James / Published on October 29, 2013
Is your pet driving you mad? Are you wondering how do I get my dog to listen to me?
Training your dog can be a very hard task, but if you persevere it will pay off which means no more mess around the house, no more chewed up furniture and no scared guests who get barked at and jumped up on!
The best way to train your dog is through positive reinforcement.
What is positive reinforcement?
In 1890, Russian physiologist Dr. Ivan Pavlov undertook a groundbreaking study on animal behaviour, which still impacts how people train their pets today.
Dog training is based on the principles of operant conditioning, where behaviour is changed through learning to associate certain actions with specific consequences.
The consequences can be good or bad, but as stated above, it is best to use positive reinforcement to train your dog so your pet doesn’t become scared, which could lead to it becoming aggressive.
How do I use positive reinforcement to train my dog?
Have you ever noticed how your dog goes mental whenever the doorbell rings? It’s because your pet has learnt to associate the doorbell with the arrival of a stranger, so before your dog even sees anyone it starts barking.
So if you teach your dog to associate something positive with the action you want it to take, then it will be likely to repeat that behaviour.
There are a few simple commands that are necessary for your dog to learn if you want it to be well-behaved.
You should train your dog to come to you on demand, to drop whatever it has picked up, to sit down and to stay.
Reward your dog every time it listens to you with praise, affection or a small treat.
For the best training tips for dogs, click here.
What command does your dog struggle with the most?
