Dog Training Theory

Some Basic Principles

The Theory of Training - Basic Principles of Training

Training your dog is done in three separate phases: the teaching phase, the training phase, and the proofing phase. 

In the teaching phase, we will show your dog exactly what we'd like him to do. In the training phase, we will show your dog the benefits of being consistently obedient to the commands. In the proofing phase, we will test the dog's knowledge of the commands by asking for them to be performed under difficult circumstances. 

The most important element in the teaching of a dog is consistency. That means your consistency. It means providing the same positive or negative effects as a result for the same action. Command should be given in an even normal tone of voice. Command should not carry any emotional inflection if you have commanded a "it five times", but each time you have raised your voice higher and higher and louder, each time with more anger or frustration showing in your voice, you are not being consistent with the command.

If the command for sit is "sit". You should say "sit" and don't alter the command by saying, "sit down" or "rover sit down" or "sit down boy". In terms of everyday behavior, consistency means every person in the household applies the same rules and has the same expectations for the dog.

Closely linked to consistency is your own follow through. If you have commanded a "sit" from your dog, you need to ensure that the sit actually takes place. Follow through means that you provide the appropriate effects of a successfully executed commands such as a reward or a correction if the dog doesn't obey with the command.

A key component to getting compliance with the obedience commands is for you to understand the motivations of your dog. While one could argue that your dog complies with you out of love, there are some basic motivations that might even be behind your pet's affection. You must know these motivations if you want to truly understand your dog's behavior and reason why he will comply or not comply to obedience commands. 

Now, I will give you an example of a puppy who goes to a wastebasket and finds a chicken bone. Going to that wastebasket rewarded the puppy with a chicken bone. Therefore, that particular activity will happen again. It is very likely that when he sees a wastebasket, he'll put his nose in it again because the last time, he got himself rewarded.

Now in a negative sense, if that puppy were to have gone to a wastebasket but had a mouse trap snapped on his nose or something else that was negative, he would be less likely to perform that action again. If your dog jumps on you and you pet the dog or reward the dog in any way, then he will do it again because the last time he got a positive result out of it. If when the dog jumps on you, you need the dog off or ignore the dog, then he will be less likely to do that again. 

The basic urges and requirements of a dog survival would be considered his primary motivations. These are what drives him. These are the main reasons why a dog takes an action. Food is a good example of a basic requirement for a dog survival. Just the same, avoiding things that diminish or harm a dog survival would also be primary motivators, but these would be negative motivators. Avoiding a threatening animal or a speeding car would be obvious; examples of a dog being motivated by threats to his survival.

Attaining consistent results requires trainers to evaluate and understand the basic motivations of his dog. And by way of rewards and penalties, linking the motivations of the dog with the training. 

Secondary motivation is simply those triggers that remind the dog have a primary motivation. Take our example of the reward of food as a primary motivation. The secondary motivation connected with food would be the smell of the food, the bag in which you hold it, the rattle of the chain, the site of the leash, the training environment. All of these things are secondary motivations, which remind the dog of the primary motivation. 

These are what motivates the dog to comply with the obedience commands.  While every dog is an individual, they use of both positive and negative motivations are essential to getting compliance. 

So here's a bit of common sense. We understand that a dog's basic motivation is to get the good and avoid the bad. Well, if a dog's actions are appreciated by you, show him the good and if the dog's behavior is something you don't appreciate or you want to reduce or eliminate, show him the bad. 

So what is the good? The good would be anything that the dog enjoys - food, treats, attention, pats, a toy. What's the bad? Well withholding the good would be bad. A check or pop on the chain would also be bad. It would be a negative effect that your dog would like to avoid in the future. So, if pulling towards a cat got him a pop on the collar, he would be less likely to do that in the future.

By using both positive and negative motivation, you will get the most consistent obedience to the commands. By using only negative motivation, the training becomes a chore for your dog. Training isn't fun. He spends his time trying to escape the negative, making him worried and stressed. By using only positive motivation, your dog will become addicted to treats and will only perform the commands when a treat is present. The right degree of positive and negative motivation differ with every dog. The need to apply more positive or more negative motivation also varies with each command.

Use common sense. Observe your dog's behavior. See what is motivating him more positive or negative. Also observe the amount of motivation given. Don't start with a massive treat. Start out with something small and observe when you've gotten the right amount of positive motivation. Just the same, don't start with harsh corrections. Don't be heavy handed in your use of negative motivation or corrections. Provide only enough of a deterrent to modify the behavior. That's why a correction is called a correction. It should correct the behavior and not turn your dog into a zombie. 

An important factor of dog training is repetition. Dogs learn by repetition. The more times you go over the command, the better the dog will learn it. Throughout our teaching, training and proofing phases, we are continuing to repeat the commands. A major stumbling block to learning is not repeating the commands enough for the dog to understand. The more you go over something with your dog, the clearer it is in the dog's mind. 

By going over the postures many times and by linking them with the verbal command that you're using, you're teaching your dog that those two things exist together. In other words, being compelled into the sit posture, hearing the sound of the word "sit", being rewarded for fulfilling the posture, all become linked. As these become linked, they become very firm in the dog's mind. The dog understands that "sit" equals the reward equals the verbal command equals the pressure of pushing him down into the sit position. 

Dogs learn things in sequences. If you're not careful, you will find that your dog anticipates your next command and may do it before you give the order. For example, if you teach your dog to sit and then drop, if you ask him to sit, sometimes he will drop automatically because he anticipates that will be your next command. Make sure when you train, you break it up, do some sits and then some drops, then some heeling. But, avoid the sequence of heel, sit, drop, stand-heel, sit, drop, stand, because your dog will learn that sequence. 

While we have covered the key information, there is a lot more that can be said about the theory of training a dog, but keep these basics in mind as you progress through your lessons.