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Many people starting out training their dog not knowing which method would work best in their situation. Learning about different dog training methods will often lead you back to the reward based training, sometimes called positive reinforcement training. Reward training is one of the most frequently used and popular training techniques there is. But some people may wonder, how does reward based dog training work?
How Did Reward Training Begin?
While reward training is commonly viewed as the most current style of dog training, it is actually a lot older than most other methods of dog training. It is likely that the reward training method has been in use since dogs were domesticated thousands of years ago. Early humans likely used some unofficial type of reward training when refining the wolf pups that ultimately became domesticated dogs.
A lot of the ideas about current methods of reward training go back several decades. But what we know as reward training today has only enjoyed its recognition for the past 10 or so years.
Most reward training proponents are not so eager about other methods of dog training, like the leash and collar style. It is likely, though, that the best approach to training your dog will be a mixture of leash and collar training with reward training.
Does Reward Training Work For All Dogs?
Additionally, a certain training style might work great for one particular dog but not for another. Some dogs who are not motivated by reward training but do well with the leash/collar method. While other dogs respond well to reward training while leash/collar training does not work at all. Fortunately, the majority of dogs fall somewhere in between.
How Does Clicker Training Work?
One of the more popular methods of reward training currently is clicker training. While clicker training does not work for every dog, it can still be a highly useful method of training dogs. The way clicker training works is by teaching to associate a clicking sound with a positive reinforcement, such as a treat. When the dog does something well, the trainer reacts by clicking the clicker. Then immediately after the clicker, offers the dog a treat. In time, the dog learns to react to the clicker only.
In reward training the most common type of treat is a food reward. Almost always, complex tricks or behaviors can only be taught using this type of reinforcement. In fact, trainers who train dogs for movies and television use food-based reward training almost totally.
Reward training is used for all types of dog training, including for police and military work. The majority of training in scent detection and tracking utilize a kind of reward training. You can also use reward training in teaching the basic dog training commands.
How Does Reward Training Work?
In reward training a lure is frequently employed to entice the dog into a desired position or stance. The lure helps to convince the dog to perform the sought after behavior on his own.
Getting the dog to carry out a behavior without being handled is important. The point of the training, in fact, is to get the dog to execute a behavior without any handling by the trainer.
Once the dog has carried out the commanded behavior, he is rewarded with a positive reinforcement, such as a food treat. Treats are often used in order to reinforce good behaviors but other positive reinforcements, such as verbal praise, can also be used for reinforcement.
It is important that a reward trained dog also be a reliable dog. If a dog is trained to do a job, such as police work or drug detection, outside distractions are to be expected. Therefore it is important to train the dog to work and be focused around distractions, as well as to socialize him with other animals and people.
Sometimes dog trainers only train the dog inside the house or back yard, only when the owner is there, free of distractions. It is important to take the dog outside of his comfort zone and introduce new people and situations.
It is also important that the dog be trained to pay attention to the handler always. When the owner has the complete attention of the dog, he has complete control of the dog. When executed correctly, reward training is a very effective training method that helps to earn the respect and the attention of the dog.
