Positive Dog Training Techniques - Avoid Punishment

Traditional training methods in the past have taken the position that your dog is an empty object that must bend to your will. Instead, the view of positive dog training techniques is that your dog is a living animal and the two of you can learn to communicate. Yes, you get to be the "master" (although some pet lovers prefer the term" pet guardian"), but the goal is to be kind and compassionate, not an overbearing disciplinarian.

That does not mean that you ever need to tolerate bad behavior from your dog. In fact, you are not doing yourself or your dog any favors if you do that, because badly behaved dogs can cause injury to themselves, other dogs and to people. And it's often a death sentence for them if it gets to that extreme. So training your dog to be a good canine citizen is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your dog.

Timing is crucial during positive training sessions. The perfect scenario is for your dog to receive a reward at the exact moment she is performing the behavior you want, and not even a split second later. The sooner in time that the reward is given to your dog for the behavior being rewarded, the more that behavior is reinforced.

And unfortunately, this element of timing is one of the dangers of using punishment for training. The longer the gap between a dog's unwanted behavior and the punishment you deliver, the more likely that the dog will have no idea what she is being punished for. She will only know that you are acting aggressively toward her. And she will either become submissive or aggressive towards you (and anyone who looks like you) as a result, which will only lead to more bad behavior. This is why punishment is ineffective as a training technique.

And of course, punishment can actually cause unintended bad behavior. A dog who is scared of her environment seeks to comfort herself in any way she can, like nervous barking, chewing or urination in the house. How can a dog be expected to learn and thrive in that kind of environment?

On the other hand, positive dog training techniques make training sessions enjoyable for both you and your dog. Communication becomes easier, and your dog looks forward eagerly to carrying out your commands. And the bond between you strengthens as each of you becomes fluent in the other's language.

Kevin Highfill writes about pets and pet related topics at http://www.online4pets.com/.

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