There are a handful of key items you need to remember when training your dog:
1. Motivate your dog
Without motivation, there is no learning. Motivation gives your dog the immediate gratification necessary for them to complete the requested task. But to motivate your dog, you must first understand what they like. A few common motivators include:
- Food. Use small amounts of food when training your dog so that you can get a lot of repetitions in without your dog getting full, fat or bloated.
- Play. Toys, games of chase, tossing a ball, and tug of war are all popular options. Stay consistent with your rewards so that your dog has a clear understanding of what action led to the reward.
- Praise. Some dogs may only find praise reinforcing when training in the home.
- Distance. Space from something your dog thinks is scary or threatening can also be used as a reward.
If you notice anything else your dog reacts to, go with that! Motivators can be anything (smelling a tree, getting to a favorite human, going outside, etc.).
2. Capture and mark
“Capturing” is the process of pinpointing a precise moment your dog is engaging in behavior that you want to encourage. Think of it like the shutter of a camera snapping a moment in time.
“A marker” is what we use to capture the behavior we want to encourage. A marker can be any neutral stimuli that the animal perceives. It should be distinct, speedy and easy to notice and deliver. Common markers are clickers, a word (“Yes” or “Good”), and a treat.
Markers should be leveraged as a “conditioned reinforcer” or a “secondary reinforcer”. This means that your marker should be swiftly followed by your motivator, whatever that may be.
3. Mark and reward correct behavior immediately
When your dog is first learning, it is extremely important to mark and reward correct behavior as soon as it occurs. If you accidentally mark a behavior by saying “Yes”, still reward your dog. You don’t want to cause confusion.
4. Be consistent
Use the same cue word (i.e. “sit”) for each behavior. You should never have multiple cues for one behavior, and vice versa (i.e. using “down” to mean both “get off” and “lay down” on the floor).
5. Be concise
Give your cue once and only once. The more variability to introduce into your training, the more likely your dog is to be confused.
6. Value matters
While you can use lower value treats in your home or quiet indoor environments, you will need higher value treats when you’re outside and your dog is faced with many distractions.
7. Be patient
Do not expect your dog to obey cues that you have never taught. Transitioning from learning a cue inside your home, and applying it elsewhere, takes time and patience.
When you are giving these cues in a different environment than where they were taught, give them more time to adapt. It is important to practice cues in all sorts of environments so they will obey them not matter what the situation. Do not expect your dog to immediately be able to respond to cues in a distracting environment.