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How to Train Your Dog: Various Training Techniques and Their Mechanisms
It might be time to begin training if your family recently welcomed a four-legged friend! Training does more for you than just keep your cherished pet from running amok in your house. A good dog training approach can also help you and your dog grow closer while giving your dog stimulation and enrichment.
There are many different training philosophies available, but the two most moral ones are clicker training and positive reinforcement.
A dog will flourish with the correct approach and style of training, according to certified dog trainer and canine behaviorist Joe Nutkins. Dogs who dislike learning may become less motivated and, in certain situations, more reclusive and unhappy, the speaker continues.
For this reason, when selecting a method, it is critical to take your dog’s personality into account. According to Nutkins, some dogs need more time and patience to gain confidence. Others, however, flourish when presented with fresh obstacles to overcome or learn.
Positive Reinforcement
According to Jeanette Muldoon, a dog trainer at the Family Dog Club, positive reinforcement is a training method in which you reinforce desired behaviors by using something rewarding for that specific dog.
Food or games are common rewards, but you can use almost anything to reinforce the behavior (and make your dog more likely to repeat it!).
Not only is positive reinforcement a highly successful method of dog training. Furthermore, its ethical and humane qualities contribute to its popularity.
Muldoon explains that humane dog training methods focus on the dog’s emotions and the reasons for a specific behavior. “Dogs, like humans, feel emotions,” Muldoon says. “By understanding your dog’s needs, you can help them in situations they are unfamiliar with and keep them feeling safe.”
She suggests using positive reinforcement to manage the situation first, and then training with rewards. Positive reinforcement also helps to build trust between you and your dog, resulting in a more enjoyable training experience, especially if you are dealing with an anxious dog.
Remember to take a dog’s behavior into account when rewarding him.
“For example, a foreign rescue dog may take food from a human, even if they are concerned about the human,” Muldoon explains. “Being fed too many times may cause the dog to become aggressive because they are not comfortable in that situation. You must exercise caution when dealing with behavior, as it is not the same as training.”
Training with clickers
This training method employs a small, handheld device that produces a “clicking” noise. When you say “Sit!” to your dog, you press the button to produce a click.
“Initially, you ‘charge the clicker’ by demonstrating to your dog that they get something nice after hearing the click, and then you can use it to help progress pretty much all areas of your training,” Nutkins says.
When used as intended, clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement because the dog associates the clicker with a reward. However, it can also be combined with other training methods.
According to Nutkins, clicker training can help your dog develop motivation or confidence. She adds that clicker training is now used in a variety of dog training disciplines, including gundog, agility, assistance dog work, and others. It can also help pet owners improve the timing of their praises and rewards.
It is extremely adaptable.
Clicker training does not always require a clicking device.
“Clicker training is also called marker training. Although the clicker is the most well-known method of marking a skill, Nutkins explains that there are numerous ways to mark something a dog does. When your dog performs the desired behavior, you might respond with “Yes!”
According to Nutkins, some pet parents give a thumbs up to indicate desired behavior. Others use a soft-colored light (rather than a laser) instead of a clicker. A gentle touch, such as a pat, can be used as a cue. In other words, clicker training can also benefit dogs with hearing impairments!
Clicker training is both positive and humane. It is also a very clear way of communicating, making things easier for both you and your dog. Furthermore, this method is suitable for dogs of all breeds, ages, and abilities.
Modeling Training
Have you ever watched a video to learn how to do something? Modeling training follows the same principle of learning by observation. While dogs can learn new behaviors by observing humans, they may learn more effectively by watching other dogs engage in activities.
“This is how animals naturally learn,” says Leigh Siegfried, the founder and training director at Opportunity Barks.
As expected, a well-trained dog is required to “demonstrate” the desired behaviors. You could command them to heel and sit, then try to persuade the “trainee” dog to follow suit.
If you do not have another dog to teach you, Siegfried suggests modeling some activities yourself by:
Encouraging your dog to move with you
Showing caution near a threshold
Exploring an obstacle
Showing them how to go up or down stairs or get into a car.
According to Siegfried, imitation learning comes naturally to many dogs, but other factors, such as environment and temperament, can influence their success.
Experts believe that dogs, like humans, may have “mirror neurons” that encourage behavior mimicking. While there is no conclusive evidence that dogs possess these neurons, if they do, it could explain how and why they can “model” behaviors from other dogs.
Electronic Training
With technology being an integral part of our daily lives, it is no surprise that it occasionally appears in dog training. However, not all technology-based training is ethical.
For example, electronic shock collars use negative reinforcement. They enable pet owners to administer a mild shock to a dog who disobeys or performs an incorrect action.
However, these collars can induce fear and pain. They also force dogs to perform certain behaviors because they are afraid of what will happen if they don’t—not because they have learned the behaviors are appropriate.
“I have never used one myself and would prefer not to use one,” Muldoon says, adding that she has worked with dogs who have suffered negative consequences from these collars. She claims that when punishment is used to suppress behaviors, dogs may eventually display aggression.
Puppy-friendly electronic training
Incorporating electronics into instruction can be done in humane ways. One way to encourage a dog to behave correctly is to use treat dispensers. In fact, one small study found that they were effective for “training out” excessive barking and jumping in reactive dogs.
Muldoon claims that the best part about treat dispensers is that the dog gets to choose what to do to get a treat. She does, however, note that dogs may become irritated if they are unable to figure out how to get the treat.
Alpha Dog (Dominance) Training
Alpha dog training is based on the idea that pet parents teach dogs their “place” as the lowest-ranking member in a family’s hierarchy. It is based on the idea that dogs, like wolves, live in a pack with a hierarchical structure.
According to Renee Rhoades, Head Behavior Consultant at R+Dogs, any “dominant” dog behaviors must be corrected by the human caregiver in order for the human to assert their alpha status.
According to Rhoades, experts have questioned this training method in recent years because it is based on incorrect information. Even in solitude, domesticated dogs do not have a hierarchical pack structure. In place of hierarchies with supervising alphas, they have loose, flexible social structures.”
Pet parents who use this training method typically get a quick response from their dogs—but Rhoades says this is often because the dog obeys out of fear, and that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
A power struggle between you and your dog can have a variety of negative consequences, including:
Lack of trust
Low confidence
Increased anxiety
Increased barking
Increased destructive behavior and aggression
Increased risk of skin and digestive health issues
Hyperactivity and low concentration
Rhoades recommends avoiding alpha dog training entirely because it typically involves some form of punishment to correct behaviors.
How To Select A Dog Training Method
For every dog, there is not a single ideal training method.
Clinical animal behaviorist Emily Birch says, “Every dog is an individual and should be trained as such.” For example, you may discover that a self-assured dog responds well to clicker training, whereas a nervous dog performs better when provided with only positive reinforcement.
The significance of taking a dog’s personality and past into account when training is something else she stresses. When you first start out, you might find it helpful to use reward-based training techniques, such as using a treat as a lure, as a nervous dog might avoid interactions with new objects or situations.
Realize that dogs of any age or breed can be trained!
The saying “you can not teach an old dog new tricks” is untrue, according to Birch. At any age, dogs can learn new things. Still, puppies absorb knowledge quickly and are like tiny children: they are sponges.
Things not to do when training your canine
Training is divided into two camps, according to Birch:
Training is motivated by the dog’s excitement about what will happen if they follow certain commands.
Fearing what would happen if they didn’t, the dog reacts accordingly.
Obviously, the first approach to training should be taken by all pet parents. In order to avoid punishment, you must concentrate on maintaining an ethical and compassionate approach.
Unwanted behaviors can increase and harm your relationship when training methods are negative or punishment-based.
