Let’s Dive into Positive Reinforcement! 

Are you new to dogs and how they operate, or are you looking for ways to spice up your training sessions? Positive reinforcement is extremely helpful in training dogs if done correctly. Simply put, this training means adding something immediately after a behavior occurs that increases the frequency of the behavior. For example, you can ask your dog to “leave it.” If they follow your command, you can give your dog a treat. This will reinforce the command.

What types of rewards should be used in positive reinforcement? Food is the best reward to utilize during this training method. The good thing about food is that it is efficient and can be delivered quickly. Petting and praise are also used as rewards. This goes to show that the rewards do not need to be material. Think about things from your dog’s perspective. They may expect more than you are providing!

If you choose food to use positive reinforcement, you must think about things from your dog’s perspective. The last thing you want to do is choose a food item your dog dislikes. This would delay the training process, and you do not want that! Using a food your dog loves will provide additional motivation to do the job. Out of care for your dog’s overall health, do not choose food high in calories, carbohydrates, or sugar. Rewarding your dog with donuts is not the answer!

You may need to toy around with positive reinforcement to determine what works best. Sometimes you must switch up the reward to follow a consistent training plan. You can also aim for smaller goals that will build up to larger ones quickly!