smaller breed dogs, including the Chihuahua, the Pomeranian and the Lhasa Apso. The Chihuahua is also notoriously stubborn with housebreaking and tends to be a bit of a biter. (Mine would lay outside on a sunny porch for hours, get up, stretch and then dash inside to pee on my floor, so do not get me started.) Hound breeds tend to be the howlers, especially if they hear trains or sirens. Hounds in the city are bound to be miserable, and freak out all of the neighbors.
There are some breeds that no one would say a bad word about, and then there are the opposite- the breeds that no one would say a good word for. Golden retrievers are generally highly praised dogs, quiet, good natured and gentle, but there is bound to be a barking, biting golden to deal with. And of course, we all know that it is the pit bulls and their close cousins that get all of the negative press. While these are the dogs most affected by negative press and bad ownership, it is still probably worthwhile to consider owning these only if you are willing to properly, and gently train them, and learn everything that you can about the breed.
