Posts Tagged ‘Rewards’
Establishing A Positive Behavioral Training For Your Dalmatian
The key to having a good relationship with a Dalmatian, whether he is a member of the family as an older dog or comes as a puppy from a litter, is in the amount of attention and affection with which you establish boundaries of behavior. They are eagerly responsive to attention, games, praise and positive training. However, they have a sharp memory for negative or harshly corrective actions. They will respond much more readily to rewards for approximating desired behavior than being forced into the position or posture you wish them to assume.
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The difference between holding out a reward until they sit versus pushing down on their hindquarters while pulling up on their lead and commanding them to “sit!” lies in two critical areas. They will more readily and consistently respond to a “sit” command taught through play learning, and they will not start calculating how they can avoid you or avoid sitting, or get back at you for the “pushy” approach. No dog is happily responsive to abusive training practices, but the Dalmatian has a peculiarly sharp memory for affronts. If they have had a bad experience learning how to sit, they are almost certain to resist other obedience lessons which take on the same manipulative tone.
Many people think that a Dalmatian has nervous temperaments, excessive energy and are hyper. This generalization is unfair to the breed, because good temperament has been a specific focus of breeders for the last twenty years. There is little question that in any planned breeding program, you can select for bad temperament just as you can select for good temperament. Parentage, pedigrees and the variety of genetic possibilities force breeders to contend with that possibility. It is one of the conscious considerations in every breeding decision.
There is no question that a Dalmatian get excited when someone comes on the property or to the door. They want to be the first one there to check out the visitor. Proper training will take care of any barking or control problems in this area, but guests who are greeted in this manner, especially those who have heard that Dalmatians are “hyper,” could easily confirm what they have heard by the excitement they first see. Hopefully, they will stay long enough to see the excited greeting followed by the normal pattern, which usually includes acceptance followed by settling back down for a snooze under the table.
If Dalmatian puppies have been raised in a calm environment with their mother; if they have been touched, petted and handled regularly by the breeder; if they have been properly vaccinated and wormed; if they have been weaned to a good quality puppy food; if they were taken from their litter by their new owner no earlier than seven weeks of age; and if they were introduced to their new home life with kindness and thoughtfulness, then chances are good that you will not see any behavior abnormalities in your Dalmatian.
Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair (4)
A successful form of dog training is to play family-oriented games to help your dog master good manners and basic commands. And please be sure to supervise all play that involves children.
“Thank You, Take It”
This game will teach your dog to willingly release objects from its mouth when asked. Any object you start teaching this with should be large enough for your dog to hold one end while you hold the other. A length of heavy, soft knotted rope or a large, sturdy stuffed plush toy works well.
Start by wiggling the toy to make it interesting. In a playful voice, say “take it” and let your pup grab on. Praise and allow the dog to chew and play with the toy while you hold the other end. After a few moments, say “thank you” and offer your dog a treat from your other hand, holding it about six inches away from the side of his mouth. The dog will see and smell the treat and will let go of the toy to get the treat.
Don’t pull the toy away, just continue holding it. As soon as your dog eats the treat, offer the toy back, saying “take it”. Praise him for taking hold and let it play for a few moments before again saying, “thank you”, and trading it for another treat.
Repeat this sequence until your dog quickly releases the toy when you say “thank you”. Your dog will learn that it doesn’t lose the object by giving it to you. Then tray saying “thank you” without showing the dog a treat-swap.
Most dogs will release right away, expecting a treat. When it does, praise and immediately hand back the toy with a playful flourish, saying “take it”. The toy itself and the fun of grabbing and playing with it becomes a reward.
Ping-Pong Recall
This game teaches the dog to come when family members call it. Start by teaching your dog to come for a treat reward. When it’s doing this well, start adding family members to the game one at a time. Give each player several dog treats to use as rewards. Deliver one treat reward to the dog each time it comes when called.
Start with two people, standing about ten feet apart. First, one person calls the dog and rewards it with a treat, then the other takes a turn and does the same. More players can be added as soon as the dog seems to understand the game.
When the dog is eagerly racing each person who calls it, start increasing the distance between players. As your dog gains skill and enthusiasm for this game, try playing in more stimulating environments, like the beach or the dog park.
Tug of “Peace”
Offer your dog a toy and pull lightly to start the tug game. Be gentle – rough tugging can hurt a young pup’s jaws and neck. An adult dog can handle stronger tugging. After a moment of tug play, say “thank you”, cueing the pup to release. Praise and hand back the toy with an exciting “take it”.
Play as many rounds of tug as you like, but remember – you, not the pup – should always initiate and end this game. Tug should never be a competition between you and your dog. It’s much better to make it a cooperative game that doesn’t have a winner or loser, hence the reason it is called tug of “peace”; dog training has never seemed easier.
Dog Training: How To Make Dog Training A Family Affair
Teaching good manners while dog training is not just something to be left up to the adults of the house. Although mom and dad will usually bear the most responsibility for the family dog’s training, including children in the process is important, too.
Your needs to know that it must respond and behave politely for all members of the family. Plus, giving the kids the opportunity to really help with their dog’s education can be a wonderful learning experience for them. Being involved in training a dog can teach children patience and compassion – and succeeding at the task will promote positive self-esteem.
Dog’s don’t generally view children as authority figures so any training techniques that rely on physical corrections tend to backfire when kids try to pursue them. Children are usually more successful using reward-based training techniques such as lure-and-reward or clicker training methods. This works better for everyone, because most dogs tend to work hard to earn treats, toys, and other enjoyable rewards.
Any family member can take part in training, feeding, and grooming your dog – just make sure they’re up to the job. Most children younger than ten (and some older kids, as well) need ongoing supervision and parental support to keep them on track.
Don’t expect more involvement than your child is mature enough to give, and remember to check daily that their jobs have been done – your pet’s safety and comfort are at stake. Yes, children need to learn responsibility – but this should never come at the expense of an animals welfare.
It’s usually best for an adult to start the dog on any new lesson before adding young co-trainers. That way the dog has a general idea of what to do and the children won’t be starting from scratch. Training will go more smoothly this way and the kids will experience less frustration and greater success.
To get kids involved in your dog’s training, first let them watch you working with the dog, then show them how to do it themselves. Stand by, at least in the beginning, to coach and support – and to get the lesson back on track, if necessary.
Some children actually turn out to be better trainers than many adults. If your child is one of these marvels, celebrate this success by allowing him or her to take on more of the training and teach the dog new tricks and tasks. Many positive dog trainers now encourage children to fully participate in their obedience classes so check around – there may be one that you, your dog, and your kids can attend together; this is crucial for the success of dog training.
How To Stop Your Dog’s Possessive Aggression
Possessive aggression is centered around a dog’s food, toys, treats, or any article that the dog may have stolen from you and this aggression should not be handled primarily with compulsion (negative reinforcement). It should be handled with positive conditioning.
The Scenario: A dog starts to growl when his owner approaches him while chewing his pig’s ear. You can correct this behavior when you are prepared to teach the dog to act in a less defensive manner around his pig’s ear. The technique requires you to first offer the dog his pig’s ear, then walk away. Get out one of your dog’s favorite treats, making it the best it can be, so it is much more appealing than the pig’s ear. Throw or drop the food directly in front of the dog and walk away. If the dog growls, however, as you approach him, walk away and leave no food. If the dog growled, you went too close to him and you should throw the treat from a distance, so as not to elicit any aggression from the dog.
You may decrease the space between you and the dog gradually. This process usually takes several weeks of slowly building the dog’s trust so that he understands you are approaching him to give, and not to take away from him. Generally, these sessions should be very short, but frequent. The treat is fabulous, but each repetition should only give the dog a small amount of food so as to keep him interested in learning how to earn greater rewards. Five or six repetitions per session with about four training sessions daily will generally do.
It is wise not to leave anything for the dog to “own” while you are training him. That includes toys, chews, beds, empty food bowls, and pigs’ ears. Provide the treats when you are practicing your approach conditioning. We will move along to the point where we drop the treats between his legs or have him directly take the food from your hand. We will proceed to the point where you can take his pig’s ear, give him a treat, and then return his pig’s ear to him to chew.
In this way you can functionally teach your dog to look forward to your approach when he has an object, and if necessary allow you to take the object with no anxiety or aggression from him. This will work only if you follow the procedure and do it slowly. After you have achieved success, continue this process intermittently forever. Also, note that a dog that knows how to drop something out of his mouth on command tends toward less possessive aggression.
It is critical that all members of your family participate in this program in order for the dog to generalize his correct behavior. Always be aware that this possessive aggression may arise again if an unforeseen incident provokes defensive actions on the part of your dog. Your dog’s aggression is an action that occurs in hopes that the target of his aggression will exhibit avoidance behaviors and walk or run away, therefore allowing him to fulfill his defensive drive.
Puppy Training Made Easy
When you bring a new puppy into your home, it is important to begin training right away. If you wait to start, your puppy may pick up bad habits that will be hard to drop in the future. Although you may want your puppy to learn how to sit on the first day, those tricks will have to come behind potty training, biting, and chewing.
When your puppy learns the meaning of “no,” training will become much easier.
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Although it’s not necessary to physically punish your puppy, you must remember to be stern, no matter how cute your puppy is. Puppy training doesn’t always have to be unpleasant.
With the use of praise and rewards, training can be a fun bonding experience for both of you.
The first step in training your puppy is teaching him the word “no.” The sooner he begins to understand “no,” the sooner he will understand everything else.
During the first couple of weeks that your puppy is in your home, you may be tempted to make excuses for his behavior.
However, if you don’t teach him where to go to the bathroom, and certainly where not to go, he will never learn.
It is understandable that you want your puppy with you at all times, but carpet should be avoided like the plague until he has been completely housebroken.
Treats and rewards will speed up this process, puppies need motivation just like humans.
Your puppy wants to please you, so when he sees how happy you are that he didn’t potty on the floor, he will want to do it again.
As long as you are consistent with your training, he will be consistent in his understanding and progress.
You will be amazed at how sharp those little teeth are the first time your puppy uses your finger as a chew toy. Depending on how hard he bites you, it may really hurt.
This is a problem because he does not mean any harm, he’s only playing, and your first reaction is going to be anger. Many times your first reaction is to hit back, and this is never the answer.
In the same way that a child who is abused regularly, your puppy will not obey you because it makes you happy, he will obey you because you terrify him.
This is not a healthy relationship and it can be avoided by simply firmly scolding your puppy verbally as opposed to physically. The result to this technique is a mutual desire to make each other happy.
When you bring a puppy home, you may need to do a puppy version of child proofing your house. Puppies teeth just like babies do, and they will chew on anything they can get their hand on.
This includes your favorite pair of designer shoes. It is important to show your puppy that you are upset about his behavior without scaring him by throwing a hysterical fit. Introduce him to the world of chew toys that are colorful, tasty, and inexpensive.
This way, your shoes are safe, and your puppy can always find something to chew on.
He will enjoy having something that is exclusively his, and you will enjoy wearing your shoes sans holes. Puppy training can be simple and enjoyable if you are prepared for what’s to come before it happens. Your puppy is a lot like you, and he’s not trying to make you angry by biting you or chewing on your things.
He simply doesn’t know any better, and it’s your job to teach him.
This author is a HUGE fan of puppy dog training
Article Source: ArticleSpan