Richmond, Popular Approaches to Dog Training Explained   

Is there an option to board and train richmond? Lucky you, if you want your dog to undergo extensive training, you can. Dog training is essential because that’s how you’ll be able to discipline your dog to behave appropriately. Once your dog is trained, life will be a breeze. If your dog hasn’t been trained you can attest to the chaos – chewing on your favorite pair of shoes, leaving bite marks on your expensive piece of furniture, jumping at your guests (and scaring them away), excessive barking, and begging for food, well you get the picture. As a pet parent, your dog is your responsibility. Pet owners can choose to train their dogs themselves but they can also hire professional dog trainer experts.

Dog trainers utilize various training methods. The strategy they use will depend on how your dog responds to it. There is no ‘perfect’ method and the methods aren’t generic, which is why if you decide to train your dog at home we recommend you do a trial-and-error so you can identify what methods work and the tactics that don’t. There are no cut-and-dry rules to dog training. In fact, the methods dog trainers use often overlap with each other. What matters is it achieves the goals you’ve set. Let’s check out the different approaches trainers use in dog training.

Positive Reinforcement

The concept of positive reinforcement is pretty simple. Your dog is motivated to behave properly if it is rewarded but if your dog misbehaves, it won’t be getting any reward. Simple, right? What happens if your dog misbehaves? In positive reinforcement, correcting bad behavior involves removing rewards like taking food, treats, or toys away. This theory does not support physical punishments and hostile reprimands.

When giving rewards make sure you do it right away and by right away we mean seconds right after your dog does something good because if you give it too late, your dog will not be able to associate the reward with the behavior. Most trainers use positive reinforcement with clicker training. By combining these two, it will enable your dog to identify the exact moment when a task was successfully completed. When you give commands we encourage you to use short cues. Long sentences don’t work and it will only leave you frustrated. Remember, you are talking to dogs and not humans, dogs do not appreciate long sentences. However, for this strategy to work you need to be consistent. If you plan to train your dog at home, make sure everybody in the house is aware of your rules because if one of them breaks it, your dog will get confused and your efforts of dog training will be useless.

Scientific Training

You can’t pin down scientific training because this method is constantly evolving based on updated information gathered from studies. The aim of this training is to study and grasp the nature of your dog, how it responds to conditioning and whether or not the use of rewards and punishments work. According to scientific training, you cannot train a dog unless you study its overall behavior. Only then will you be able to come up with methods that will work effectively on your dog. However, scientific training relies mostly on operant conditioning. This involves the use of positive reinforcement but it also incorporates punishment.

Takeaway

The only way to train your dog is to find out what strategies work for them. Basically, you’ll go through trial-and-error methods before you can discover what strategy your dog responds to. It’s going to be time-consuming and there are days when you can get frustrated. But trust us, you’ll enjoy the process and you’ll be able to spend quality time with your dog thereby enhancing your bond.

Nick White is the owner of Off Leash K9 Training. He has over 80 dog training franchise locations throughout the United States. He currently hosts the A&E show, America's Top Dog.

Author: Nick White

Nick White is the owner of Off Leash K9 Training. He has over 80 dog training franchise locations throughout the United States. He currently hosts the A&E show, America's Top Dog.