· Demonstrate to the dog what you want him to do. You can do this by positioning or luring your dog into position. Dogs need to be shown what to do, because they don’t naturally know the things we take for granted that older dogs have already been taught.
· Teach your dog what you want him/her to do. Let them know this is not a one-time deal. There can be rewards for completing a task, and later on (after they understand) consequences for not completing a task. Now is the time to be consistent. Don’t tell your dog to “sit” unless you are ready to help him/her into a sit if they don’t do it. This is still the teaching phase, and they need to know that this word isn’t one of the stream of sounds they hear from you each day. Don’t converse with your dog during training time. They need to know that these words have a meaning, and that is what we are teaching them. Other sounds in the day may not have a meaning, but our commands do.
· Learning. For dogs learning happens in that instant they analyze their choices. Those choices normally are non-compliance, flee, aggression, or comply. You want to give them a few seconds to contemplate their choice once you get beyond the teaching phase. Only compliance will allow them to be treated, and you want to do it as soon as the behavior is marked. As the exercises go on the three Ds will be marked as well (distance, duration, and distraction). To end the session on a good note, you want to have the dog succeed at least three times in a row. You will need to be patient. In dog training anger or impatience will not get you and your companion where you need to go. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and imagine where it is the training will take you if done correctly. Then begin the exercises again. Allow your dog to be successful, and then end it if it’s just a tough time to do it. Do not try to add things too early. The dog should fully understand the beginning of every exercise before being pushed on to the three Ds.
· To maintain your immediate training, you need always to be consistent. So every time you say sit, you mean sit and you’re ready to back it up. Starting to become sloppy (or allowing others to verbalize commands to your dog without the training protocol) about this will undo any training that you have done, and while you may not need to start from the beginning, it will be pretty close. Long-term maintenance will be needed when everyone has become complaisant with your dog’s abilities and expects he/she will perform the task even when the non-completion of the performance is not being reinforced. Normally this just means practice sessions need to be started again with the leash attached for a period of time until your dog is on the right track again.
Commands
· How should you give a command?
o First, a command should not be a question. The word should not move up to a question mark. A command should be given calmly, and with very little inflection (somewhat flat) in your voice. Like you would normally say, “stop”.
o Generally speaking, a command should only be given once. In the teaching phase though, it is given more than once as a reminder. Once “learning” begins consistently, the command is only given once and then the correction thereafter.
o During the teaching phase, the command is given only when the desired action has occurred to give THAT ACTION a name. This is only done for a short time. Once the luring is able to consistently get the action, then the command is given before hand to start the learned action in response to the verbal and signal command.
o Finally, during training, the puppy should hear little else except commands, praise, and the “eh eh” sound if he/she starts mouthing at you or going to the bathroom in the house. During training, conversations with your puppy should be kept to none if possible so that these words (commands) start to have meaning for your dog.
· How should you give a reward?
o In the demonstrating teaching phase, the treat or other reward is given at the end of the exercise even if you had to lure or position him/her there. After the teaching phase is over and learning is occurring, the reward is only given on the successful completion of the exercise.
o When learning is occurring, it is very important to present the treat as soon as they accomplished their exercise, otherwise they may try out something else! This is why so many dogs think sit is their but down, but then up immediately, they are trying to figure out what exactly you want out of them.
You should present the reward in a closed fist, and not give up the reward until your puppy is not biting at your hand. Then give the reward immediately after the puppy stops mouthing you.
What is dog training all about?
No comments:
Post a Comment