Dog Food Secrets

Pet training has many advantages. It allows animals to exercise their intelligence in constructive ways, stops them from engaging in destructive behavior and keeps them under your control. Learning to perform actions or tricks on command can be fun for pets if they get plenty of affection and encouragement in the process. This is why the most successful form of training uses positive reinforcement.

Training with positive reinforcement involves rewarding pets when they perform the right action, rather than punishing them for doing something wrong. Rewards are typically in the form of small food treats combined with praise. Once animals learn to associate certain actions with positive consequences, they become eager to repeat them.

At some point you may have unintentionally trained your pet with positive reinforcement. If your dog or cat claws at a door to a room and you open it, they will associate their action with the reward of being let out of a confined space. The next time they want a door to open, they will repeat the clawing behavior in anticipation of the same reward.

Intentional, rather than accidental, training involves getting pets to respond on command. Envision the specific action you want the pet to perform and come up with a single word to trigger it. Cue words of one syllable such as ’stay’ or ‘come’ are less likely to confuse an animal than more complex commands.

When your pet performs the desired action in response to the command, immediately reward him with verbal praise, swiftly followed by a treat. Consistency and speed are vitally important. If you are trying to teach a dog to respond to the word ’sit’, and you wait until he is standing again before rewarding him, he won’t know which action to associate with the positive response.

To train an animal to get off the furniture, use a straightforward cue word like ‘off’. When you walk into a room to find your pet sitting on the sofa, get one of her food treats and put it in your pocket. Make sure you have the animal’s attention and clearly speak the word ‘off’ before moving her to the floor. Praise her immediately and present her with the treat. Repeat this procedure every time you find her lounging on the couch. Eventually she will respond to the ‘off’ command by jumping to the floor herself.

When an animal has learned to reliably respond to the cue word, you can gradually stop rewarding her with treats. But do persist in offering praise and affection in return for good behavior. Dogs are eager to please their owners and generally require no other motivation. Depending on their individual personalities, and the extent to which they have bonded with their owners, some cats and birds will also continue to obey commands once the food incentive is withdrawn.

Pet training requires a degree of patience and some sessions will go more smoothly than others. When an animal is excited, distracted or tired, he may not perform at his best. Avoid the temptation to chastise your pet if he refuses to cooperate. It could lead him to associate the action you are trying to teach with negative consequences. If your pet gets only positive attention during dog training Kelowna, he will be eager to learn new commands.

Training a puppy can be frustrating, dog training requires discipline and consistancy. When experiencing problems, consult a professional. Bark Busters offer a reliable and affordable service for house puppy training.