One of the best and most rewarding activities a Boston Terrier owner can perform is training their dog at home. Not only will you be gaining a well behaved pet but also building a very close bond between your self and your Boston. There is little that is more satisfying for a pet owner than to watch the progress you both are making on a daily basis.
At the beginning of any training method you can expect to have small issues that may prove detrimental to your training progress. If you find the traditional training methods are not working as well as you would like it may be a good idea to look into clicker training. Operant conditioning is the basis for this training system and it relies mainly on the connection between reward and desired action.
Having an immediate and direct association between the desired action and reward is the fastest way to let your dog know they are doing well. Consistent use of immediate rewards (within 1 or 2 seconds) continually reinforces the lessons. Use of a clicker during training is the best way to be able to give that rapid response to the desired action and produces maximum results from training.
There are only two things you must have to perform clicker training: a clicker, and treats for a reward. Many times a reward can simply be a favorite toy or verbal praise. However the best results are usually found with their favorite food items. Especially in the beginning when you need to have your dogs full attention edible treats will work the best and other treats can be added as time goes by.
5 Training Tips
1. A strong connection between action and reward is very important to work on before anything else. Many Trainers call this "loading the clicker" and usually requires 10 or so repetitions for your dog to properly associate the clicker with a treat. By simply clicking and then immediately giving a treat you build that association for your pet.
If your non verbal cues are not being recognized then your dog has not yet associated the reward with the action. This means you need to go back and review the association between the click and the treat so the dog knows the clicking sound you give during the desired action actually means they are doing well.
2. After the non verbal cues have been mastered by your dog you can then move into verbal cues if you wish. It is always easier for your dog to understand the non verbal cues first. Those non verbal cues are the basis for building up to verbal commands. This is why traditional methods can be so difficult. You are not only teaching your dog actions but at the same time trying to teach them to associate verbal commands they may not yet understand as well.
3. You should try to keep training session short and interesting rather than long and drawn out. Even ten minutes is a long time to work, especially for a dog that has never been through any training. In the first several training sessions you should aim for 3 to 5 minutes at most. Once your dog is responding to the clicker you should be able to get 20 successful actions in those 3 to 5 minutes .
4. Always remember this type of training is based on positive reinforcements and you should always try to avoid any harsh words or actions. If your dog is having trouble at this point it is best to review the clicker to be sure the proper association has been made for your dog. If the dog is still unresponsive it is possible the reward is not motivating your pet and it could help to change to another treat.
5. As with any training method there will be a time when you need to correct your pet. At these times it is vital that you use a steady and natural voice. Using words like "wrong" or "no" in a neutral tone of voice will still let the dog know it did not perform correctly without causing it distress and making the training much harder.
At the beginning of any training method you can expect to have small issues that may prove detrimental to your training progress. If you find the traditional training methods are not working as well as you would like it may be a good idea to look into clicker training. Operant conditioning is the basis for this training system and it relies mainly on the connection between reward and desired action.
Having an immediate and direct association between the desired action and reward is the fastest way to let your dog know they are doing well. Consistent use of immediate rewards (within 1 or 2 seconds) continually reinforces the lessons. Use of a clicker during training is the best way to be able to give that rapid response to the desired action and produces maximum results from training.
There are only two things you must have to perform clicker training: a clicker, and treats for a reward. Many times a reward can simply be a favorite toy or verbal praise. However the best results are usually found with their favorite food items. Especially in the beginning when you need to have your dogs full attention edible treats will work the best and other treats can be added as time goes by.
5 Training Tips
1. A strong connection between action and reward is very important to work on before anything else. Many Trainers call this "loading the clicker" and usually requires 10 or so repetitions for your dog to properly associate the clicker with a treat. By simply clicking and then immediately giving a treat you build that association for your pet.
If your non verbal cues are not being recognized then your dog has not yet associated the reward with the action. This means you need to go back and review the association between the click and the treat so the dog knows the clicking sound you give during the desired action actually means they are doing well.
2. After the non verbal cues have been mastered by your dog you can then move into verbal cues if you wish. It is always easier for your dog to understand the non verbal cues first. Those non verbal cues are the basis for building up to verbal commands. This is why traditional methods can be so difficult. You are not only teaching your dog actions but at the same time trying to teach them to associate verbal commands they may not yet understand as well.
3. You should try to keep training session short and interesting rather than long and drawn out. Even ten minutes is a long time to work, especially for a dog that has never been through any training. In the first several training sessions you should aim for 3 to 5 minutes at most. Once your dog is responding to the clicker you should be able to get 20 successful actions in those 3 to 5 minutes .
4. Always remember this type of training is based on positive reinforcements and you should always try to avoid any harsh words or actions. If your dog is having trouble at this point it is best to review the clicker to be sure the proper association has been made for your dog. If the dog is still unresponsive it is possible the reward is not motivating your pet and it could help to change to another treat.
5. As with any training method there will be a time when you need to correct your pet. At these times it is vital that you use a steady and natural voice. Using words like "wrong" or "no" in a neutral tone of voice will still let the dog know it did not perform correctly without causing it distress and making the training much harder.
About the Author:
To learn more about clicker training your dog GO HERE.For more about Boston Terriers GO HERE. Also published at 5 tips to train a Boston Terrier.
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