The Power of Positive Reinforcement

Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. These may be song lyrics that have been around for more than 60 years, but they're also great advice when it comes to dog training.

Positive dog training builds dogs' confidence, says Lisa Hartman, a dog trainer, author, and pet lifestyle expert, because it unequivocally tells the dog exactly what to do.

"Dogs are going to be wrong a lot," she says. "You should set them up for success by rewarding good behaviors. If you're rewarded for something, you're going to do it again."

Making a Team

"Dogs learn better from reward than punishment," says Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT, CTP and owner of Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle, who says positive training puts the dog and the person on the same team.

Positive dog training is simple: it's about rewarding a dog for performing the right behavior or commands rather than the alternative method of punishing him when he does something wrong.

"We're being specific about what behavior we want, and by doing it in a positive way, it helps the emotional well-being of the dog," Stewart points out.

Teach, Then Reinforce

How positive dog training works, says Hartman, is first you teach your dog the skill, by rewarding her every time she performs your command. Then you practice in different locations so she doesn't think it's always in the house. And, finally, you enforce what you say every single day.

The commands should be taught one at a time so your pooch doesn't get confused. So for example, says Hartman, first teach sit (or down, or stay), then, once your pet has learned more than one command, you can mix them up.

Many dog owners like to use clicker training, through which they use a signal to tell a dog exactly when they're doing something right. If you don't have a clicker, pick a word to let your dog know she's performing correctly. Use the word or the click the instant your dog performs correctly, and give the reward immediately; if you wait too long, he won't know why he's being rewarded, says Stewart.

Reward as Appropriate

Don't be afraid to vary the reward depending on where you are, or on the dog's mood, or what they're doing, says Stewart. For example, if your dog is playing with another dog, the last thing she wants is attention from you. At home though, petting and attention might work well, while food or toys do the trick at training school.

Once you've established the training, all that's needed is a few minutes spread over the day--whenever there's a good opportunity to reinforce your commands. Dogs don't have to do 100 repetitions at this point; once in a while is enough.

Before you know it, you'll have an obedient dog that is also a happy dog because the training keeps him mentally stimulated. And all this means you'll be a happy owner, too.

Some Things to Remember:

• Don't reward your dog every single time so that she's playing the lottery for rewards.

• Be consistent. "If you don't know what you want, the dog won't know either," says Hartman. "So start with strict rules in the beginning and then lose them if you have to."

• Give fewer treats as time goes on. Give treats 100% of the time when a puppy performs the right thing; then after a week maybe 75% of the time, until it gets leaner and leaner until it's once in 100 times.

• Change the rewards from time to time because dogs can get bored of a certain treat.

Image Source: Getty Images