What is Positive Dog Training?
If you have been looking into dog training lately, you have probably come across several different terms used to describe different training methods. Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, correction, punishment, behaviour modification, dominance theories.
The good news is the study of dog behaviour is a constantly growing and changing field. We are becoming more knowledgeable all the time regarding the ways that dogs learn. The down side is, the amount of information out there can be very difficult to weed through.
Which training method is the "right one? There is not one right way to train all dogs. If there were, we'd all be walking around with Lassie on a leash (and what fun would that be?). There is, however, some thing for you to consider when it comes to training your dog.
TRAINING THROUGH POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
The programs at Walkabout Services Training are based on utilitizing positive dog training methods. Very simply, that means we reward our dogs for doing what we want them to, and remove an anticipated reward when they do something we feel is inappropriate. The key is that we don't physically punish our dogs when they misbehave - the very latest studies in dog behaviour indicate that dogs learn better when rewarded for what they do right rather than being punished, or corrected, for wrong choices. Unfortunately, many of us tend to pay more attention to our dogs when they do something wrong, instead of when they do something right. For example, your dog is playing quietly on the floor and you think to yourself, "Whew, a break from the constant energy," and you walk by, ignoring the dog. Five minutes later, your dog hops on the furniture and you yell at him and push/pull him off. What a fun game to your dog. The result? More couch jumping for the dog and more frustration for you. Had you given him a scratch behind the ear or tossed a toy for him when he was playing quietly on the floor, he may not have tried the couch-game for attention. Just as with children, negative attention is better than no attention at all.
So, just how does positive dog-training work? Very simply, dogs are rewarded when they do the right thing, and the anticipated reward is removed when they make the wrong choice. Think about it. If you received a $10 bill every time you sat still for five minutes (but didn't get the $10 if you moved during the five minutes), do you think you'd be inclined to sit still when someone asked you to?
Positive training methods are fun for both you and your dog, and you can teach your dog just about anything by using positive training. When they obey your requests they're given tasty food treats, a toy, or attention from you. If they choose not to obey, they're told "wrong" and the food treat or attention is not given. You'd be amazed at how quickly a dog figures out what behaviour gets a food treat and what doesn't.
Of course, all dogs being different, in our classes we work with each owner to help tweak the process when necessary, but physical punishment for disobeying is never part of the equation.
TRAINING WITH THE USE OF PUNISHMENT
A good example of "punishment-based training" is the long-standing, popular training technique using a "choke" chain or pinch collar. Dogs are given a leash correction when they make the wrong choice, and the result is an uncomfortable, often painful correction to the dog. Studies have shown that this type of correction can lead to soft tissue damage around the neck and possible damage to the trachea.
While it is true that some dogs react appropriately to the use of such aversive devices, the question becomes, are they learning? And… what are they learning? Some studies indicate that dogs trained with positive methods instead of aversive actually discover how to think through situations rather that being physically manipulated, thus they retain the information for a longer period of time.
Consider training your dog or puppy using positive training. A good start would be to attend Walkabout Canine Consulting classes. It will not only put on the road to having a well-behaved pet, but it will also help to strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
For more information on dog classes or private lessons, contact us.
12 RULES FOR TRAINING
1. MAKE LEARNING FUN FOR YOU AND YOUR DOG.
Use patience, praise and rewards.
2. TRAIN BASIC COMMANDS ONE AT A TIME.
Sit, come, stay, down, down-stay, heal on lead
3. USE ONE WORD COMMANDS.
Do not use the dog's name, if you do, the command you are trying to teach gets lost in all the
verbiage.
4. START TRAINING IN A PLACE WITH NO DISTRACTIONS.
Progressively move to more complex places.
5. REWARD EVERY BEHAVIOUR WITHIN ONE SECOND.
Gradually be more demanding and shape the behaviour.
6. ONCE BEHAVIOUR IS LEARNED, REWARD
INTERMITTENTLY.
Intermittent rewards are powerful and increase the permanency of the response.
7. USE VALUED REWARDS. (food, touch, praise)
As training progresses, vary type of rewards. Be careful not to reward unwanted behaviour!
8. ONCE THE COMMAND IS LEARNED.
Progressively reduce intensity of command. -FADE COMMAND-
Have other people train command. -GENERALIZE COMMAND-
9. THE LONGER A LEARNED, UNWANTED BEHAVIOUR HAS
BEEN PERFORMED, THE LONGER IT TAKES TO CHANGE.
10. NEVER USE PUNISHMENT!!
Never induce pain or excitement.
11. USE ONLY NON-AVERSIVE REINFORCING AIDS.
Head halter, clickers.
12. IF LEARNED RESPONSE DOES NOT OCCUR IN EXCITING
SITUATIONS, MORE TRAINING IS REQUIRED.
Train in a variety of locations.
15 Rules for Getting Started with the Clicker
You may download this information and make copies. KP
Clicker training is a new, science-based way to communicate with your pet. It's easier to learn than standard command-based training. You can clicker train any kind of dog, of any age. Puppies love it. Old dogs learn new tricks. You can clicker-train cats, birds, and other pets as well. Don't worry, at first, about getting rid of behavior you don't like. Instead, start with some good things you want the dog to learn to do. Keep notes (the refrigerator door is a good place.) Jot down what the dog was doing' when you started. Once a day or so, jot down what you have achieved with each behavior. You will be surprised at the progress! Reward YOURSELF for the dog's improvements. Here are some simple tips to get you started.
1. Push 'and release the springy end of the clicker, making a two-toned click. Then treat. Keep the treats small. Use a delicious treat at first: little cubes of roast chicken, say--not a lump of kibble.
2. Click DURING the desired behavior, not after it is completed. The timing
of the click is crucial. Don't be dismayed if your pet stops the behavior when it hears the click. The click ends the behavior. Give the treat after that; the timing of the treat is not important.
3. Click when the dog does something you like. Choose something easy at first, that the dog is likely to do on its own. (Ideas: sit; come toward you; touch your hand with its nose; raise a paw; go through a door; walk next to you.)
4. Click once (in-out.) If you want to express special enthusiasm, increase the number of treats, not the number of clicks.
5. Keep practice sessions short. Much more is learned in three sessions of five minutes each than in an hour of boring repetition. You can get noticeable results, and teach your dog many new things, by fitting a few clicks a day here and there in your normal routine.
6. Fix bad behavior by clicking good behavior. Click the puppy for relieving itself in the proper spot. Click for paws on the ground, not on the visitors. Instead of scolding for barking, click for silence. Cure leash pulling by clicking and treating those moments when the leash happens
to go slack.
7. Click for voluntary (or accidental) movements toward your goal. You may coax or lure the dog into a movement or position, but don't push, pull, or hold it. Work without a leash. If you need a leash for safety's sake, loop the leash over your arm or through your belt; don't use it as a tool.
8. Don't wait for the "whole picture" or the perfect behavior. Click and treat for small movements in the right direction. You want the dog to sit, and it starts to crouch in back: click. You want it to come when called, and it takes a few steps your way: click.
9. Keep raising your goal. As soon as you have a good response—when the dog is voluntarily lying down, coming toward you, or sitting repeatedly—start asking for more. Wait a few beats, until the dog stays down a little
longer, comes a little further, sits a little faster. Then click. This is called "shaping" a behavior.
10. When the dog has learned to do something for clicks, it will begin showing you the behavior spontaneously, trying to get you to click Now is the time to begin offering a cue, such as a word or a hand signal. Start clicking for that behavior if it happens during or after the cue. Start ignoring that behavior when the cue wasn't given.
11. Don't order the dog around; clicker training is not command-based. If your dog does not respond to a cue, it is not "disobeying;" it just hasn't learned the cue completely. Find more ways to cue it and click it for the desired behavior, in easier circumstances.
12. Carry a clicker and "catch" cute behaviors like cocking the head, chasing the tail, or holding up one paw. You can click for many different behaviors, whenever you happen to notice them, without confusing your dog. If you have more than one dog, separate them for training, and let them take turns.
13. If you get mad, put the clicker away. Don't mix scoldings, leash-jerking, and correction training with clicker training; you will lose the dog's confidence in the clicker and perhaps in you.
14. If you are not making progress with a particular behavior, you are probably clicking too late. Accurate timing is important. 15. Above all, have fun. Clicker-training is a wonderful way to enrich your relationship with your dog.
Get someone else to watch your and perhaps to click for you, a few times.
Karen Pryor.(copyright 1996 by Karen Pryor)
More info on clicker can be found at www.clickertraining.com
| 
