Getting a new pet is exciting,How to Train Your Dog: A Scientific Approach Articles but raising one can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Owning a dog essentially means taking on a new set of responsibilities. Additionally, training them without a clear understanding of how to do this properly and efficiently can give rise to new issues.
Therefore, many techniques have been evolved through years of research, regarding what is the best way to teach your dog to be obedient and well-mannered. In this article, we will be looking at the prevalent and new dog-training techniques from a scientific bend of mind.
Professional help is widely available today, and you could ask for help from dog trainers in your area, if you are struggling with your pup.
Just like humans have been taught to have a specific time to eat, bath and sleep, dogs should be taught a similar routine too. Their timings may differ, but the basic idea remains the same. For dogs, their eating schedule and pot-training schedules are the most important areas that a dog owner should pay attention to. It is never a good idea to let a dog excrete freely in the house. Therefore, morning and evening walks are so important. But, it is difficult for a dog owner to learn all the tips and tricks of dog training on his own. If your dog isn’t taught to acclimatize to the schedule you follow in your house, co-existence could become difficult for both, the dog and its owner(s). This is why professional help is important if you are not sure how to proceed with training your dog. What professionals do is train your dog according to new and improved techniques which are more likely to take root in your dog’s mind. These new techniques have years of observation, measurement, experiment, and hypotheses behind them, which is what makes them so effective.
What are the Outdated dog Training Methods?
Old-fashioned or traditional dog training methods are quite popular and can be easily used by dog owners. However, many researchers have now proven that traditional dog training techniques may not be as effective as the newly discovered techniques. Some of these old-fashioned techniques use force, which can be severely detrimental to the mental health of the dog. Old-fashioned methods aren’t cruelty free, and we would advise to steer clear of them, especially since there are many other, kinder methods available now to train your dog. So, how do you know whether you are using these old-fashioned methods or not? Given below are some of the most frequently used old-fashioned techniques.
Collar Training:
There are several types of collars available that come in handy during morning and evening walks. Some of the common ones are pinch, shock and choke collar types. They can be used with dog leashes too.
The shock collars are used for owners who might find it difficult to train and handle their dogs. These are tied around a dog’s neck and produce a slight shock when required. The dog owner controls it with the help of a remote. When the dog shows behavior unfavorable to the owner, he can press a button so that the collar produces a slight shock to the dog. The dog associates this unpleasant feeling with the particular behavior, and therefore, after repeating this whole process a few times, ceases to behave that way. The pinch and choke collar types are used on dogs that are easier to handle. When the dog is attempting to take an action that should be avoided, the dog owner can pull the leash. This is bound to cause a little tug around his neck, thereby, stopping him.
The collar method may be effective, but, may not be completely safe for the dog.
Reward Training:
The reward training revolves around the idea of giving the dog something it likes, while attempting to make it obey commands, thereby reinforcing the favorable behavior. This type of training can be tried by the owner, for example, during the dog’s eating hours. While feeding it, he can be asked to “sit” or “stand”. When it obeys the command, the food will be served. This method works well if administered properly. In fact, it is the best way to train anyone- animal or human. However, if not done correctly, it could give rise to certain issues, for example, if the dog gets accustomed to this method, it will want a reward every time it obeys a command, and otherwise he will not obey it.
What are the Scientifically Backed Modern Dog Training Methods?
There are many types of modern dog training methods that have been backed by science. The fundamental idea revolves around reinforcement and punishment. The reinforcement methods reinforce good behavior that the owner feels should be followed by a dog and the punishment methods stop the dog from exhibiting bad behavior
The traditional methods are part of the Classical Conditioning method, which is now considered “old school” and is obsolete, for all intents and purposes. However, it still continues to play an important part in the day to day activities shared by you Cheri Honnas and your dog, be it intentional or unintentional. Classical conditioning demonstrated how a neutral stimulus could become meaningful to a dog when followed by something that elicits a natural response. So when a bell, meaningless in itself, is consistently followed by food, the sound of the bell alone triggers salivation. Both, Classical as well as Operant Conditioning use the ability of the dog to associate stimuli with positive, negative or neutral responses to train the dog. The principal behind classical conditioning is very straightforward. Anything neutral, like, a sound, a place, a word or an event, followed with something naturally meaningful to the dogs (unconditioned), like food, an electric shock or a loud sound can become associated with either positive or negative things happening. Classical Conditioning is now considered outdated because since it was introduced in the early 20th Century, there have been many developments in the field of behavioral science, and the field has expanded to include cognitive, genetic and biological influences. Thus, the more recent Operant Conditioning method is now endorsed by trainers.
The four scientific dog training methods mentioned below are part of Operant Conditioning. Operant Conditioning is a scientific technique developed by researchers and professionals to make dog training easier for both, the owner and the dog. They have been proven to be better than the traditional ones.