Give Your Dog Puppy Training

It's widely accepted among the vast majority of dog training experts that the most effective and humane way to train your dog is through a process called positive reinforcement training. This is a fancy phrase for what's essentially a very simple theory: using positive reinforcement entails rewarding the behavior that you wish to see repeated, and ignoring the behavior that you don't.

This method is in direct contrast to some of the now-outdated but once-popular techniques for dog training, some of which were frankly abhorrent: physical pain and intimidation (such as hanging an aggressive dog up by her collar), or inhumane methods of aversion therapy (such as shock collars for barking). Positive reinforcement works with your dog. Her natural instinct is to please you - the theory of positive reinforcement recognizes that lessons are more meaningful for dogs, and tend to "stick" more, when a dog is able to figure out what you're asking under her own steam (as opposed to, say, learning "down" by being forced repeatedly into a prone position, while the word "down" is repeated at intervals).

When you use positive reinforcement training, you're allowing her the time and the opportunity to use her own brain. Some ways for you to facilitate the training process:

- Use meaningful rewards. Dogs get bored pretty quickly with a routine pat on the head and a "good girl" (and, in fact, most dogs don't even like being patted on the head - watch their expressions and notice how most will balk or shy away when a hand descends towards their head). To keep the quality of your dog's learning at a high standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what dog trainers refer to as "primary incentives" - in other words, they're both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to.

- Use the right timing. When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you're going to reward so that, when she gets that treat in her mouth, she understands exactly what behavior it was that earned her the reward. Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct "click" when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you'd click the clicker just as the dog's bottom hits the ground). You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying "Yes!" in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you give her the treat after the marker - and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only say "Yes!" or use the clicker sometimes, it won't have any significance to your dog when you do do it; she needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that she's done something right whenever she hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker.

- Be consistent with your training commands, too. When you're teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you're going to be giving her, and then stick to it. So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn't ask her to "get off", "get down", and "stop jumping", because that would just confuse her; you'd pick one phrase, such as "No jump", and stick with it. Even the smartest dogs don't understand English - they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase. Her rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish her to enact a certain behavior for you.

How to reward your dog meaningfully

All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren't 'chow hounds' (big eaters) and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you. You'll probably already have a fair idea of how much she enjoys being touched and played with - each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do.

The best ways to stroke your dog: most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears: gently rub the ear flap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.

As far as food is concerned, it's not hard to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment with different food treats until you find one that she really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer - it prevents them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat.

How to correct your dog meaningfully

The great thing about positive reinforcement training is that it doesn't require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won't be called upon to put any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures. When it comes to positive reinforcement training, all you have to do is ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention (because you're deliberately ignoring her) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is a powerful correctional tool. Contemporary belief in dog training states that we should simply ignore incorrect responses to a training command - that, with no reinforcement from us (yes, even negative attention - like verbal corrections - counts as reinforcement: to some dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all), the dog will stop the behavior of her own accord. The bigger the fuss you make over her when she does get it right, the clearer the connection will be between a particular behavior(s) eliciting no response at all, but other behaviors (the right response) eliciting massive amounts of positive attention from you.

Recommended Reading

Hopefully this has given you a good basic insight into the more helpful attitudes and techniques to use when training your dog. However, the subject remains pretty complex, and it's a good idea to learn as much about effective training techniques as possible. One excellent resource for dog training is Secrets to Dog Training: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners. With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and 'tricks', Secrets to Dog Training covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail - all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere. You can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking HERE

One of the biggest problems dog owners have, that can be taken care of with proper dog puppy training is that their dogs jump on people. They jump on their owners, they jump on guests, they jump on every human being that comes near them. It isn't quite a monumental problem when the dog is small, but a medium to larger dog can do some serious damage to adults, and absolutely devastate a child when they jump on them. You have tried everything to stop a dog from jumping on people, haven't you? The down command, the off command, yelling, a quick spanking, and anything else you can think of. Why doesn't any of this work? Proper Puppy Dog training will show you the way to stop your dog from jumping on people.

First let us look at the reason your dog jumps on people. We have a little bad news for you, this problem is your fault. Remember when your dog was a cuddly little puppy? She would run up to you, and she was just so cute, and you encouraged her to jump up in your lap, and then you gave her lots of love? There you go. She remembers those times, and is looking to recreate it with you and everyone else. It's not her fault, as she doesn't have a clue that she is now an Eighty pound beast that could knock over a small car.

Fortunately, it doesn't really matter who's fault it is, what matters now is how to stop your dog from jumping on people. Lucky for you, the cure is rather simple, if you have a little patience, can get all the humans that come into your house to play along, and you are consistent.

So, how do you stop a jumping dog?

You just ignore him.

That's right, you simply ignore him. He is looking for attention and affection, nothing more. When he jumps up on you, or someone else, you simply cross your arms and turn away from him.

It's that simple.

How does this work?

Dogs are wonderful creatures, and most dog owners will tell you that their dog is special because they can sense when their owners are sad or upset, and the dog will try to console their owners. Actually, it isn't a case of heightened awareness, dogs just respond to body language, and so body language is the best way to stop a dog from jumping on people.

There is one more step you need to take to stop a jumping dog. As soon as the jumping dog has all four paws on the ground, shower her with praise.A dog's "training memory" is very short, and she will associate her paws on the ground with your praise, not the jumping action she performed only seconds before.

The change you are looking for in your dog's behavior will not happen over night, but if you are consistent and patient, your dog will eventually figure it out and will stop jumping on people.

For further information on typical doggie behavior, including a fantastic resource for training how-to's and loads of detailed information on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, check out Dog Training-Dog Obedience by clicking this link