The dog is an intelligent animal, capable of learning a lot from human contact. For centuries, man and dog have worked side by side in different tasks: for the house, livestock, research, protection… The training of our pets allows us to transmit to dogs the knowledge or habits that they will need Dog trainer spring Texas. What does it consist of? training a dog today? What are the best techniques?
Basic concepts for dog training.
From Chelsea Zona Mascotas we are going to answer some basic questions about training and learning our dear furry friends.
Canine training or learning is based on different techniques that have evolved over time and that take into account the needs of the dog and the learning objectives. Puppy training is important because it is often synonymous with safety.
There are many misconceptions about the “dog” universe and many people use inappropriate and ineffective techniques to train their puppy or dog.
This causes great frustration and suffering for their owners, but especially for their dogs. Training your dog is a learning experience for your dog and for you, it is a team effort.
In training our pets you will report amazing moments and situations with your dogs, you will also learn to know each other better and develop a unique and functional relationship.
Basic dog training techniques
- The so-called natural method: it is based on classical conditioning for dog training, through the use of lures and primary reinforcements of the dog (food, treats, voice rewards…). You must guide your dog to obtain the desired behavior. For example, lift the treat over the dog’s head and toward the dog’s ears to encourage him to sit in a motion that is natural for him. This is the most used method for dog trainers.
- Clicker training : is a method based on operational conditioning and positive reinforcement through the use of a secondary intensifier (the “click”).
- This method allows us to avoid losing the temporal continuity between the reward and the action. The “click” is associated with the reward ( ideally with a strong emotional value: for example food ). Once we have taught the meaning of the click to our pets, we will guide them by “clicking” / rewarding each step towards the desired behavior. For example, to teach the dog to get on his cushion, you will click/reward four times: when he looks at his bed, goes to the bed, touches the bed, and finally puts his 4 paws on the bed.
- The capture. In this case we will reward our pet to spontaneously adopt the desired behavior. For example, when the dog goes to bed spontaneously, tell him “down” and give him a treat. After a few exercises, you will have understood that going to bed in order will be rewarded.
- Imitation . This method is based on social learning. A specific protocol allows the dog to learn to imitate the actions of the human. For example, picking up an object, carrying a bag…
Final tips for training a puppy
The importance of leadership
Dogs that have understood from puppyhood to accept and respect the authority of their masters usually respect it for life. The owner must be the “leader of the pack.” This is a fundamental point both for dog training and for having a correct coexistence with our pet.
Good leadership is based on giving clear instructions, a calm and decisive tone of voice and clear body language give them confidence.
Clear and concise instructions
Real dogs are experts in gestures and react sooner to a simple manual movement than to a complex phrase, the meaning of which they can only perceive through the tone of voice. You can use words or “sounds” such as “come”, ” sit” or ” plas” to give the instructions and choose the gestures with which you will accompany them. You should always keep these commands structured and use the same word and gesture for each one. To avoid misunderstandings, forget about long sentences.
If you want your dog to learn to obey, it is essential that the instructions are concise and meaningful, and always used for the same purpose.
Rewards to train our pets
Treats or rewards should be motivating and accessible to dogs. For example, to teach our puppies a new game or exercise we can choose between toys, fresh food, cookies, snacks or treats. You can visit our pet store and discover our catalog of treats and snacks for dogs .
If you need professional help in training your pets, you can contact us, we will advise you without any obligation. For more than thirty years we have helped thousands of people and their pets. At Chelsea Zona Mascotas we know what this means and the importance that good coexistence with our adorable pets has for the family.