"There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart."Charles Dickens
|
| |
A Pregnant Stray Cat Adopted You - And Now What?
It happens all too often. A family or cat friend gets adopted by a stray cat. And after a few weeks it turns out she’s pregnant.In the US alone there must be millions of sweet but homeless cats. And many of them get pregnant several times a year. Nobody ...
Clicks Instead Of 'Good Boy' For Dog Training
The first major improvement in dog training since choke chains and spiked collars, click and treat has quickly establishing itself in becoming a big hit in the world of dog training. Currently, there are over 10,000 trainers who are using this training ...
Traveling With Your Dog: Some Tips From The Road
We enjoy camping, and love to take our yellow lab, Kayla, along with us. With Illinois currently as our home base, we've taken her on trips as far away as California, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and South Carolina for wonderful camping trips. ...
|
|
|
| |
Training dogs using positive reinforcement and reward training has long been recognized as both highly effective for the owner and a positive experience for the dog. Positive reinforcement training is so important that it is the only method used to train dangerous animals like lions and tigers for work in circuses and in the movie and television industry.
Proponents of positive reinforcement swear by the effectiveness of their techniques, and it is true that the vast majority of dogs respond well to these training methods.
One reason that positive reinforcement training is so effective is that is uses rewards to teach the dog what is expected of it. When the dog performs the desired behavior, he is provided with a reward, most often in the form of a food treat, but it could be a scratch behind the ears, a rub under the chin or a pat on the head as well. The important thing is that the dog is rewarded consistently for doing the right thing.
Reward training has become increasingly popular in recent years, but chances are some sort of reward training between humans and dogs has been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years.
When understanding what makes reward training so effective, some knowledge of the history of humans and dogs is very helpful. The earliest dogs were probably wolf pups that were tamed and used by early humans for protection from predators, as alarm systems and later for guarding and herding livestock.
It is possible that the wolf pups that made the best companions were the most easily trained, or it is possible that these early dogs were orphaned or abandoned wolf pups. Whatever their origin, there is little doubt today that the vast variety of dogs we see today have their origin in the humble wolf.
Wolf packs, like packs of wild dogs, operate on a strict pack hierarchy. Since wolf and dog packs hunt as a group, this type of hierarchy, and the cooperation it brings, is essential to the survival of the species. Every dog in the pack knows his or
her place in the pack, and except in the event of death or injury, the hierarchy, once established, rarely changes. Every dog, therefore, is hard wired by nature to look to the pack leader for guidance. The basis of all good dog training, including reward based training, is for the handler to set him or herself up as the pack leader. The pack leader is more than just the dominant dog, or the one who tells all the subordinates what to do. More importantly, the pack leader provides leadership and protection, and his or her leadership is vital to the success and survival of the pack.
It is important for the dog to see itself as part of a pack, to recognize the human as the leader of that pack, and to respect his or her authority. Some dogs are much easier to dominate than others. If you watch a group of puppies playing for a little while, you will quickly recognize the dominant and submissive personalities.
A dog with a more submissive personality will generally be easier to train using positive reinforcement, since he or she will not want to challenge the handler for leadership. Even dominant dogs, however, respond very well to positive reinforcement. There are, in fact, few dogs that do not respond well to positive reinforcement, also known as reward training.
Positive reinforcement is also the best way to retrain a dog that has behavior problems, especially one that has been abused in the past. Getting the respect and trust of an abused dog can be very difficult, and positive reinforcement is better than any other training method at creating this important bond.
No matter what type of dog you are working with, chances are it can be helped with positive reinforcement training methods. Based training methods on respect and trust, rather than on intimidation and fear, is the best way to get the most from any dog.
About the author:
Discover How You Can Train Your Dog With Immediate Effective Results Using Proven Simple Steps For FREE
Click Here => http://www.absolute-dog-training.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Animal Reports: A Baby Boa? No Just a Milk SnakePatch.comContributed A Hemlock Lane family who found a snake at approximately 9:54 am on May 13 thought it was a baby Boa Constrictor, but an Animal Control officer identified it as an adult Milk Snake (See Photo). A resident had tried to feed the snake a mouse ... |
|
CAA volunteers dismissed from animal shelterWBXHMore >> Some volunteers at the Companion Animal Alliance were dismissed. They claim the new shelter director got rid of them because they were letting people know what was happening behind closed doors. One volunteer claims the animals are in danger, ...and more » |
|
