Monday, December 8, 2008

Reward training your dog

Reward training your dog

It is likely that reward coaching for dogs has been around so long as there have been dogs to coach. However, what is known as reward coaching today has only enjoyed is noteworthy recognition for the past ten or fifteen years. However, the best path to coaching any individual dog is usually a mixture of leash / collar coaching and reward coaching. In addition, a coaching strategy that works completely for one dog might be fully unfit for another, and vice versa. Most reward training uses some variety of food reward, or a reward that is related to getting food. Reward coaching is employed in all forms of dog training, including police work and army applications. Most smell detection, tracking and police dogs are trained using some type of reward coaching.

Reward coaching is also a particularly acceptable way to coach a lot of basic obedience commands. Reward coaching frequently incorporates the employment of a lure to get the dog into the position desired by the coach.

The attraction is used to get the dog to perform the specified behavior on their own and of his or her very own free will.

It makes for a large amount of sense to get the dog to perform the desired behavior without any physical intervention on the part of the handler. Getting the dog to perform a behavior without being touched is vital. After the dog has performed the required behavior, it is given a reward, also called a positive reinforcement.

Treats are typically used as reinforcers, but praise,eg "good dog" or a pat on the head, can also be effective rewards.

Many people when dog training make the error of only coaching the dog within the house or back yard, and only when the handler is there. It's also vital to coach the dog to concentrate on the handler at all times. Having the eye of the dog means having control of the dog. Reward coaching is terribly effective at getting the status and the eye of the dog when used correctly.

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