Why Reward Train Your Dog or Puppy?

All puppies and dogs need some form of training. What’s so good about Reward Training and why would we choose to Reward Train our dog or puppy?

Reward Training uses the principles of Operant Conditioning, specifically Positive Reinforcement. Positive Reinforcement is where we give a reward to increase or maintain behavior.

Any voluntary behavior which has been increased or maintained has, at some point, been reinforced. Without reinforcement, that voluntary behavior will eventually stop happening. That’s fine if it’s a behavior you don’t want, but if it’s a behavior you do want then Reward Training is important to reinforce any good behavior you want to see more of.

Reward Training is also fun for both dog and owner, resulting in a deeply bonded relationship based on trust and respect. If you want a dog who behaves out of fear, then Reward Training won’t work very well for you. There is a difference between respect and fear.

Reward Training puts you in charge of the good things in life, and gives you opportunities to hand them out frequently. Dogs learn that they can’t just take what they want, they need to work as a team with you. Owners learn pretty much the same thing, but from a position of leadership.

The most common form of Reward Training these days is known as Clicker Training. Clicker Training is a training method that uses a sound to ‘mark’ good behavior, then a reward is given. The sound says to the dog “Yes! What you did right then is what I want you to repeat! Here is your reward.” If you are interested in Reward Training, then finding a clicker training class is probably the easiest way to learn. There are also many good books on Clicker Training and Reward Training for dogs and puppies.

For more information on Reward Training and Clicker Training, visit the Positive Petzine website.

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of Positive Petzine and has written dozens of articles on dog training, animal behavior, learning theory and Reward Training in a plain English style aimed at those new to dog training.

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Does Your Dog Bark at the Door?

Does your dog bark when you have a knock at the door? Follow this simple plan to end excessive barking at the door.

Many dogs will bark when they hear a knock at the door. This is probably to announce the arrival of a new person to their territory. They learn pretty quickly that a knock on the door is quickly followed by a visitor.

But what if a knock at the door was only occasionally followed by a visitor?

Some dog owners have quick success at reducing barking by simply knocking on the door repeatedly throughout the day. With no visitor appearing at the door, the knock sound soon stops being associated with the visitor. At first, the barking will probably get worse. After a few repetitions, it should start to reduce. Don’t lose heart if it doesn’t appear to work for a little while.

When your dog gets really good at not barking when he hears a knock on the door, invite someone around to help out. Just have them knock on the door every minute and not come in unless your dog hasn’t barked. Do this for about 5 or 6 repetitions, no need to overdo it.

You can speed things up by rewarding your dog for being quiet when he hears a knock at the door. A further refinement is to make the knock a cue to lay down on a mat, or to sit quietly by the front door. This is a very polite greeting indeed!

If you have a doorbell, the same procedure applies. If your doorbell has different ring tones, try to set it to use only one ring tone.

This is certainly not the only approach to ending barking at the door, but for the majority of dogs it is the easiest and most effective approach. Try it and see!

Aidan Bindoff is Editor of http://www.PositivePetzine.com, a free resource for people training their own dog. Each edition is packed with helpful tips for training your dog using the latest pet-friendly methods that work fast and don’t require a degree in animal behavior to use. PLUS, check out the huge archive of useful articles on just about every dog training topic you can think of!

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