In this part of my dog training guide I attempt to outline the basics and to illustrate some of the pitfalls.
Dogs live in the present. Dogs remember things by association not by recall. Dogs are unable to analyse things as we do. They think in concrete terms, it is very much action = consequence for them. As far as dogs are concerned, rewarded conduct is likely to be repeated whereas discouraged ot ignored conduct is usually avoided. This is the main principle behind any kind of dog training.
For instance, if you give your dog a treat or praise him every time he sits then eventually he will sit of his own accord so that he may receive another reward. Conversely, if your dog jumps up for attention and you completely ignore him, this is a negative consequence and your dog will be less likely to repeat this behaviour in future.
To create meaningful associations you should praise behaviours that you want to encourage and ignore behaviours that you want to discourage. It should be very easy shouldn’t it? So what is it that makes dog obedience training so problematic?
You only have about two seconds between action and reward to make an association this can be a problem. This implies that it is very possible for an inexperienced trainer to make a wrong association. For example, your dog sits but by the time you give him his treat and verbal praise he is standing up – you have inadvertently praised the stand up rather than the sit. Another scenario would be to find that your dog has messed on the carpet when you come home. You drag your dog to the scene of the crime and rub his nose in it saying ‘Bad Dog’ and push him outside. All you have done is taught your dog that going to the toilet is bad.
In the home there is another problem in that a dog can have too many trainers using different training methods and producing conflicting associations which will confuse the dog. One master and one trainer is all a dog should have.
I have explained the basics of dog obedience training in this dog training guide. Thet are easier said than done. However, understanding the fundamentals will always be of help when using specific dog training routines.
Go to www.TrainMyOwnDog.com to see more articles on dog obedience training.
Posted under Miscellaneous Content
This post was written by Noel DCosta on August 8, 2010
