Friday, April 11, 2014

Vital Tips About Dog Training Atlanta

By Anita Ortega


The process of making dogs to grasp certain behaviors is gradual and will often take some time. When doing dog training Atlanta residents have a number of useful tips. Fortunately, dogs are very fast learners and it will not take a lot of effort to train them until the required aspects are internalized. Consistency is vital when it comes to getting dogs trained. Everybody in the family should use the same commands or else the dog may get confused.

One of the very effective ways of ensuring consistency is posting the commands in strategic places where all members of the family are able to clearly see them. Consistency will also involve rewards for desired behaviors and non-rewards for behaviors that are undesired. Teaching pets a command is very effectively achieved using positive commands and striving to reinforce the desired behavior. For example, the pet may be required to sit prior to feeding or before they are let out of the door.

Care must be taken not to use positive reinforcement inadvertently to reward unwanted behavior. For instance, there are times when the dog barks at noise in the neighborhood. At such instances, the dog should not be left without warning; otherwise it will act as reward. Therefore, the most important thing to remember about positive reinforcement is that it is only effective when used in the right way.

There are some behaviors that will take slightly more time. These will call for the use of the technique known as shaping in which there is reinforcement of something close to the desired response. After that, the trainer will demand for more commitment from the pet before a treat is given. Food treats, praise, toys and petting are examples of positive reinforcement tools.

Since most dogs are food-motivated, food treats are the most ideal to train them. Treats chosen need to be irresistible and also enticing. The bets treats can be determined through experimenting. The smaller a treat is the better so that the pet swallows it and looks forward to getting more. Dogs should not be given foods that they have to break down before eating. Further, there should be a variety of treats so that they do not get bored.

Every time food treats are used, it should be coupled with verbal praise. If the pet is not motivated by food treats, toys, petting or brief play will be important. When new behavior is being learnt, the pet should be rewarded every time they do the right thing. This is what is known as positive reinforcement.

Once the required behavior is learnt, there should be switching to intermittent behavior. The praise and rewards will be continued, only that it will be done in a limited way. To begin with, the dog should be rewarded with the treat frequently. After some time, the frequency should be minimized until it is only occasional.

The training of pets can either be done individually or by involving professional trainers. The use of professionals has various benefits. They know what to do and will make the exercise simple and effective. With professionals, the pet owner is certain to have the desired behaviors taught within the agreed time.




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