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There are many reasons to begin a training regime with your pet. You may want to stop an animal’s bad behavior such as clawing or chewing the furniture. You may want to keep him under control in social situations. Or you may want to teach him to perform tricks on command. In any case, the animal will benefit both from the mental exercise required and from the time and attention you give him. The most satisfying form of pet training uses positive reinforcement.

Animals are naturally keen to perform actions that they know will lead to positive outcomes. Positive reinforcement means rewarding your pet for good behavior, rather than punishing him for bad behavior. The rewards most commonly used in training are enthusiastic praise and a tasty morsel of food.

At some point you may have unintentionally trained your pet with positive reinforcement. If your dog or cat claws at a door to a room and you open it, they will associate their action with the reward of being let out of a confined space. The next time they want a door to open, they will repeat the clawing behavior in anticipation of the same reward.

To train pets to do what you want them to do, you’ll need to get them to perform actions in response to commands. Decide on a specific desired behavior and think of a cue word to prompt it. Single syllable commands such as ‘down’ or ’shake’ are easier for animals to understand than two word phrases like ‘lie down’ or ’shake hands’.

When your pet performs the desired action in response to the command, immediately reward him with verbal praise, swiftly followed by a treat. Consistency and speed are vitally important. If you are trying to teach a dog to respond to the word ’sit’, and you wait until he is standing again before rewarding him, he won’t know which action to associate with the positive response.

To teach an animal to get off the bed or sofa, chose a simple command like ‘off’. When you find your pet sitting on the furniture, get a food treat and hide it in your hand. Stand over the animal, loudly and clearly say ‘off’ and gently push her to the floor. Immediately praise her and hold the treat to her mouth. Do this every time you catch her sitting where she’s not allowed. Eventually, she will jump off the furniture in response to your command, without the accompanying push.

When an animal has learned to reliably respond to the cue word, you can gradually stop rewarding her with treats. But do persist in offering praise and affection in return for good behavior. Dogs are eager to please their owners and generally require no other motivation. Depending on their individual personalities, and the extent to which they have bonded with their owners, some cats and birds will also continue to obey commands once the food incentive is withdrawn.

Pet training can be frustrating at times. If the animal is distracted or tired, he may not perform as well as on previous occasions. Be patient and do not expect too much too soon. You should never resort to shouting or punishment. This will have negative consequences as your animal will come to fear you and be hesitant to engage in future sessions. If you make dog training Kelowna fun and give your pet plenty of positive feedback, he will look forward to learning new commands.

Training a puppy can be frustrating, dog training requires discipline and consistancy. When experiencing problems, consult a professional. Bark Busters offer a reliable and affordable service for house puppy training.