Pre Training Basics | DogTraininGuide.com

November 16, 2008

Dog Training Pre Training 2

Posted by: admin : Category: Dog Training, Pre Training Basics

: Image by yearginsm via Flickr

Rewards
One of the biggest keys to success with positive reinforcement training is rewarding your dog properly. This means giving him something he loves at exactly the right moment.
Your first task is to figure out what kind of reward will best motivate your dog.
Food Treats
All dogs are unique individuals. Most dogs are motivated by food that tastes and smells good to them. Food treats can be very small, which is handy for keeping them in your pocket or a pouch to use during training—and important to maintaining your dog’s caloric intake to healthy levels. So that’s the form of reward we’ll be using throughout this training.
Be sure what you’re giving your dog is good for him. But don’t rely on the packing of store-bought treats to tell you “Your dog will love it!” Strong-smelling meat and cheese treats are usually winners, but many store-bought treats are made primarily of other ingredients. Your dog may not appreciate artificial colors, tastes or smells.
Small morsels of cooked chicken are a popular home-made treat. But keep in mind that what motivates other dogs may not motivate yours. Experiment and find out what he loves to eat.
Non-Edible Rewards
What if your dog isn’t motivated by food (rare, but a possibility)? You’ll have to find something else that motivates him. You may think a couple of pats on the head are a great reward, but your dog may not. He might not even like it (most dogs don’t)! Try scratching his belly or some other form of petting. Again, experiment to find out what your dog loves.
Another form of reward to consider is play. Tossing a ball, playing tug-of-war, or playfully chasing your dog for a few minutes may be his idea of heaven.
The Best Reward
Let your dog show you what he truly loves. He’ll do this with his reaction to the reward you offer. You just need to pay attention to how he responds. Just because he accepts a piece of kibble doesn’t necessarily mean he loves it. Watch him carefully when you’re giving him a treat, petting, or playing with him. If he looks away or walks away, he probably isn’t all that thrilled about what you’re offering. But if he gets excited, stays close and begs for more, he’s showing you that he loves it and will be willing to work for that reward in the future.
For initial training, we highly recommend using a food treat as the reward. It’s the easiest to work with and gets the fastest results…just make sure your dog really likes it!

Treats Won’t be Needed Forever
Don’t worry that you’ll have to carry treats around in your pocket all the time to get your dog to behave. As your dog learns, her obedience will eventually become habitual. You won’t need to consistently use treats or other primary reinforcers for those behaviors beyond that point. (You’ll need to use them consistently whenever teaching something new, though.) It will always be a good idea to continue using the secondary reinforcer (“Good!” or whatever). You’re basically thanking your dog for doing what you asked… simple common courtesy is always a good thing!
We’ll tell you when you can start decreasing the use of treats or other primary reinforcers. But for now, and whenever you’re teaching your dog something new, be sure to use both forms of positive reinforcements as instructed.