Positive Reinforcement, Patience & Repetition Help Along the Dog Training Journey
Signing your pup up for dog obedience classes is one of the first steps in helping your new best friend become the best they can be. However, what happens after they graduate from class and walk out the classroom doors for the final time? We’re here to give you the keys to victory when it comes to getting the most of your dog’s professional puppy training and instilling lifelong lessons of good behavior!
A Treat for Your Troubles: Leverage Positive Reinforcement to Instill Good Behavior
Training with positive reinforcement is a highly-effective means of disciplining and bonding with your dog. This method concentrates on encouraging your pup to increase the likelihood of a certain behavior through rewards. Rewards can be things such as praise, petting, their favorite treats or anything else that motivates your dog to work. Telling your dog when it’s doing well, instead of just punishing it for bad behavior, can increase its eagerness to please, while also creating mutual respect between you and Rover.
Patience Power: Good Dogs Take Time
Just as it might take you a week or two to get accustomed to eating healthier or changing an aspect of your daily routine, you need to give your dog time to make progress, too. Being patient with your pup is an important part of changing behaviors. It’s only fair to give your dog time to adjust and understand what you are asking of it. In addition, different tasks require different time frames for your dog to fully learn that new task. For example: If you want to discourage counter-surfing, it may take months before you can fully trust your dog to be left alone with food on the counter. On the other hand, adapting to a new collar might take just a few weeks.
Consistency is Key: Create Good Habits With Repetition
One of the most common themes throughout all types of training is repetition – and you can see the evidence around you every day. Steph Curry wouldn’t be successful if he didn’t practice shooting threes all day and night. Odds are, your dog isn’t on track to be the next Air Bud, but repetition is still critical if you want to see results from your training efforts! Reinforcing the behaviors you want to see is imperative to getting the response you want from your dog. Deliberately practicing a behavior helps your pup master tasks correctly and keeps it on track to being a good boy or girl.
Good Dog Algorithm: Bring All These Tips Together at Home
When you can combine positive reinforcement, patience and repetition, the result is a polite, well-mannered dog. Check out the training options available in your area, from puppy classes to overnight dog camps, and find out how you can help your dog unleash its potential for good behavior!
Need help getting your training on track? Contact Dog Dayz to start your pup’s education today!