Dogs are trained to shape their behavior so that they can live around us with ease. Dogs are trained to protect us or be our companions. Furthermore, your dog can perform any task, trick, or stunt by taking it for dog training in Arizona by Off Leash K9 phoenix. Besides, trainers use different corrective tools on your dog to help them learn how to live with us. Here is a couple of them:
Positive Reinforcement
Today most dog specialists are promoting the positive reinforcement technique. This is the most preferred technique because it does not instill fear in the dog or cause trauma.
Whenever a dog does a good deed, he is rewarded by giving him something he loves. This could be
- Belly rubs
- Petting
- Giving treats
- Playing with your dog
When a dog does something terrible or performs a behavior that you would not like it to adopt, you can discourage the dog’s action. You can choose to isolate yourself by moving away from the room, locking yourself in another room, ignoring the behavior, or not giving the dog treats.
Scientific Training
This method entails a wide range of scientific research. Scientists research a dog by observing the dog’s behavior and psychological understanding and then suggest ways to train the dogs. Today dog trainers pick some of those methods and use them in training the dogs.
Scientific research leans more on understanding the dog and treating the dog better without awarding the dog. Therefore, when you take your dog to be trained, the trainers study your dog’s actions, encourage suitable activities, and discourage the bad ones. Scientific research prevents punishing your dog because of a wrong thing they have done. Therefore, ensure to find a trainer who is open-minded and updated on the current studies because the scientific studies keep changing from time to time.
Clicker Training
This form of training also concentrates on a dog’s performance. Clicker training adapts the positive reinforcement method, which awards a dog when it performs good actions. The technique uses a clicker, a gadget that makes clicks alert the dog that it is time for a treat.
The trainer first trains the dog to know that the clicks show that it is time for a reward. Then, the trainer observes the dog’s actions and uses the clickers when the dog performs a good deed. The advantage of this method is that it marks the end of a good action being performed, and the dog is rewarded. The downside is, there is no method to discourage the destructive behaviors of the dog.
Electronic Training
Electronic training punishes the dog for committing lousy behavior. Therefore, an electric collar is placed around the neck of a dog and shocks the dog. The electronic is used when the dog is at a distance and cannot be whipped. For instance, when a dog goes to perimeters, they are not allowed to be electrocuted.
This type of corrective tool is discouraged because it causes long-term effects on the dog, such as stress, physical pain, fear, and psychological effects.
Alpha Dog Dominance
Alpha dog dominance is borrowed from the wolves’ family, how they operate and how they use their instincts. Do you see how wolves’ packs have Alphas? In this situation, the human is now regarded as the Alpha. The body language and the dog’s behavior is the key to training the dogs.
For instance, when you are seated on the couch, your dog cannot sit or sleep on the couch. The dog does not eat food unless it is given the green light to eat. Also, the dog walks out of the door only after you walk out.
Trainers do not advise you to follow this method because it leaves your pet in a state of fear and anxiety.
Relationship-Based Training
This form of training focuses on the relationship between you and your dog. The training incorporates positive reinforcement and observation techniques. Before you begin the training sessions, you are required to:
- Observe the dog’s body movement and understand what each sign means.
- Know which reward your dog loves most, for example, giving them food treats, belly rubs, word of praises, or playing with your dog.
- Understand what your dog wants; for example, if he wants to pee, you can take him outside.
The training involves a step-by-step training mode; that is, they focus on one deed, and the tasks get more challenging as you move to another step. For instance, to train your dog to stop jumping when they are excited to meet people, you can start by teaching it to sit when you are alone with it, and the next step is to introduce it to other people.
Mirror Training
As the name suggests, the dog must observe, learn and perform a particular action that another dog has done. Mirror training also rewards a dog for a specific good deed they have accomplished.
Most of the trainers use this method to train dogs to perform tricks. The trainer lets your dog observe another dog jumping over a loop, and that dog is given the treat. After that, your dog is put in the same position; if your dog does not move, he would not be rewarded. He is given a treat if your dog attempts to act. Over time, your dog will understand the trick. Therefore, mirror training also uses the same behavioral approach to train the dogs and borrows the principles of positive reinforcement.
Generally, when your dog is not trained, it will exhibit certain behaviors like barking at anything moving, being aggressive to other people or other pets, ignoring you, pulling the leash, and many more irritating behaviors. Therefore, pick one or several of the corrective measures to train your dog today to improve its behavior and other activities.
