Training Methodologies

Negative Punishment

Taking away a dog's toys (like a parent does with a misbehaving child) is negative punishment. This method is appealing because it certainly makes people feel they aren’t spoiling their dogs. In recent years people have spent more money on pets, especially couples who choose pets over kids. This method relies on the dog’s desire for toys to keep it in line; unfortunately, dogs get bored with toys. Conversely, if a dog gets too upset about losing his or her favorite toy that can cause more misbehaving.

Positive Punishment

“Stop! Bad boy,” is a perfect example of positive punishment. The theory behind positive punishment is to discourage any misbehaving as soon as it happens. The primary advantage of this method is a dog quickly realizes when it does something wrong. This type of training is more suited for dogs in the line of duty who need to act quickly and can’t afford to have bad habits.

Negative Reinforcement

Punishing a dog until it does what you want is a good summary of negative reinforcement. This is arguably the least enjoyable training method for dogs to experience due to its harshness. Additionally, it’s more difficult for a dog to discover what it’s doing wrong and correct his or her behavior. Using this method, trainers rarely check for the underlying causes of misbehavior. 



Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement rewards a dog with a treat when it correctly obeys a command. This method has proven to work the best because dogs flourish with the support and compassion of trainers. The other methods are often counterproductive because they erode a dog’s trust in his or her handler. Excessive use of training devices such as shock collars is borderline abusive. Similar to people, dogs prefer to have someone work with them and get to know them. It's better for your dog to listen to you because it likes you than out of fear of punishment. 

Treats

Treats are the key to effective positive reinforcement. Treats are the best motivators for a dog. Dogs love treats and make the effort to learn faster when treats are on the line. It’s important to note that different treats are better in different situations. A simple treat is good for everyday tasks. A tastier or higher calorie treat is great when your good boy does something special. Medium value treats are a balance between the two. An example of each of the above treat values and some great dog treat ideas are below. Be sure to account for any allergies your dog may have when buying treats. Also watch how many calories your dog eats every day to prevent obesity. Here are a few of the tastiest treats for your dog:

Charlee Bear

Charlee Bear makes great treats for low skill tasks that your dog has done over and over again. Original Crunch Natural treats are great for when your dog sits for your friends or performs another simple trick. It’s smart to have a lot of these on hand for when your dog routinely sits or stays. 

Happy Howie’s 

Beef Meat Roll Treats are the best medium value treat. They can easily be cut into pieces for small dogs, so they’re great to have on hand. These are quality treats for a reasonable price. Beef Meat Roll Treats are the best option when your good boy learns a new trick.

Barkworthy’s

Lamb Lung Dog Treats are considered the best high-value treats. Save these for when your dog does something truly special, like save your life. These treats are conveniently non-perishable, so stock up. You and your dog will do great things if you work together. 

American Journey

American Journey treats are a healthy choice for any dog. Their lamb recipe treats have plenty of meat and vegetables to keep a dog's energy up and his or her weight down. Even better, these treats have no wheat filler in them. These treats would also fall in the high value category because of the ingredients and price.

Human Food

A few types of people food are good for dogs too: apples, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, papaya, cantaloupe, cucumbers, watermelon, and bananas. It’s easy to give your pet a small serving of fruit when you have one yourself. Be sure to steer clear anything that involves grapes and pick out all the seeds from anything you give to your dog.