Getting a dog to do whatever you want takes a lot of trust and patience on both you and your pet. Dogs are highly trainable creatures and time has allowed them to evolve closely to humans – making them perfect fits for being out four legged buddies. Even if they are smart and can adapt to our lifestyle, training will still need dedication. One of the most common methods used in dog training is positive reinforcement and Cooper here, our witty Shih Tzu will show you how positive reinforcement can affect your pooch – in the long run.
In this 10 second video, there is nothing much but a Shih Tzu that has successfully placed a ring on the toy pole. It may look like a very simple trick; but the uniqueness of this video lies beyond the trick and Cooper’s ability to shoot the ring. It is in the way Cooper looked at the camera after realizing he just did a very good job. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how a Shih Tzu looks like when he or she expects a treat from you – that is, of course after finishing a job well done. Positive reinforcement shows the dog what are the behavior that an owner requires of him and uses food to send this message. Since food is the ultimate motivation of dogs, kibbles and treats work best in training. The most important thing in using this method of learning is the lapse time between the behavior and the reward. Make sure you give the reward right after the behavior was done and not seconds after where the dogs already done another movement such as sitting, standing or walking away. One learned behavior is equal to one treat – that’s the secret. Also, consistency is very important since dogs have a tendency to forget a trick when this is not practiced everyday. Remember that dogs are fans of regularity and schedule. You need to incorporate whatever you want to teach him or her in the daily activities to be able to be retained in the dog’s mind. And this is what exactly happened here with Cooper – he knows what’s next for him and seems like he won’t be doing any next move without his reward of a kibble.
