Dog training can be either induced or imposed. To induce a dog to sit, we could use a treat that the dog especially likes. To impose a dog to sit we could use a leash to guide the dog into the sitting position. A dog that has learned how to sit is able to maintain the “sit” through external management, internalized motivation or both. External management would include a need for continual rewards such as treats to get the dog to respond to the command. An internalized motivation would include the dog understanding that failure to comply with the request will result in some form of correction.

Some dogs never get beyond the management stage of training and will always have the need to be treated (rewarded) in order to comply. Obedience training goes beyond the management level of training to a level of training where the dog learns personal responsibility for their actions. This can be seen with working dogs such as therapy dogs, police and military dogs, guiding eye dogs and other highly trained dogs. It may also include the well trained house pet for those who have higher expectations for their dog.

Rewarding new behaviors is critical to learning, but rewards alone will never produce effective results in the real world where distractions occur. The need to use rewards exclusively without correction for non-compliance leaves the dog owner as a manager for the rest of the dog’s life. When the dog is expecting a reward and doesn’t get it, it becomes disappointed. Disappointment leads to extinction*. (* extinction is when the learned behavior tends to disappear if the rewards are not continued.)

In obedience training, rewarding compliance and correcting non-compliance, the dog learns that there are consequences based on the dog’s choices. The dog learns to make the choices that result in a reward and avoid the corrections. Corrections occur when a dog fails to respond to a cue (a command like “sit” which the dog already knows). Responding to the cue results in avoiding the correction. This avoidance of the correction is what is referred to as “relief” which is the opposite of disappointment. The dog has a sense of completion which empowers the dog to choose the consequences himself.

The desire to move toward comfort (reward) and move away that which is unpleasant (relief) causes compliance to become self rewarding. The trainer becomes less of a manger and the dog becomes a better trained dog. Obedience training is accomplished using a balanced approach which includes rewards as well as corrections.

Contact Information

Tom Beitz is the owner of the Academy for Puppies and Dogs and is an authorized dealer for Pet STOP Hidden Dog Fences. Tom can be reached at (716) 628-0651 to answer your questions or he can be found on the web at www.smartdogtrainer.com . E-Mail: Tom@Smartdogtrainer.com

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