We use positive reinforcement and reward – based training because it strengthens the bond between you and your dog. All animals, including dogs and humans, learn better without the threat of punishment.
Punishment or aversives are anything a dog will work to avoid. This includes pinch, choke, shock, or ecollars, loud noises, spraying with water, even just yelling can be considered aversive.
Punishment may stop a behavior in the moment, but it doesn’t teach the dog what you want him to do. Punishment weakens your bond with your dog and can also cause fear, anxiety, and stress. Because dogs learn by association, it can also cause your dog to associate whatever he was focused on at the moment, with the pain of the aversive. This can cause him to form a negative association with whatever he was focused on. It could be a dog, person, or a child. The next time he encounters it, he will remember the pain and fear and could become reactive towards it.
Positive reinforcement includes anything your dog will work to earn including Dog Training Treats, toys, praise, or playtime.
Instead of waiting until he does something you dislike, train him by rewarding him for doing what you want instead. Until he is reliably trained, you should prevent your dog from performing the unwanted behaviors and keep him safe with management. Management includes things like crating or confining your dog to a room or a section of the house, keeping him on a leash or long line, or blocking off areas you don’t want him to have access to.
If your dog chews things in your house, make sure everything he might be tempted to chew is picked up and out of reach. Give him plenty of dog – safe options like Kongs and chew toys to satisfy his need to chew.
If your dog pulls on the leash, reward him frequently for walking by your side. We recommend front-clip, Y-shaped Harnesses for pullers, combined with frequent reinforcement. Pulling is self rewarding, it gets him to all the good smells. Let him sniff, but don’t let him pull.
If your dog jumps, keep him behind a gate to prevent him jumping on visitors. You can teach him to go to his bed or place or have him fetch a toy to give him something to do that isn’t jumping.
The more often you reward a behavior, the more it will be repeated. You can build a reward history so your dog is happy to walk by your side. Instead of jumping on visitors, he will happily go to his place or fetch his toy.
If you reward him frequently and generously for coming every time he is called, never punish him for not coming or call him for anything unpleasant, he will learn that coming to you means only good things, and is more likely to come when called. You are competing with things in the environment, so unless you can completely control the environment, I would recommend not letting your dog off leash unless you are 100% certain he will come when called.
Your dog will be happier and less stressed if you use positive reinforcement instead of aversives to train him.
If you need help training your dog, Contact Us today !
AVSAB-Humane-Dog-Training-Position-Statement-2021.pdf
https://hsmo.org/AVSAB-The-Problems-Using-Punishment.pdf
How to train your dog to come every time – 12-Rules-for-Rocket-Recall-with-Book-0522.pdf
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