1. Be patient. Each dog is unique, and can only learn at
his own pace. Some dogs learn quickly; others take more
time. Patience is indeed a virtue when it comes to
effective dog training!

2. Be kind. This goes hand-in-paw with “Be patient.”
Don’t lose your temper if your dog doesn’t “get it”
right away, or appears to be ignoring you. Please do
not punish your dog for not learning quickly enough.
As a matter of fact, don’t punish your dog at all.
(We’ll be teaching you effective ways to stop or
prevent inappropriate behavior–without punishment.)

3. Be flexible. If your dog is struggling to learn, be
willing to change your training routine. The location
may be too distracting. The time of day may be too close
(or far from) feeding time. The length of your training
session may be too long (or too short). The training
exercises may need to be broken down into smaller,
simpler steps. Remember, each dog is unique. Be flexible
and willing to do whatever you can to help your dog
succeed.

4. Be generous. Be generous with your rewards and your
time. Always reward your dog’s correct responses
generously. Don’t be stingy with the treats–he’s worked
hard and deserves a generous reward! And commit ample
time to your training lessons. We’re all busy these
days, but this is “quality time” for you and your dog.
You’ll both enjoy and benefit from the lessons, so make
sure your schedule is adjusted accordingly!

5. Rewards – One of the biggest keys to success with
positive reinforcement training is rewarding your dog
properly. This means giving him something he loves at
exactly the right moment. Your first task is to figure
out what kind of reward will best motivate your dog.

* Food Treats – All dogs are unique individuals. Most
dogs are motivated by food that tastes and smells good
to them. Food treats can be very small, which is handy
for keeping them in your pocket or a pouch to use during
training–and important to maintaining your dog’s caloric
intake to healthy levels. So that’s the form of reward
we’ll be using throughout this training. Be sure what
you’re giving your dog is good for him. But don’t rely
on the packing of store-bought treats to tell you “Your
dog will love it!” Strong-smelling meat and cheese
treats are usually winners, but many store-bought
treats are made primarily of other ingredients. Your
dog may not appreciate artificial colors, tastes or
smells. Small morsels of cooked chicken are a popular
home-made treat. But keep in mind that what motivates
other dogs may not motivate yours. Experiment and find
out what he loves to eat.

* Non-Edible Rewards – What if your dog isn’t motivated
by food (rare, but a possibility)? You’ll have to find
something else that motivates him. You may think a
couple of pats on the head are a great reward, but your
dog may not. He might not even like it (most dogs don’t)!
Try scratching his belly or some other form of petting.
Again, experiment to find out what your dog loves.
Another form of reward to consider is play. Tossing a
ball, playing tug-of-war, or playfully chasing your
dog for a few minutes may be his idea of heaven.

* The Best Reward – Let your dog show you what he truly
loves. He’ll do this with his reaction to the reward you
offer. You just need to pay attention to how he responds.
Just because he accepts a piece of kibble doesn’t
necessarily mean he loves it. Watch him carefully when
you’re giving him a treat, petting, or playing with him.
If he looks away or walks away, he probably isn’t all
that thrilled about what you’re offering. But if he gets
excited, stays close and begs for more, he’s showing you
that he loves it and will be willing to work for that
reward in the future. For initial training, we highly
recommend using a food treat as the reward. It’s the
easiest to work with and gets the fastest results…just
make sure your dog really likes it!

6. Timing – After you figure out the form of reward, the
second key to positive reinforcement is timing. This is
critical during early training: you must give the reward
immediately after your dog performs the correct action.
This means within half-a-second! Your response to his
correct action must be clear and it must be instant. If
you pause in stunned amazement that he actually did
something right, then snap out of it and give him a treat
several seconds later, you’ve blown it. You must train
yourself to deliver instant gratification to your dog. Do
this consistently, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly
your dog learns.

Here’s another important tip about timing: don’t make
your training lessons too long. Like humans, dogs can
become bored by repetition. Bored students don’t learn
very well. So to keep the training sessions effective,
don’t make them outlast your dog’s attention span. Each
dog is different, so you’ll need to be alert and notice
when his attention starts wandering. Try for a 10-minute
session and see how that goes. Shorten it if necessary.
Don’t lengthen it to more than 15 minutes. Repeating a
short session two or three times a day will be much
more effective than having one long session each day.

7. Primary and Secondary Reinforcements – The instant
reward you and your dog choose will be your primary
reinforcer. A primary reinforcer is something your dog
inherently loves. In other words, he was born loving it
(treats, tummy rubs).

Another form of reward is known as a secondary
reinforcer. A secondary reinforcer is something your
dog must learn to love and be motivated by. Praise is
an excellent example. Puppies are not born loving a
phrase such as “Good girl!” After all, it’s just noise
to them. They must learn to associate that noise with
love.

A popular form of secondary reinforcement is clicker
training. A clicker is a handheld device that makes a
distinctive clicking sound. That sound is basically a
substitute for verbal praise. When used properly,
your dog will learn to associate the clicking sound
with love. We prefer using verbal praise versus a
clicker, simply because your voice is something you’ll
always have with you. If you prefer to use a clicker,
just remember to mentally substitute “click” when
the lessons say verbal praise or “Good!”

8. Consistency is Key – Regardless of whether you use
your voice or a clicker, the most effective way to train
your dog is to use a combination of primary and
secondary reinforcers that are consistent.

If you’ll use your voice instead of a clicker, choose
a phrase and use it exactly and consistently. Dogs are
not people, remember? Words are just noise to them. They
have no idea that “Good girl,” “Great job,” “Way to go
Molly” or other phrases all mean they did the right
thing. Pick your praise phrase, and make sure you (and
others in your family) use that exact phrase or word
every single time.

Then, several times a day, say your praise word or phrase
and immediately give your dog the primary reinforcer
(such as the treat you know he loves).

Do about five repetitions, two or three times a day,
for two days. You can also use your praise word or
phrase when rubbing her belly, when she’s eating his
dinner, or any other time you’re sure she’s enjoying
something she loves. Within a few days, she’ll learn
to love the secondary reinforcer (the praise phrase
or word) and will be eager to hear you say it.

During early training, the combination of the primary
and secondary reinforcers will be extremely powerful
and effective… more so than using either form of
motivation alone.

9. Treats Won’t be Needed Forever – Don’t worry that
you’ll have to carry treats around in your pocket all
the time to get your dog to behave. As your dog learns,
her obedience will eventually become habitual. You won’t
need to consistently use treats or other primary
reinforcers for those behaviors beyond that point.
(You’ll need to use them consistently whenever teaching
something new, though.) It will always be a good idea
to continue using the secondary reinforcer (“Good!” or
whatever). You’re basically thanking your dog for doing
what you asked… simple common courtesy is always a good
thing!