Positive Training Equals Positive Results

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It is a widely held belief that if a dog shows behaviors such as guarding toys, food or locations in the home, urinating on beds, responding aggressively toward family and visitors in and out of the house, or bullying other dogs, the animal is trying to exert its authority in an attempt to become the "alpha" or "top dog" of the family. I see it differently. A dog that exhibits these kinds of behaviors is NOT a confident dog, nor is it trying to unleash an evil plan for home domination. This dog feels insecure and copes with life by trying to control the environment around it. Thus, from the beginning, owners must give their pets the tools they will need to live successfully in a human world. A dog given consistent guidance from an early age grows up to be a confident dog. Education brings security, security brings confidence, and a confident dog has no need to show anxiety-based behaviors, such as those described above.

So, how do you show your dog that you are an effective leader? Modern behavioral science has proven that forceful handling, such as physical punishment, leash yanking, excessive shouting or rolling a dog on its back to get it to submit, is psychologically damaging. Instead, the most successful modern training theories suggest that reinforcing good behavior with rewards, and marking bad behavior with vocal distractions or by simply ignoring the dog, yields much better results. Positive reinforcement (i.e., giving the dog a reward in the form of praise, play, food or toys when it behaves in a way that you like) has been shown to be the most effective training method. There is a marked difference between a dog that has been trained with harsh methods and one that has been trained using positive rewards. The first dog responds to an owner's commands out of fear; the trust between the two has been broken. The second dog looks eagerly at its owner as if to say, "OK, what do I have to do next to get that treat or toy out of your hand?" Ultimately, positive training results in dogs wanting to please and obey their owners. Aversive training, which uses fear-based tactics, often results in a "quick fix" that hasn't truly identified or modified the root cause of the animal's misbehavior. Anyone who says that using rewards in training is bribery should try working for no money and see how they like it. Our dogs were originally bred to work for us, so let's pay them for it!

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So, how do you cope with a dog that is showing anxiety-based behaviors such as aggression, inappropriate urination, guarding, destructive chewing or barking? Know that your dog is not trying to take over your household, even though it might seem like it. Above all, as you begin the process of modifying your dog's behavior, BE PATIENT. Positive training relies on consistency, repetition and the following general rules:

1. First, identify WHY your dog is behaving this way. You cannot effectively deal with a behavior unless you know the root cause behind it.

2. Once you know the WHY, then you can ask yourself HOW to treat the behavior. It is vitally important that you understand your dog. I don't believe you can train a dog well without first understanding how he perceives the world. You can then use this knowledge to make training easier.

3. Learn to talk and think dog. Good communication increases the bond between dog and owner considerably. Dogs don't speak our human language, yet many people treat them as if they do. As a result, the dog ends up confused.

4. Be kind! Never hit, scream at or yank your dog. Dogs that exhibit aggression to humans or other dogs are under a great deal of stress, even though they might appear confident, dominant or just plain nasty. Think how you feel when you are fearful, angry or even violent. It is not a good place to be. Don't combat fear with more fear — recognize your dog's concerns, then slowly and gently teach him to overcome them.

MORE ABOUT POSITIVE TRAINING

5. Go very slowly when dealing with anxiety-related behaviors. The best way to rehabilitate an aggressive dog is to change how he perceives the stimuli that make him anxious. Do this by slowly showing your dog that the thing he fears is no longer scary. This technique is called desensitization. If your dog is guarding the couch, food bowl, or front door, show him gently that there is another way to feel that makes him happier and more confident. For example, shower him with attention when he is on the floor, and not on the couch. Show him that good things happen to him when you approach his food bowl, because it means you'll be adding more delicious food.

Teaching obedience commands is relatively easy to do, but changing a dog's negative behaviors and perceptions is not. Therefore, it's important to enlist the help of a qualified trainer, who can help tailor a treatment plan for your dog's particular problem. Avoid trainers who use harsh methods or advocate choke, prong or weighted collars. And remember, positive training equals positive results. It might take a little longer, and require more time and patience on your part, but the positive changes you'll see in your dog are worth it.

For more information, visit Victoria's official site: www.victoriastilwell.com.