dog behavior training

Positive reinforcement is one of the most popular modern methods of training your dog. It basically means rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad behavior. It works very well, confirming that ignoring your pet dog is one of the most effective methods of communicating your disapproval. Repeating and being consistent with positive reinforcement methods achieves results.

One of the best aspects of positive reinforcement is that it enables your dog to learn almost of its own accord and through this the appropriate behavior seem to be learned so much more effectively. Beyond the simple idea, there are several techniques for rewarding and ignoring that are worth familiarising yourself with.

Use meaningful rewards

The most effective rewards are treats and physical affection. Too many treats might lead to an overweight dog but also become boring for a dog after a while. So do simple pats on the head, so variation should be included in order to maintain your dog’s interest and motivation to improve again in future. Dogs like being stroked on their back near the tail, and on their chest. Scratching near the ears also appeals to most dogs. These are just examples of ways to vary the reward; others include favourite toys, ball chasing, etc.

Time things properly

Required behavior will be much more quickly understood by your dog if you ensure that rewards or positive signals are given at just the right moment, immediately following the correct behavior. A positive verbal sound or gesture will work if timed right, but clickers are also highly appropriate here. A separate post will follow about clicker training.

Be consistent

Positive reinforcement lends itself to planning and preparation, especially because it can be done in short bursts until it becomes part of your natural day-to-day interaction with your dog. Part of the planning is to be clear from the outset which commands and gestures you want your dog to understand and then consistently train using them.

Ignoring is a technique

A key aspect of being consistentwith this process is for the trainer (you) to understand that the negative reaction of ignoring means precisely that. The failure to react at all to the poor behavior registers with your dog. A negative reaction also registers and some dogs will seek that rather than total ignoring in order to get any kind of interaction with you. Showing no reaction also emphasises the effect of the positive reaction you give for good behavior, so uncomfortable as it may seem to some pet owners, ignoring is the right thing to do.

A healthy dog is easier to train, and as diet is very important to health then a good diet will support your training process. A common ratio for an appropriate dog diet is 40% meat, 30% vegetables and 30% starch.

A good quality dry dog food should be a key constituent in what you feed your dog. It helps both offset the cost of meat and starts to balance the diet. Dog foods are labelled with a list of ingredients, with the highest proportions listed first, through to the smallest at the end.

In the “Ingredients” or “Typical Analysis” section described on the packaging, a good dog food will have little, and in many cases, no “waste” animal content, which are sometimes described as “by-products”. These products are often unfit for human consumption. Any dog food that does have waste or by-products in any sizeable amount should really be avoided. It might be cheaper and the products themselves do not necessarily make the product dangerous, but they do carry higher long-term risk to muscles, bones, coats and the general health of dogs, especially if a part of their regular daily intake.

A number of points pertinent to achieving the 40/30/30 ratio:

• Meat - Lamb, beef and chicken provide protein, good for healthy coats and musculature. As an aside, it’s a bad idea to let dogs, cats and similar pets have chicken bones as they splinter easily and can cause choking.
• Vegetables - carrots and greens are a good balance for dog nutrition, providing the vitamins and minerals essential to good bone development. They also provide the right levels of hormone and enzyme for good health. I’ve always found that different individual dogs are partial to a particular vegetable but don’t like others, which is useful to explore when assessing what to feed your dog.
• Starch - the usual provider of this for a dog is brown or white rice, though not in too large a quantity, especially not in an older dog. Starch provides the carbohydrates to build energy and maintain strength.

Some breeds are often stated to be sensitive to certain foods but this varies in individual dogs. There will also be exceptions when a dog is unhealthy for a little while.

Small amounts of water can be added to dry food to make it more palatable for some dogs.

The sheen on your dog’s coat, the state of its eyes and what is coming out at the other end are the most easy indicators to allow you to assess your dog’s health, but a balanced diet helps provide these. Spending just a little more on better food for your pet is worth it in the long term.