Have you ever wished that the secrets of dog behavior training were available to anyone who wanted to take their dog obedience training to a new level? The truth is, proper dog training can be straightforward for anyone willing to educate themselves on the best way to communicate with man’s best friend. To be successful in training puppies or adult dogs, you must first understand why dogs do what they do. There are only two reasons why a dog performs any behavior:
1- To increase pleasure: Have you ever wondered why your dog urinates on the floor, chews your sofa and jumps on your guests? That’s right, these activities bring pleasure to your dog. It’s as simple as that. If these behaviors didn’t make for a fun experience, then your dog wouldn’t do them. Anytime you want to correct your dog’s behavior problems, it’s important to first realize that your dog is doing these things for the sheer pleasure of it.
2- To avoid discomfort: Old school dog behavior training prescribed a very harsh method to correct behavior problems and encouraged a dog obedience regimen that was very disciplinary in its root form. That kind of dog training is unnecessary and will often do more harm than good.
However, highly skilled dog behavior training must use human corrections that simply provide annoying discovery to help correct behavior problems. Humane corrections can run the gamut, from spray bottles to noise nuisances to training collars. Yes, used correctly, a training collar can be a very valuable and humane tool in getting rid of unwanted behavior problems. It is recommended that you seek the services of a qualified professional if you are going to use such a tool. These dog training collars are used simply to provide a non-painful nagging sensation.
By understanding these two concepts, it is much easier to formulate a training program that is tailored to your individual dog. With my own dogs or with clients’ dogs, I always have a two-pronged approach to training:
1- Obedience training should be mandatory. This is where the new school for dog trainers fails. The new dog obedience training school uses a lot of treats. Correcting unwanted behavior is often simply ignoring the behavior. This style of dog training will never make obedience a mandatory effort for your dog. Think about it, if your dog has the choice of coming when called for a treat or running wild down a busy street in the direction of a fleeing cat, which option do you think your dog will make? He is likely to head out into the street and risk his life for the cat. This is because the owner never enforced training efforts on him to the point where obedience is mandatory.
2- Obedience training should be fun. Just because something is required doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fun either. Dog behavior training is inherently fun for your dog because your dog works side by side with you. Your dog can bond as he learns from you and gains a deep level of trust as she guides him along with her training. If you skip this step, you may have an obedient dog, but he sure as hell won’t enjoy it.
I have referenced old and new school dog training practices. Old school training is rough and tough. The new school is all fun and games. To truly have the best trained dog you need to combine the best of both schools. Old school we use fixes to get rid of unwanted behavior. Since the new school we use a lot of motivation and fun. The end result is the best trained dog on the block.
When you understand dog behavior training and how your dog views his world, you can achieve some truly amazing things with your canine companion. Dog training can be truly easy when you live these principles, rather than practicing them at random intervals throughout the day. It’s time to get to work!