Using Positive Reinforcement With Your Dog

You have understood why positive reinforcement is the best dog-training tool to use for you dog and now you would like to know exactly how to use this tool. You are in luck, because this article will give you the basics of how to use positive reinforcement as well as some books that you can read to further your understanding of this very successful dog training tool.

There are two elements that you need to understand about this tool in order to use it successfully. The two elements are: correct timing and consistency.

Correct timing means that you need to give the praise or reward immediately to the dog upon completion of the desired behavior. Immediately means within two seconds and BEFORE the dog does any other behavior.

Consistency means that everyone in the family has to use the same command for each desired behavior. Consistency will reinforce the training and will guarantee that you will not confuse the dog about what is desired. It is equally important to not reward bad behavior in the dog and to be consistent in that every family member understands to reward good behavior only. If you are trying to teach the dog to not beg at the table and one family member is continuing to feed the dog table scraps under the table, then the consistency will not be there. The dog will be rewarded for bad behavior as well as for good behavior and the dog will not only be confused but will get very fat.

Here are some command words to use:

Come

Stay

Sit

Down

Stand

Off

Heel

Leave it

Settle

Watch me

Although praise works best when using positive reinforcement to train your dog; other items such as food treats, a favorite dog toy or even a game with your dog all will serve well for rewards. Pick the reward that works best with your dog, not all dogs respond well to food treats, some prefer a favorite toy, or commercial foods such as a small square of cheese, cooked chicken pieces or small chunks of hot dogs. Use a fanny pack or small plastic baggie to carry treats in while training your dog. If you are rewarding the dog with play, make sure to keep the play brief.

The new behavior must be rewarded every time in the beginning. This is called, “continuous reinforcement”. It is a technique used to “shape” the dog into making the desired response or behavior. Sometimes when teaching a behavior that is new to the dog; rewarding may be done as the behavior is learned in steps. An example would be if the dog does not know how to shake hands with you, then you can reward the dog for each step in the behavior. When the dog correctly lifts his paw, reward with a treat. When the dog lifts and hold the paw higher off the ground, give him a treat, then when the dog successfully allows you to hold his paw, and finally accepts the “shaking hands”, behavior reward with a treat.

Once the behavior is learned than you can reward the dog intermittently (3 out of 4 times he does the behavior, then half the time, then occasionally).