The Formula of Dog Training

(Timing, Motivation, Consistency)

    There are three main principles to always consider when training your dog. These principles are the core ingredients to behavior modification and are always at work, whether training the family pet or teaching a police dog to find drugs. Understanding how these principles work is the secret to clear communication between you and your pet. The three principles are: timing, motivation, and consistency.   

            Timing has to do with the way a dog's brain processes cause and effect. Timing says that any behavior a dog acts out must have a consequence within 1.3 seconds in order for the dog to associate that behavior with that consequence. Positive behaviors must have a positive consequence within 1.3 seconds. Too often pet owners reprimand a dog far after the event took place. The dog never has a chance to connect his behavior with the consequence. This leads to submission, which the owner misreads as guilt making them believe the dog knew what he did wrong.     

Motivation is what you do to influence your dog's decision making process. Motivation requires action from the owner. If your dog acts out a positive behavior, you must quickly act in a positive, rewarding manner. How you reward your dog is also important. Rewards must be physical. Talking to your dog is not enough. However a toy or a good petting can go a long way. The negative stimulation a "correction" a Correction is nothing more than a negative stimulation from an approved training collar. The strength and style of correction greatly varies per dog.  A correction must motivate your dog enough to not want to repeat a behavior without making him afraid of a certain situation all together.    

 Consistency is a key ingredient to clear communication between pet and owner. We teach 100% zero tolerance. Consistency means promptly reacting the same way to any significant behavior your dog acts out. For the dog to learn that coming when called is a positive behavior, you must reward him every time he comes after hearing his name called. Remember correction or praise must occur within 1.3 seconds of the specific behavior. Each time you miss a chance to reward your dog, or each time you miss an opportunity to correct your dog, you send a strong message to the dog that you have no ability to influence your dogs decision making.                 

 The way your dog behaves is a product of how you interact with him. Do not blame the dog. Your dog's behavior is directly related to your ability to understand and implement the three training principles:

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1-847-741-5434