Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Tips

Positive reinforcement is the most effective way to train your dog, and works well on even the most stubborn pets. Positive reinforcement works on the principle of rewards rather than punishments, and is perhaps the easiest way to break old habits that seem to be impossible to change. On that note, however, you may find that your results are better when you begin training your dog while he is young.

Positive reinforcement is based on offering your dog a reward for any behavior you want her to perform. For example, if you want to teach your dog to sit on command you should offer her something she values as a reward. In the initial stages of training you should give your dog a reward each and every time that she sits when you say "Sit". Most dog owners use food as a reward during the beginning stages of training, but if your dog loves attention, you may be able to use attention as your positive reinforcement.

After the initial stages of training when you are teaching your dog basic commands you can slowly begin to remove the reinforcement. For instance, if you have been giving your dog food treats each time he obeys your command then you may only give the food every second or third time they obey the command. Eventually you will not need to give your dog the food to obey although you should occasionally give your dog a treat for obeying to make sure that they remember that their good behavior results in a positive reward.

Since training a dog using positive reinforcement is based on rewards there are a few things you should know before you begin to avoid problems in the future. The first problem that most people encounter when they use positive reinforcement to train their dog is that the dog begins to expect a treat every time that they obey your command.

If you want your dog to obey your commands without having to show him food each and every time that you give him a command there are a few simple tips that will help you. The first thing you should do it try to eliminate the reward as soon as your dog recognizes your command and obeys it. After that point if you want to give your dog a treat for obeying don't let the dog see that you have food or another reward until after he has obeyed your command. This will help you avoid him becoming dependent upon the food to get him to obey.

If your dog isn't motivated by food then simply offer him different things until you do find something that motivates him. For example, bread might not entice him enough to get him to do as you wish but bits of a piece of sandwich meat might be just what he loves. You can experiment until you find something that works for you and you dog.

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