Pawsitive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is an amazing way to train, teach and form a bond with your dog.

Positive reinforcement is an operant conditioning method, in which a positive stimulus is reinforced when a correct behaviour is practiced or performed, for example your dog sitting and then being given a treat for doing so.

This method's intentions are that if a behaviour is done correctly by the dog and then are rewarded for doing so after every time, then they are more likely to repeat this act in order to gain rewards.

Positive reinforcement is most effective when done so straight after the behaviour is done, the longer the time left in between the act and the reward and the dog will then become confused and may not associate the reward with the act.

Keep your commands short, try not to confuse your dog with long sentences that they may not recognise each time, use simple terms such as, Sit, Paw and Roll Over.

Use small treats, only pea sized, as you don't want to over feed your dog.

Consistency is key, always reward your dog after the behaviour is performed until recognised regularily, for example, if your dog sits before you would usually ask it to then you don't need to reward (unless you want too) as the behaviour has trained into the dog.