Dog Training and PAWS-itive Reinforcement

 It would be easy to write an essay on dog training and positive reinforcement. I mean there are hundreds of books and trainers we could talk to and whether you like his tactics or not, pay for Caesar Milan’s advice. That is not what I’m here to do though because what I use and what someone else uses for dog trainings are different depending on opinion and such. I am here to write about my own personal experience with how I trained Peia and why I believe in positive reinforcement.

This is not an article on how to properly train a dog. I am not a professional dog trainer. I feel like I need to say this because I simply had a willing dog and I did my research on how to train by reading books and asking for help.

Before I became a puppy parent, I worked with autistic children and although it was hard for the children to verbalize their wants and needs, I, as an aide had to watch their behaviors, understand their baseline, and try to meet their needs or wants to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, sometimes these children would express themselves through yelling, physical violence towards themselves or others, or isolation, or other ways.

Please don’t think I am comparing children to dogs or vice-versa. All I’m saying is: Look for the similarities and not the differences.

Prior to becoming a puppy parent, I had to research exactly ‘how do I become a puppy parent and how do I train a dog?’

What I did was I read. A lot. Of course, “Boston Terriers for Dummies” and “Boston Terrier: An American Dog” were the first books I really looked at and what I found was that when dealing with puppies, it doesn’t matter what kind of book you get, they all say the same thing - be the pack leader, be consistent, and reward the puppy through praise and treats and don’t reward them if they don’t deserve it.

My goal with this new puppy (and the next one whom I am anxiously awaiting the birth of) was to build a bond. I wanted a relationship and the first way to do that was to show the puppy that I am the pack leader. I am in charge and that puppy was to listen to me and to look toward me for direction.

So how did I do that?

1. Buy treats. Preferably something small. You don’t want the dog to be too immersed in chewing the treat. It has to be ‘instant gratification.’ I used Bil-Jacs because of their tiny size and I assume they tasted good. Peia went NUTS over those treats.

2. Practice my ‘baby-talk’ for when she pleased me. Yes, I sounded stupid, but she knew by the tone of my voice whether she had made me happy, or she had displeased me.

When training a dog, you don’t want to over work your dog. They will get tired of doing the same thing and you will get frustrated. There is also the magic number three. If they can do a trick three times in a row you can stop. 20 minutes is about how long I would work with Peia at a time. I would work with Peia about 3-4 times a day, followed by play time afterwards.

Anytime that Peia would successfully do what I asked her, whether it be ‘down,’ ‘sit,’ ‘fetch’ or even just looking at me when I would say her name, she always got some kind of reward. ALWAYS. To get her to first work towards a goal, I would use Bil-Jacs, and the more often we would work together, I would slowly start to give her verbal praise and pets instead. What made Peia so easy to train is that it seemed to me that her goal in life was to please me. She was also super smart as well. She was so easy to train and I hope my next puppy will be as easy to train as she was.

My advice when training a dog is to never give up! Remind the dog that YOU are the pack leader. Dogs are pack animals and need a leader. That leader is you! Think about how you want your dog to act prior to getting started with training - make a checklist of acceptable behaviors. Work on the basics first - recall, sit, down, stay, down-stay, sit-stay and crate training. Reward your dog when they do what you want with POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!

Whether it is with treats, play, or praise, let your dog know that you are happy! Make them WANT to learn and reward that! Make sure the treats are small - I like Bil-Jacs because they are about the size of a Cheerio and dogs love ‘em! Like I said earlier, if they can do what you want three times in a row, you have succeeded! Make your training sessions short-about 20 minutes.

If they can do a trick three times in a row, three times a day it becomes a LEARNED behavior. You don’t want to negatively reinforce bad behavior. How do you do that? Don’t acknowledge it. IGNORE the behavior. Don’t yell, unless it is a simple and forceful ‘NO.’ For example, if you are working on sit-stay or down-stay and the dog starts to move, start over. Move them back to where you started the sit or down part and start over.

Also don’t be afraid to consult with dog trainers in your area, especially if you are having difficulty in training your puppy. They can often times make suggestions or give advice that you may not know how to do. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to take them to obedience school because what you can teach them is the same thing they are going to teach you at puppy classes.

The most important thing you have to remember is to gain the trust and to build a relationship and bond with your dog and - practice! Practice! Practice!