Strong Dogs Are Good Dogs

Training Your Dog: The Do’s and Don’ts

Training is a great way to build a connection with your dog. Not only does it teach both of you how to understand and communicate with each other, but it also gives your dog the stimulation they need to keep them happy and strong.

There are different types of training but the most common and popular are reward-based training and clicker training. 

Reward-based training involves positive reinforcement by rewarding your dog (usually with a treat) when they respond correctly to a command. This type of training can also use positive verbal praise instead of food rewards, although it’s easier to start with treats followed by verbal praise.  Reward-based training also involves ignoring ‘bad’ behaviours. If dogs are not rewarded, either through attention or treats, for a certain behaviour, they tend to stop doing it. 

Clicker training also uses treats but is more hands-off and the advantage of using a clicker is that it’s a crisp, clear, unique sound that can’t be mistaken for anything else. This method allows your dog to figure out on his own what he can do to earn a reward without any gesturing or prompting. Every time your dog does a positive behaviour, like sitting or waiting, you will just click and give a treat. Your dog will learn to associate the clicking sound with an expected positive behaviour.

While both methods have proven to be generally successful, one method might work better for you and your dog than another method.

Training Do’s:

• Start slowly and reward often – dogs learn better if they are successful and receive a reward, we don’t want the dog to feel confused and anxious but rather proud and eager. When teaching a new behaviour, reward your dog with each step of their progression until they get a behaviour correct and then reward and praise highly.
• Be consistent with your cues, whether verbal or gestured, make sure you are using exactly the same cue every time you ask your dog for a particular behaviour as dogs have a great recall to different words, sounds and gestures. This is why clicker training is often a better solution to avoid confusion with words that sound really similar.
• Be positive and reward generously throughout the training. We can’t expect our dogs to learn if they are anxious or frightened, or if there is no reward. Just like us, dogs crave positive attention and affection, so we need to create a “safe” learning space for them to feel secure and focused.
• Keep training sessions short as dogs seem to learn best with training sessions no longer than 10 – 20 minutes. Just like humans, dogs will get bored, tired, or frustrated if training is too lengthy.

Training Don’ts:

• Don’t start training your dog in places with a lot of distractions, such as parks or areas with lots of other dogs and stimuli. Once your dog is well acquainted with ‘good’ behaviours/commands, you can start practicing in busier environments, but again, reward often for the best result.
• Don’t shout, punish, or use force when training. As mentioned above, we don’t want to intimidate or frighten our dogs into submission. Not only are these methods not as effective as rewards and praise, but some dogs will also become anxious or aggressive in response and this could ruin a good bond between you and your pet.
• Don’t create negative associations with training and training tools. If you hit your dog with its leash or smack them with your hand, they will fear the leash (which they should love) and will be nervous to take a treat from your hand in future.
• Don’t be too harsh. There is a difference between being stern with your dog and being harsh, not only when it comes to training, but in your everyday interactions. It takes time for dogs to learn new things, they don’t know what you are thinking or expecting of them. As with humans, a positive attitude and positive reinforcement works much better than fear and punishment. 

Training is not something you can do once-off, you need to constantly keep up the good habits and the more you stick to your commands and rewards, the easier it will be for your dog to follow and memorise them.

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