Dog Obedience Training For Beginners

A significant percentage of the population in today's world has a dog, and so this explains why dog obedience training is truly so important. This type of training will teach your dog to behave, as well to do tricks, such as sit, lie down, roll over and so on; the amount of what they are taught will obviously depend on your preferences, as well as on what you are willing pay and what obedience school you bring them to.
Why it is Beneficial
There are actually many various different reasons as to why this is so beneficial for a dog, and it is actually considered as being one of the best things of all that you can ever do for them. Although it may not solve all behavioral problems, it is nevertheless the true foundation in regards to solving just about any problem, and so regardless of what types of problems your canine friend may have, this is sure to help and if not it will be the most major stepping stone in regards to doing so.
It truly opens up a brand new line and form of communication between you and your pet, and effective communication is one of the most important and truly critical factors of all in this situation. Dogs are very social animals, and so without the proper trainings, they will behave like animals, rather than pets.
Dogs may soil in your house, chew up your furniture and otherwise destroy your belongings, bark excessively, dig holes in the ground outside, fight other dogs, and perhaps even bite you. Especially if you have children in your house or living around you, you are certainly not going to want to have any of this happen, and so this explains then why proper trainings are so important here.
It also does not have to be that expensive, as there are many places that are available that you can go to where you will not end up breaking the bank simply by giving your animal friends lessons to be good. The best thing is to ask around to your family and friends so that you can see if any of them have ever gone through this before and then you will be able to get a firsthand opinion in regards to where you should go and why; just have patience with your pet, and they are sure to come along well and quickly.
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Secrets of Dog Training Professionals - Operant Conditioning

Have you ever wondered how really good dog trainers come up with the techniques they use to solve behaviour problems in dogs such as excessive barking, destructive chewing, toileting in the house and jumping up on visitors? Or how top dog trainers come up with ways to train dogs in top obedience and working competitions? Apart from a few “naturals”, most really good dog trainers have a very good understanding of how dogs learn. They have adapted theory from the world of behavioural science and turned that knowledge into real-life practical skills for training dogs. This article explains in plain English some of the science and theory behind dog training, these really are secrets of the dog training professionals!
Operant Conditioning is the term that scientists use to describe what dog trainers call “training with consequences”. That is, any training that involves a consequence that either reinforces or punishes behavior. There are 4 possible consequence types used in Operant Conditioning, and 1 non-consequence. These are:
1. Positive Reinforcement: when we give a reward and the behaviour increases or is maintained as a result, we call this positive reinforcement (+R). e.g dog sits when asked, we give a treat. Dog learns to sit when asked in future.
2. Negative Reinforcement: when we take something unpleasant away and the behaviour increases or is maintained as a result, we call this negative reinforcement (-R). e.g we ask dog to sit, pulling up on collar, dog sits, we release pressure from the collar. Dog learns to sit when asked in future.
3. Positive Punishment: when we do something unpleasant and the behaviour is decreased or eliminated as a result, we call this positive punishment (+P). e.g dog goes to investigate kitchen bench for food, we make a sharp noise. Dog learns not to investigate kitchen benches for food in future.
4. Negative Punishment: when we take away something the dog wants or enjoys and the behaviour is decreased or eliminated as a result, we call this negative punishment (-P). e.g dog plays too roughly with another more timid dog, we leash rough dog and remove the opportunity to play. Dog learns not to play too roughly in future.
5. Extinction: when behaviour is no longer reinforced and it eventually goes away, we call this extinction. e.g dog is used to being allowed outside when he whines at the door, but is suddenly no longer allowed out when he whines. Dog learns not to whine at the door. Extinction sometimes makes the target behaviour worse before it gets better, sometimes significantly. This is known as an “extinction burst” and is usually a sign that the behaviour is about to diminish rapidly. In the current example, the dog might whine more often, more loudly, and for longer periods before learning that whining doesn’t work for him any more.
Let’s examine the terms more closely. Apart from extinction, you will notice four words that can be used in four different combinations. These are “positive”, “negative”, “reinforcement” and “punishment” and they are technical terms that scientists use when discussing Operant Conditioning.
“Positive” means to add something. We add the reward, or add the punisher. By contrast, “Negative” means to take something away. We take away the reward, or take away the unpleasant stimulus.
“Reinforcement” is when we increase or maintain behaviour. The behaviour happens more often, more intensely, for longer periods, or it continues to happen without reducing in frequency, intensity or duration. By contrast, “Punishment” is when we decrease or eliminate behaviour using consequence. We reduce the frequency, intensity or duration of the behaviour.
A common mistake is to assume that we have reinforced or punished behaviour when in fact in future we discover that the behaviour has not actually been changed! Many dog trainers believe that praise is an effective reinforcer. It may be, for some dogs in some circumstances. The truth is we don’t know unless we see the behaviour that earned the praise increase or keep occurring in the future. The same applies to punishment. Yelling at a dog might stop it from going through your rubbish bin while you are there, but does it stop your dog going through the rubbish bin while you’re not there? Probably not. A more effective approach is to use a more secure rubbish bin, or put the rubbish bin in a place which is inaccessible to the dog.
For more information, please visit www.groups.yahoo.com/group/traininglevels/ for a Free program and e-book that shows you how to train your own dog, step-by-step, with the help of thousands of others using the very same program to train their own dogs.
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