positive reinforcement of dogs
What is
Positive Reinforcement?
Using positive
reinforcement to train your dog means you are rewarding (reinforcing) the
behaviors you like, and often ignoring (not reinforcing) the behaviors you do
not like.
You can use treats,
praise, or real-life rewards (i.e., games, walks, car rides) to reinforce your
dog's good behavior.
Marker training is one
effective way of using positive reinforcement to train your dog, but it's
possible to use rewards without the marker.
The benefits of positive
reinforcement training, also referred to as R+ training, include a happy
training relationship with your dog, ease and clarity of information for your
dog, and effectiveness.
R+ training can also be
enriching mentally for your dog as it requires the use of prob lem solving
skills.
R+ is a great way to
increase the bond you have with your dog, which is the foundation of any
successful training plan where the dog is focused and is eager to engage.
It is used for all types
of training and behavior issues, without causing harm, and it takes into
account what your specific dog likes and who he is.
Positive reinforcement
training means that good behavior predicts good rewards, making that good
behavior more likely to occur again in the future.
Thus, the behavior
becomes stronger and more robust, allowing the dog to make educated and
positive choices.
Punishing or scolding a
dog doesn't help him behave properly or tell him what we expect him to do in a
given situation.
R+ training
R+ training tells the dog what to do instead
of the undesired behavior.
Reinforcers are like money: each kind has a
value for your dog, and some are worth more than others to him.
The value can vary from
one situation to another. For example, if you want your dog to come when called
in the park, maybe scratching and petting him is not as reward ing for him as a
piece of hot dog and letting him return to exploring.
But when you teach him
to lie down on his bed at home, scratching his belly might be the best
reinforcer ever.
Reinforcers (commonly
referred to as "rewards") aren't just food, though food is by far the
easiest to use if that's what your dog likes.
- Hot Dogs
- Meatballs
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Smoked Fish
- Liverwurst
- Diced Chicken
- Freeze-dried Liver
- Other locally available
treats A leaf
- A paper plate
- Anything that your dog
finds interesting in the moment.
- Kongs®
- Squeak toys
- Balls
- Frisbees
- Playing tug
- Running
- Swimming
- Petting &
Scratching
- Playing hide &
seek with their human
The Power of Reinforcement
You have the power to
shape your puppy's entire future by choosing which of his behaviors to
reinforce or not.
Simply reinforce the
behaviors you'd like to see increase in frequency. Withhold reinforcement from
the behaviors you'd like to see decrease.
Beware of reinforcing
undesired behaviors inadvertently. Reinforcement includes any form of
attention, positive or negative, including looking at your pup, speaking to,
shouting at, touching, praising, feeding, treating, reprimanding, hitting, etc.
For example,
reprimanding your pup for jumping up at you is reinforcing jumping and will
actually increase its frequency.
It's much more effective
to simply ignore the jumping and give him attention any time he's on all fours
(see page 70 for more on jumping).
So, as you go through
your day, remember to reinforce anything you like, and to ignore anything you
don't.
Reinforcement Worksheet
What behaviors do you
plan to reinforce? (ex. Sitting, lying down voluntarily, not jumping on
visitors, walking nicely on leash, eliminating outside, coming when called,
chewing his toy.)
1. ………………
2. ………………
3. ………………
4. ………………
5. ……………...
6. ………………
7. ………………
8. ………………
9.
………….…..
10. ……………..
What behaviors do you plan to ignore/not reinforce? (ex.
Jumping, barking, pulling, eliminating inside, stealing.)
1. ………………
2. ………………
3. ………………
4. ………………
5. ……………...
6. ………………
7. ………………
8. ………………
9. ………….…..
10. ……………..
Your Daily Training Schedule
To get a dog who is
obedient throughout the day, you should either reinforce or ignore each of his
behaviors throughout the day.
Keep a handful of his
food in your pocket at all times so you can reinforce behaviors you like at a
moment's notice.
Each time you reinforce
or ignore a behavior counts as a "mini training session".
A mini training session
should last 5-10 seconds. It can be initiated by you giving 1-3 obedience
commands, or it can be initiated by your puppy when he volunteers a behavior
which you then reinforce or ignore.
For example, if your
puppy jumps up, you can turn away and ignore the jumping behavior, and then
give him praise as soon as he is back on all fours. This counts as a mini
training session
Plan on about 50 mini
training sessions per day. This totals only 8.33 minutes per day, but averages
one mini training session every 18 minutes.
Since most people's
schedules don't allow them to be with their pups at every 18-minute interval,
it's fine to practice a little more frequently when you're available.
Just don't expect your
puppy to be able to pay attention for longer than 15 minutes at a stretch.
A good rule of thumb is
to use your commands and reinforcement as often as you can and in as many
different situations as you can throughout each day.
Why use food?
Finding food is
generally the main purpose in the lives of all animals, wild and domestic. For
example, we humans perform some sort of work on a daily basis with food acquisition
as the goal.
Wild dogs, wolves, and
domestic puppies work the same way. When you give your puppy food at the
instant, he is performing a behavior you desire, not only are you reinforcing
that behavior; you are teaching him what his job is.
Unlike humans however,
when a puppy's stomach is full, he is unlikely to perform additional work in
order to acquire a TV set.
You can't expect him to
work right after he just ate a full bowl of food; he'll have little motivation
to perform his job, or even to learn what his job is.
Therefore, it's a good
idea to use part or all of his daily ration of food to motivate and reward him
for his work.
Food serves two important functions in
positive reinforcement training:
1. Food intensifies the
positive verbal reinforcement you give for the behaviors you like.
2. Food can be used as a lure to get your
puppy into the position or movement you want to reinforce.
Teaching your puppy English
Knowing his job is one
thing. But we puppy owners also want our pups to understand certain words, or
commands, so that we can request particular behaviors on cue.
To teach your puppy
English (or any language you choose) you must associate a word with the reinforcement
while he is performing the desired behavior.
For example, whenever
your pup lies down, it's effective to say "Good down good down good
down" while you give him some food. Your pup learns that lying down is
profitable work, and he learns precisely what the word "Down" means.
Key words:
positive dog training positive reinforcement dog training near me for barking articles work dog training pdf quotes guide book