The Do’s and Don’ts of Dog Training

Dog training methods are a dime a dozen. Some methods work better than others at promoting positive behaviors and eliminating negative behaviors. Here are some do’s and don’ts to help you effectively train your dog.

Don’ts
We’ll start with some of the things you should avoid when training your dog. Positive-only training where you never tell your dog no or make them feel uncomfortable does not work. It may be an easy way to teach them tricks such as rolling over. However, if the dog is around other temptations, the dog may completely ignore you because they are simply not in the mood. Focusing solely on treats to train your pet can leave them uninterested in what you offer and more interested in squirrel chasing for instance. This type of training does not bring mutual respect. Dogs are better behaved when they respect their owners.

Do’s
Now that we know only being positive to train dogs doesn’t work very well, does that mean positive training should never be used? On the contrary, combining both positive and negative consequences can help your dog respect you and train them to behave the way you want, regardless of their feelings on the matter. This balanced philosophy rewards positive behaviors and discourages negative behaviors. When the dog receives a reward for behaving appropriately, they are more likely to repeat that good behavior. However, if they receive a negative consequence, they are less likely to repeat the behavior. The key to this form of training is consistency. The dog can then decide how they will behave using past experiences as a key. Even if they want to do something bad, they will be less inclined to do it if they have received negative consequences for the behavior.

Effective dog training uses both positive and negative consequences. The dog learns how you want them to behave based on cause and effect. Make sure you are being fair and realistic in the consequences.