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Dog training, if it is to be effective, should consist of a variety of reinforcement methods. Many dog training techniques have their own set of pros and cons and it is important to understand their appropriateness for given situations. Hopefully this will give anyone training a dog the knowledge needed to make an educated decision on how to reward or correct your pets’ behaviour. To begin, we’ll work on the understanding of positive reinforcement.
Dog training with Positive Reinforcement, for the purpose of this article, refers to any form of dog training techniques that are reward based rather than punishment based. This method of training a dog would be the type witnessed in many zoos where a trained animal is rewarded with some treat, such as a morsel of food, for a job well done. Positive reinforcement can also refer to petting the animal or verbal praises. Other examples of positive reinforcement would be play time, such as a rousing game of fetch or playing chase.
Dog training with Negative Reinforcement is, naturally, the opposite of positive reinforcement. This involves a punishment for less than favourable performances and usually implies some kind of fear, pain or discomfort for the animal being trained.
Such dog training techniques utilise a number of aids and things like electrical shock collars or choke chains would fall under this category. Also in this category, you would find such things as crate training and chemical compounds, such as Bitter Apple and Cayenne Pepper. This is the kind of training exhibited in the old time circus shows displaying lion tamers and whips to keep the animals in submission.
While both types of reinforcement have their place in dog training, they also have limits and unacceptable uses. To beat a dog or inflict serious physical injury to the animal in the name of any dog training techniques is morally unacceptable and inexcusable, not to mention illegal in most areas. By the same token, allowing a dog to become a danger to others by never using any form of punishment is also unacceptable.
An equal balance must be achieved for proper training of a dog or you run the risk of owning a maladjusted animal which will be either overly aggressive or fearful and nervous. If error is to be made in either direction, fall to the safer side of too much positive reinforcement, as this is much easier to correct.
Dog training with Positive Reinforcement does much for the relationship of the pet to its master and should be given any time the pet demonstrates a correct behaviour at an appropriate time. Your pet will sense your pleasure in its performances and will seek to repeat them more often in the future.
A kind word or a small treat goes a very long way towards your dog seeing you as a leader. This is a highly effective dog training technique as being pack animals dogs will pick an Alpha or leader to the pack and will follow readily with a sole desire to please.
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