There are many reasons to begin a training regime with your pet. You may want to stop an animal’s bad behavior such as clawing or chewing the furniture. You may want to keep him under control in social situations. Or you may want to teach him to perform tricks on command. In any case, the animal will benefit both from the mental exercise required and from the time and attention you give him. The most satisfying form of pet training uses positive reinforcement.
Animals naturally learn to repeat actions that lead to desirable outcomes. Positive reinforcement works by rewarding pets when they do something right as opposed to punishing them when they do something wrong. Rewards in the form of a human praise combined with a food treat are highly effective.
At some point you may have unintentionally trained your pet with positive reinforcement. If your dog or cat claws at a door to a room and you open it, they will associate their action with the reward of being let out of a confined space. The next time they want a door to open, they will repeat the clawing behavior in anticipation of the same reward.
Intentional, rather than accidental, training involves getting pets to respond on command. Envision the specific action you want the pet to perform and come up with a single word to trigger it. Cue words of one syllable such as ‘stay’ or ‘come’ are less likely to confuse an animal than more complex commands.
When your pet performs the desired action in response to the command, immediately reward him with verbal praise, swiftly followed by a treat. Consistency and speed are vitally important. If you are trying to teach a dog to respond to the word ‘sit’, and you wait until he is standing again before rewarding him, he won’t know which action to associate with the positive response.
To teach an animal to get off the bed or sofa, chose a simple command like ‘off’. When you find your pet sitting on the furniture, get a food treat and hide it in your hand. Stand over the animal, loudly and clearly say ‘off’ and gently push her to the floor. Immediately praise her and hold the treat to her mouth. Do this every time you catch her sitting where she’s not allowed. Eventually, she will jump off the furniture in response to your command, without the accompanying push.
Once an animal has learned to perform the required action in response to the cue word, gradually stop giving the treat reward, but continue to let her know you are pleased. Dogs respond well to verbal praise and physical affection such as a scratch on the ear. After training, this is usually all the reward they require. Some cats and birds also crave their owner’s affection and can be taught to perform on command without a food reward.
Pet training can be frustrating at times. If the animal is distracted or tired, he may not perform as well as on previous occasions. Be patient and do not expect too much too soon. You should never resort to shouting or punishment. This will have negative consequences as your animal will come to fear you and be hesitant to engage in future sessions. If you make dog training Kelowna fun and give your pet plenty of positive feedback, he will look forward to learning new commands.
Training a puppy can be frustrating, dog training requires discipline and consistancy. When experiencing problems, consult a professional. Bark Busters offer a reliable and affordable service for house puppy training.