Okay, so you just got a new puppy. Yay! You’re happy about the dog. Your family and friends are happy they get to play with your dog. The puppy always seems to be happy about everything. Having a dog in the house is a lot of fun, but it’s important to start their training early. A lot of pet parents can get easily frustrated with their new dog and don’t know where to start with training. They also start to realize that disciplining the dog doesn’t always seem to work. This is where positive reinforcement can help.
What does it mean to use positive reinforcement during dog training? Positive reinforcement during dog training is when you encourage and reward your dog’s good behavior instead of disciplining them for their bad behavior. Dogs don’t understand “no” because they don’t know what they did wrong. When you catch your dog doing something they shouldn’t be doing, redirect their actions to what they should be doing. If they jump on you when you enter the room, for example, don’t discipline or acknowledge them, and turn your back away from them. Turn back around once they stop and calm down, then reward them for being patient or sitting down. This gives your dog the opportunity to learn how to act in that moment.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t discipline your dog, you just have to catch them in the moment. Dogs live in the present and don’t remember going through the trash twenty minutes ago. When you catch them acting “bad” in the moment, that’s when you can tell them “no” and redirect their behavior to something they should be doing.
Positive reinforcement doesn’t always have to happen when you catch your dog doing something bad. You should also encourage them when you catch them doing something good. You can do this by rewarding them with treats, tell them that they are doing a good job, and give them some loving! It also helps when you give them a high-quality treat, such as chicken or cheese. You will be amazed at how hard your dog will work for an extra special treat as you are training them.
It’s also important to make sure that you are doing what you can to be positive and set your dog up for success while training. You need to understand that your puppy doesn’t understand English and is an infant. They don’t know what “no” means and are constantly learning new things in their environment. This is why you need to teach them how they should act and reward that behavior. You should always try to be happy when your dog comes to you and keep a positive attitude, even if you are getting upset. You don’t want your dog to be afraid to come when called and your dog can tell if you are not in a good mood.
Training a new dog isn’t as daunting as it may seem. Keep educating yourself on how to train your dog, use positive reinforcement and encourage your dog when they do well, and be consistent with your training routine and rewards.