Tips from Edie at Tip #1: How Does Your Dog Learn? The simple answer is that YOU teach your dog how to behave with every interaction you have with him. Every single time you give your dog attention (even yelling at him), you are rewarding him for that behavior. He learns that jumping on you gets him the attention he craves. To dogs, negative attention is better than no attention at all! While you are training your dog, keep these two basic rules of canine learning theory in mind:
the best rewards. Remember that attention, whether negative or positive, is a high-value reward for most dogs. • Dogs learn through consistency....they understand "always" and "never". They do not understand that jumping on family member is okay, while jumping on guests is not. If you don't want your dog to jump on your guests, do not allow your dog to jump on anyone. So, if you want a calm, obedient dog remember to reward him with attention, toys, treats
• Dogs are reward-driven. They will do whatever gets them
(whatever your dog likes) whenever he is behaving appropriately and deny him those rewards when he is not. He will quickly learn what behavior gets him the best rewards! Be consistent and be a leader.
Tip #2: What Is a Leader? If you ask 10 people, you are likely to get 10 different definitions of what leadership means to them. Most people think of elected officials or business managers as leaders. Dogs define leaders a different way. Your dog detects leadership by your demeanor and your behavior. You define your status to your dog, as leader or follower, with every interaction you have with him (or her). Dogs obey leaders. That is why it is so important for you to achieve the leadership characteristics YOUR DOG looks for in a leader, and be that leader consistently. So, how can you demonstrate leadership to your dog? Here are a couple ways: • Leaders never follow. If you allow your dog to go out or in the door before you,
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SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE, EDUCATION & TRAINING, INC.
