What is the most effective dog training strategy used by trainers? Do you have any idea? Research shows that positive reinforcement is by far the most utilized method in dog training. To help you understand how it works, try to recall the time when you were at the top of your class and your parents rewarded you with a new cellphone. The reward motivated you to consistently do better. This is an example of positive reinforcement.

Dogs are rewarded differently. They don’t appreciate gadgets but they do love treats and praises. Positive reinforcement uses rewards in the form of toys, praises or treats, or anything that your dog considers rewarding to achieve desirable behaviors. Providing dogs with rewards will encourage them to repeat the behavior. According to dog experts, positive reinforcement remains to be one of the most powerful and effective tactics in influencing a dog’s behavior.

Modifying behavior may seem simple but when you’re actually doing it, you will find that it can be a tad challenging. Thankfully, positive reinforcement makes it easier for you to train your dog to become well-mannered. When using positive reinforcement, there are a few guidelines you need to follow. Let’s check out what these are.

#1: Timing Matters

For positive reinforcement to be effective, you have to understand that timing is what matters the most. You must give the reward within seconds after your dog has done something desirable because if you give it too late, your dog will not be able to associate the reward with the action. One example is if you tell your dog to sit. If you reward your dog after if it stands up, it will think that the reward is intended for standing and not sitting.

#2: Keep Your Trainings Short

Another thing you have to keep in mind is to keep your training short. Keep in mind that your dog listens to cues and not sentences. You don’t tell your dog, “Okay, Charlie. Today, you are going to move your back legs down so you can master the sitting position. If you do that, you will be rewarded.” Trust us, you’re only wasting your energy because your dog won’t be able to get what you’re trying to say. Remember, you’re dealing with animals, not humans. Dogs learn through body language. Instead of throwing a bunch of words, we recommend you lure your dog into a sitting position before you utter the cue word. Eventually, through repetitions, they will be able to associate the word with the action. The commands have to be simple and short. Don’t make it complicated. Examples of short commands include watch (it means your dog’s gaze must be on you) sit, come, up, off, down, stay, leave it, and heel.

#3: Be Consistent

If you keep changing the command words or the cue words your dog will not be able to catch up. Yes, that’s reality. So, if you are living with your parents, cousins, brothers or sisters make sure you brief them about the command words you plan to use during dog training. The last thing you’d want is to let all your efforts go to waste because your dog could not remember what that cue word is for. Consistency is about rewarding your dog for good behavior and withholding reward for bad behavior. If you give your dog a treat for misbehaving, the concept of positive reinforcement will be nullified.

Takeaway

When you follow these guidelines, you’ll be confident that your training will succeed and your dog will be able to learn basic tricks. This is a good stepping stone for you to go further with training so that your dog can learn more advanced tricks.