There are many benefits of positive reinforcement dog training. For dog owners, positive reinforcement can mean a lot of things. It can mean training your dog to obey you. Or it can mean training them not to bark or to leave a room. This article will show you why it is important to train your Shiba Inu with positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement builds a strong bond between you and your dog. Without that bond, your pet can resist good behaviors, such as staying away from the doggie door, sleeping in a crate, or getting attention for good behaviors.
Positive reinforcements, especially those that come in the form of treats and toys, help break through those barriers. Eventually, the dog will become comfortable with the consequences of his actions, and obedience will become more likely.
Of course, you have to be careful when using positive reinforcement. There is a big difference between punishing your dog for bad behavior and rewarding him for good behavior.
When I am working with a particularly challenging dog, I never use punishment. Instead, I prefer to reward my pets with praise whenever they exhibit good behavior. (This technique, called positive reinforcement, actually works even if your pet doesn’t display any actual bad behavior.)
When you use positive reinforcement for dog training, you don’t need to resort to punishments. You can teach him how to obey by simply giving him training rewards when he performs the behaviors that you want him to perform.
As an example, if you want your pet to come when the doorbell rings, you simply praise him when he goes in the door. (As an added bonus, you may want to keep a few of these treats on hand because they are very tasty and your dog will love them!) Your dog will learn that performing the desired behaviors will earn him rewards.
Of course, you have to use positive reinforcement correctly. For instance, it would be completely inappropriate to reward your puppy for begging when he has just urinated. If you do this, you will only be setting your dog up for failure.
That’s why you should only give your dog positive reinforcement when he is demonstrating good behavior. But you also need to know when to give him praise, in order to teach your pet the appropriate behaviors.
When you are rewarding your pet for positive reinforcement training, it is important that you praise him consistently. Dogs are very sensitive to praise and positive reinforcement.
They actually crave it! If you only praise him every time he exhibits a desirable behavior, you set yourself up for failure. Your dog will learn to expect that every time he gets a positive reward, he will get a positive reward.
How to train your Shiba Inu with positive reinforcement
The Shiba Inu breed responds poorly to punishment or negative reinforcement training techniques. And if you want to build a bond with your Shiba, it is best to figure out ways and work on building trust between you and your dog.
Since positive reinforcement requires praising or giving your dog treats when they are behaving in the way you want to, it might help that you feed your Shiba Inu with kibble-based food. This is a very easy way to keep on rewarding them treats but still maintaining a controlled diet.
However, Shiba Inus will be underwhelmed that they are still receiving their normal diet when they’ve been acting particularly good to you. So during training, you might want to deviate from their normal diet and try something extra special.
The most important thing to remember is that Shiba Inu can be quite sensitive so make sure that you are training them for success by keeping your sessions short and sweet and always finish with cheer and positivity. For example, by the end of your session, revert back to commands that your dog has already mastered and rewarding them.
You may have to experiment with different rewards and positive reinforcement techniques to find what works best with your pet. The key is to make sure that your pet receives all the positive reinforcement he needs, but without getting him confused with harsh punishment.
As long as you are consistent, you will be able to control behavior through rewards and positive reinforcement. Just remember that you are praising your dog for good behaviors. Your goal is to create a positive environment in which your pet can thrive.
