Dogs are, without a doubt, faithful companions, who cannot help but express their happiness and affection for their human friends. In addition, dogs have a surprising ability to learn all kinds of skills with the appropriate guidelines, which is why they have been with us for so long and, today, there are the most varied disciplines, such as tracking dogs, guide dogs, protection…
As you will see in this article, how to train a dog is a procedure that requires patience, perseverance, but gives the most rewarding results. Always without forgetting the importance that you’re animal feels comfortable and motivated during the learning sessions.
What is dog training?
When we speak of dog training we refer to the act of teaching a dog to respond in a concrete way to a verbal command and / or gestural signal.
The truth is that there is a fine line between training of the education, as the two concepts go hand in hand and can be used interchangeably in some cases incorrectly.
Differences between training and educating a dog
Mainly, we can distinguish both terms by the purpose of each one, since educating a dog has the objective of guiding it during its learning since it is a puppy, so that the dog learns to behave and adapt in different daily situations in a positive way that is, making it feel safe and calm. Training, on the other hand, is intended to teach you to perform a specific action on command, such as “give me the leg.”
However, as we mentioned, many times we confuse both concepts, because, for example, when teaching a dog to “sit” we are instructing it to obey a specific instruction. But at the same time, that a dog understands this request, can facilitate coexistence by promoting communication and guidance of your dog.
The use of positive and negative reinforcement in dogs
For this learning process, the knowledge we have acquired about canine learning and cognition is used. Specifically, methods are used to establish an association between a stimulus and a response produced by the animal, through conditioning, while trying to identify the needs and abilities of a dog to promote them.
In order to train an animal, the use of reinforcements is used. This concept refers to an element that you add and that motivates the animal to learn. Among these reinforcements, we distinguish two types:
- Positive reinforcement: give the animal a stimulus that really motivates it, such as a reward in the form of food, games, and words and caresses … When it performs the desired behavior. So, the dog will repeat this action to receive the reward again.
- Negative reinforcement: withdrawing an annoying or aversive stimulus from the animal. For example, stretching the leash against the ground so that it stretches, since, the moment it lies down, it stops feeling the pressure. The use of this reinforcement implies that the dog will repeat the behavior again, because it responds by avoiding or fleeing from the stimulus that is unpleasant.
Today, we know the benefits of positive training in establishing a bond between the dog and its human friend. That is, the use of rewards to motivate the dog to learn, instead of forcing him to adopt an appropriate behavior through negative reinforcement.
This second technique is not recommended, since despite giving quick results, it does not create a bond of trust with the animal and harms it by forming an insecure character, in addition to developing unwanted or harmful behaviors in the long term.
Up to what age can a dog be trained?
Dogs learn throughout their lives, therefore, there is no age at which it is impossible to train them. Now, it is true that it is not the same to teach new things to a puppy than to an elderly dog, because puppies are at a stage in which they constantly learn from everything around them. A capacity that, over the years, is decreasing, since an adult dog increasingly has more established learning and knowledge of its immediate environment.
For this reason, an adult dog, as he gets older, will not be as receptive to new learning and it will cost him much more. In addition, it will not be the same if it has never been trained, as it will not be familiar with the guidelines or usual training sessions, as a dog would do that has been kept mentally active through this activity from a young age. Therefore, it will be important to attend to the physical and cognitive capacities of the dog if you plan to teach him new things, be patient and maintain a positive and motivating attitude with your dog every time you share time with him.
How to train a puppy?
Training a puppy is a most rewarding task that will require patience and perseverance. During this stage, it is very important that you teach your puppy to learn simple instructions, which will be key to being able to communicate correctly with it and, therefore, to attend to basic obedience as an adult, for example:
- Come to your call.
- Walking on a leash without pulling.
- Teach him to drop objects.
- Stay seated and / or lying down.
- Give the leg.
In turn, you should also educate him to redirect behaviors that could be problematic in the future if he does not follow the appropriate guidance, such as inhibiting the bite, learning to relieve himself outside the home or helping him to feel safe when he is alone.
The procedure that you must follow to teach him a new slogan will be the following:
Establish a routine
First, you will have to plan a routine of sessions in which you will dedicate 100% of the time to teach this slogan. Being a puppy, it is not recommended that you spend more than 10 or 20 minutes, because as it is small it will get bored and easily distracted, making it learn not to obey.
Spending little time on a daily basis, but making sure that during the session your puppy is motivated and attentive, it will be much more fruitful than if you dedicate a lot of time, because it will pass from you, it will become frustrated and it will associate obedience as a negative experience.
Offer him a very valuable prize
You should offer your puppy the treat that he likes the most, only during the training sessions, this way it will be something really valuable and, therefore, it will increase his motivation and attention. For this reason, when you want to teach your puppy something new, it is not advisable to reward her with elements that she has on a daily basis, such as caresses, games or her own feed. The most advisable thing is that you perceive the award as something special that is only present during the obedience session.
Set simple goals according to your abilities
You cannot expect your puppy to be able to learn an order the first time, but you will have to go little by little indicating the behavior you want him to do through small goals, progressively increasing the difficulty. Otherwise, if you have expectations that he does it right the first time, he will not understand what you want and will get frustrated.
Reward and motivate him constantly
Finally, and related to the previous point, you should reward him with his favorite treat continuously every time you see that he makes the effort and / or is aware of you . If you wait a long time to reward him, he could get tired, associating the session as a situation that generates confusion and stress. Therefore, constantly keeping him motivated will be key for your puppy to feel comfortable, form a strong bond with you, and learn to obey you.
You never scold him
Obedience sessions should be something positive for him so that he learns through motivation. For this reason, the use of punishment will only generate stress and fear in your puppy, which will not benefit his well-being or his relationship with you. Therefore, to avoid conflicts, it is advisable that whenever you want to educate your puppy you have a positive attitude, that is, if you are not feeling very well emotionally, better leave it for another day.
Make sure he is okay
That your puppy is healthy, that is, with his physical and psychological well-being covered, will be essential before considering educating him. Because, for example, if your puppy does not get enough exercise, it is natural that he will be hyperactive during the obedience session, a fact that will not benefit him being attentive. In the same way, we must make sure that you do not have any ailment or pathology that prevents you from performing an exercise.
How to train an adult dog?
Training in adult dogs differs to a lesser or greater extent from puppies in terms of capabilities. Since, as we have said, dogs as they get older see their learning capacity diminished, although this does not mean that you cannot teach them new things. In fact, training provides benefits for your furry, mainly, keeping your dog mentally active and strengthening your bond.
The objectives that you want to determine with your dog will also be different depending on the purpose for which you propose the training, since generally the basic obedience necessary to live with your furry dog should have been acquired as a puppy. Now, each dog and circumstances vary in each household, it could be, for example, that you need to teach him a basic education if you have adopted your dog as an adult and he is not used to a family lifestyle.
If your dog attends to a basic obedience, you can consider teaching him tricks or, also, you can instruct him in the most varied disciplines, such as smell or agility. However, when you want to set a goal for yourself, however, you should always bear in mind what your furry’s real capabilities are and, of course, its health, because, for example, a dog with joint problems cannot be asked to stand on his back legs or to perform agility, because he will end up hurting himself.
The guidelines to take into account will be similar to those of learning with puppies, that is, you must:
- Offer you a valuable prize.
- Set simple goals according to your abilities.
- Reward and motivate him constantly.
- Never use punishment.
- Make sure they have their well-being covered.
When it comes to planning sessions, adult dogs generally do not have as much energy as puppies, nor are they as easily distracted by their surroundings.
This fact implies that you can dedicate more time to obedience sessions, approximately 30 minutes, but always making sure that your dog remains motivated and not overwhelmed. Ideally, you should end the session shortly before your dog begins to be tired, so that he does not learn that he decides when to stop being attentive, but you indicate when you finish.
