Training your dogย determines the most vital aspects of the kind of relationship you share with your dog.
Picking the right dogย training methodย is essential. However, the choice can be made only when owners know helpful training methods.
The importance of training methods is undeniable.ย Practical training determinesย the personality of your dog.
Choosing the wrong approach toย train your dogย or letting inconsistencies creep in can make way for an ordeal.ย
As dogs and humans have shared aย friendly embraceย for ages, specific decided training methods have emerged.
Beforeย getting your puppy home, it is advisable to skim through these basics. You can then choose to settle for the one thatย suits your needsย and breed best.
However, it should be considered that you need not stick to just one at most times, andย different skillsย can be fostered through various methods.
At the same time, a certainย level of consistencyย is desirable to avoid transmitting mixed information to your dog.
Proper training can be achieved withย persistenceย and determination.ย Popular dog training methodsย fall to your rescue as you struggle with the lack of training ideas.
1. Traditional dog training
Spending so many years around ourย canine counterpartsย brings us buckets full of information about them.
Traditional dog trainingย relies on the knowledge we have about dogs. We carry basic ideas about how dogs think, perceive, act, and feel.
This form of training evolves from our continuouslyย evolving knowledgeย about the species. We use the desiredย behavioral informationย and train the dog accordingly.
If you are still confused aboutย how traditional dog trainingย works, here is an elaborate explanation.
Through ourย understanding of dog behavior, we can establish specific patterns of training for dogs.
For example, knowing that a dog is beginning toย assert dominanceย will lead us to perform an act that repeatedly proves that it is you who the master is. Theย Alpha roll is a well-known technique.
Traditional training harbors the essence of establishing dominance. It bringsย requisite punishmentย into account to teach your dog about desirable/undesirable or permissible/impermissible behavior.
It makes way forย dogs to make mistakes, and the cure is found by appropriate training or punishment that would convey theย desired signalย to the dog that is being trained.
However, owners mustย resort to suggestiveย punishment that does not go overboard in all instances.
All your action needs to achieve isย telling your dogย that it needs to mend its behavior. The method proves helpful withย constant Reinforcementย in instances of bad behavior.
2. Classical Conditioning
The most commonย psychological approachย that we learn about happens to be โclassical conditioning.โ
When it comes to training your dog, classical conditioning can help develop itsย very first ideasย of how it needs to behave.
It means that you need toย teach your dog to actย to a certain stimulus in a certain way through constantย repetitionย and reward.
For example,ย rattling the bowlย can serve as a signal for โdinner time.โ In this case, finding food in theย bowl serves as a rewardย for your special friend.
With constant repetition of thisย pattern over days, it will learn its meaning and significance. It will thus grow accustomed to aย specific behavioral pattern.ย
Classical conditioningย serves as the formative block. It can help you train your dog inย essentialย food time, playtime, and even potty training. Theย exciting partย is that you can decide the keyword/sound/action you feed for every behavior.
However, since our mainย concern revolvesย around effective training, the thumb rule is to keep your cues distinct from each other.
The dog should notย confuse one cueย with the other. It will lead to it being confused and you being troubled. Nevertheless, Classical Conditioning is one of theย best methodsย to feed basics to your dog.
3. Positive Reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement alone cannot form theย entire training patternย for your dog. However, it is one of the most determining andย useful techniquesย that come into play with canines.
Onceย basic dog trainingย is imparted and your dog has a certain sense ofย acceptable behavior, you need to encourage positive behavior.
The moment yourย dog receives affirmationย for a specific action in the form of your love or a treat, it isย very likely to repeat it.ย
In this case, a simple way toย discourage bad behaviorย is not validating it with a reward and paying theย least possible attentionย to it.
In all cases, positive behavior must receive a welcoming andย positive gestureย so that your dog gathers the hint. This method needs to beย acknowledgedย for its unwavering ability to foster frequentย good behavior in dogs.
It can be combined withย basic dog trainingย to serve its purpose well. There have beenย constant debatesย around this training method.
An important observation to make is that they treatย you bless your dogย with should remain in control. The dog should not indulge inย desired behaviorย for the treat while failing to act the same way in the absence of one.
Thus,ย positive Reinforcementย needs to be approached with a sense of balance. When training your dog, this method needs to beย carefully implemented.ย
4. Clicker based dog training
Clicker-based training can be understood as aย systematic positive Reinforcement.
Whileย positive Reinforcementย demands affirmative action and reward from the owner, the involvement of aย clicker enhances the dogโs ability to understand when its behavior is positive.
This is accomplished through a clicker. Theย clicker conveys a click to the dogย when positive behavior is noted.
This click then becomes indicative ofย an upcoming rewardย or appreciation. The dog can understand the reception of itsย behavior better.
Clicker-based training allows dogs toย develop a constant sense of acceptableย and unacceptable behavior as the clicker does the job.ย
Classical conditioning works inย this techniqueย as it is through constant use that theย dog can understandย the use of the clicker and what will follow.
Once the dog understands theย desired pattern of behaviorย and knows that positive behavior is rewarded, it is likely to incorporate that andย act accordingly.
There may beย exceptional circumstancesย when the dog refuses to obey the rules it has long followed. These situations might needย special care and consideration. Immediate punishment without evaluating the causal agent is frowned upon by researchers.
We need to try andย understand our dogsย better each day. Clicker training or electronic training are methods that have come upย relatively late.
It is alright if owners decide toย abstain from the external helpย of such aids and decide to take the normal route ofย traditional training.
However,ย dog training is case-specific, and your choice must rely on immediate and specific factors that concern your dog.
5. Observational dog training
Theย term speaks volumes for itself. Allย living creaturesย exhibit the quality of imitation to some extent. In living beings asย well developed as dogs, it is very predictable to note a behavior such as this.
It is proven that dogs pick up cues fromย visuals around them. So, how you act around your dog is very likely to impact itsย behavioral attributes.
Observational learning is learning brought inย through observation. However, you cannot rely onย your dog to pickย pleasing aspects from observation.
The training process requires you toย create the right atmosphereย and behavior around your dog so that it canย pick these positive cues.
When we talk aboutย observational training, it is not just providing an excellent behavioral atmosphere that counts. At times, bringing in aย rival can proveย to be helpful too.
It has been noted that dogs tend toย behave betterย when under the threat of some rival that has theย ability to stealย their place.
Observationalย training exploits these aspects. Another human can serve as a rival, promoting the growth ofย good behavior in the dog.
A technique such as this works well withย friendly dogsย who spend quality time with their owners. A goodย attention spanย and obeying ability also come into play.
So, if observational training seems toย work for your dog, there is a lot you can teach your dog comfortably and at ease.
6. Dominance based training
Bringing a dog home and having itย grow closerย to you each day feels like a blessing. However, letting yourย dog feelย that heโs the master could prove to be troublesome for your household.
Dominance-basedย dog trainingย is necessary to help dogs understand that they need toย obey your commandย and cannot act willfully and wildly according to their pleasure.ย
Dominance-based training brings into use someย classic techniquesย that help you achieve this. This form of training relies on the โpack mentalityโ that dogs carry instinctively without failure.
Even among humans,ย dogs tend to assumeย you are a pack member. A dog needs to realize its position in the pack toย exhibit proper behavior.
When theย dog beginsย to see itself as the โAlpha,โ you need to resort to techniques to flip its faith.
Whether or not your dog isย trying to sport dominanceย can be understood through itsย body languageย and behavior.
There are some basic rules forย Alpha training. For example, you can choose not to allow your dog onย household furnitureย to sit alongside you. Promoting this behavior might lead to it seeing itself asย your equalย or your leader.
Thus, simple techniques thatย repeatedly conveyย the power hierarchy to your dog prove to be helpful in dominance-based training.ย
7. Relying on Science
Science-based dog trainingย has gathered all the recent buzz. With constant research into play, there areย ever-developingย streams of knowledge that help us understand our dogs better.
In many ways, relying onย scientific factsย is considered advantageous when it comes toย training your dog.
Science-based training makes way for aย wide horizonย of things to explore. It stresses that theย best training patternย for you can emerge out of essential components.ย
The behavior of dogs is studied, and almost all relevantย training methodsย come into play.
Operant conditioning,ย classical conditioning, traditional conditioning, etc., easily slip in. The knowledge thatย science-based dog trainingย brings in is continuously changing.
Several new rewarding andย punishment methodsย that are considered appropriate have turned up. Several behavioral insights lie on the table.
Followingย basic dog training methodsย accompanied by contemporary knowledge that floods all the time is the best possible way you can go about things. It also comments on theย level of awarenessย and affection you exercise towards your dog.
Several interesting points that areย contradictoryย to other methods also float in. For example, scientists believeย that positive Reinforcementย should not always rely on exaggerated rewards to achieve healthy training.
Such new arguments pour in now and then, and anย informed ownerย must exercise sensibility and balance combined with scientific researchers to make the bestย possible arrangementsย for dogs.ย
These basic training methods are likely to helpย you train your dog. These popular methods have gathered the best results over time andย formulated after yearsย of studies concerning dog behavior.
Although it might be difficult to choose theย perfect training pattern,ย the best pattern can be self-tailored.
Your training method can be anย eclectic mixย of the right proportions of these seven bestย dog training methods.
With adequate knowledge and its application, it will not be a difficult task forย you to train your pet. We wish you nothing but the best with your canine friends.ย