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| Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue Helping Labs Find Their Fur-Ever Homes |
Training Tidbits
At Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue (BLRR), we believe that it is very important to train your new lab
increasingly popular philosophy is positive reinforcement training rather than punishment.
“We all like to be praised rather than punished,” states the Humane Society of the United States. “The
same is true for your dog, and that's the theory behind positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement
means giving your pet something pleasant or rewarding immediately after she does something you want
her to do. Because your praise or reward makes her more likely to repeat that behavior in the future, it is
one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog's behavior.” Click here to read the
entire article.
According to The Larimer Humane Society of Fort Collins, CO.,
Positive reinforcement:
-Strengthens and enhances the human animal relationship
-Is used less and less as a behavior is learned to be most effective
-Never leads to avoidance or avoidance related aggression
-Never causes damage to your relationship if you make a mistake with your timing.
-Produces enthusiastic, happy people who love to train animals
-Keeps dogs coming back for more and more training – they love it
Other methods of training that work in conjunction with positive reinforcement consist of the Volhard
Motivational Method, operant conditioning and clicker training: The Volhard Philosophy to raising and
training dogs features a holistic approach to establish a mutually rewarding relationship between owner
and dog. Their website, www.volhard.com, has much more in-depth description and information.
“Operant conditioning forms an association between a behavior and a consequence. (It is also called
response-stimulus or RS conditioning because it forms an association between the animal's response
[behavior] and the stimulus that follows [consequence]),” according to www.wagntrain.com.
Clicker training works hand in hand with operant conditioning. Clicker training is the popular term for the
training or teaching method based on what we know about how living organisms learn. Research has
shown that any creature—whether a dog, cat, dolphin, parrot, fish, horse, llama, or person—is more
likely to learn and repeat actions that result in consequences it desires and enjoys. So clicker trainers
provide consequences desired by their animal in exchange for actions or behaviors desired by their
trainers. These consequences are called “rewards” and the process is called “reinforcement.” Clicker
training, therefore, is a positive-reinforcement-based system of training,” states www.clickertraining.com
There are several factions of positive reinforcement training and there are many books and websites
designed to offer dog training solutions and techniques. BLRR does require that most of our adopted
dogs attend obedience classes. It is very important for a dog owner is to be comfortable with their dog
trainer. The APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) offers great support in finding a dog trainer in your
area and what questions to ask the trainer to make sure that is the right trainer for you and your dog.
More information can be found on the APDT website .
Training Tools
BLRR also has policies regarding allowable training tools. Chain check collars and prong collars are
permitted only if properly fitted by a trainer because they can very easily be misused and potentially
cause injury to your dog. Also, any electronic devices other than invisible fences are not permitted under
any circumstances. With that being said, there are many different training tools that can be used to help
train your dog. Most of them are special collars or harnesses.
Different types of collars range from traditional flat, buckle or snap collars to training collars such as
chain check, prong, and martingdale. Most collars are fabricated from nylon or leather and the training
collars are fabricated of metal chains or prongs. Leashes also can be made from these same materials
and even rubber materials. They come in array of different styles and lengths – ranging from 4 ft., 6 ft.,
and even 50 ft. leads to help with distance training. Retractable leads to allow your dog a little more
freedom but, also the ability to keep close at the same time.
Some people find it difficult to walk their dogs on a traditional flat collar and choose harnesses or head
halters. Some harnesses come with a leash attachment on the back and some have a leash
attachment on the chest area to help alleviate the desire to pull. It is very easy for dog and handler to
acclimate to the use of a harness. Head halters may look like a muzzle to some people until you explain
what it is and how it helps your dog walk better. A head halter works much like a halter that a horse
would wear. It loops around the dog’s nose and hooks behind the ears. A leash attachment is under
the chin allowing the handler to guide their dog. Head halters can take a bit of getting used to on the dog
and handler’s part but, are a great tool to use.
As you can see, there is an array of different training styles, tools and techniques. The best
recommendation is to do your research and find what works best for you and your dog. A professional
trainer is your best source to determine which training device is best suited to your dog's training needs.
The content provided on these training aids is for informational purposes only.
At Brookline Labrador Retriever Rescue (BLRR), we believe that it is very important to train your new lab
increasingly popular philosophy is positive reinforcement training rather than punishment.
“We all like to be praised rather than punished,” states the Humane Society of the United States. “The
same is true for your dog, and that's the theory behind positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement
means giving your pet something pleasant or rewarding immediately after she does something you want
her to do. Because your praise or reward makes her more likely to repeat that behavior in the future, it is
one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog's behavior.” Click here to read the
entire article.
According to The Larimer Humane Society of Fort Collins, CO.,
Positive reinforcement:
-Strengthens and enhances the human animal relationship
-Is used less and less as a behavior is learned to be most effective
-Never leads to avoidance or avoidance related aggression
-Never causes damage to your relationship if you make a mistake with your timing.
-Produces enthusiastic, happy people who love to train animals
-Keeps dogs coming back for more and more training – they love it
Other methods of training that work in conjunction with positive reinforcement consist of the Volhard
Motivational Method, operant conditioning and clicker training: The Volhard Philosophy to raising and
training dogs features a holistic approach to establish a mutually rewarding relationship between owner
and dog. Their website, www.volhard.com, has much more in-depth description and information.
“Operant conditioning forms an association between a behavior and a consequence. (It is also called
response-stimulus or RS conditioning because it forms an association between the animal's response
[behavior] and the stimulus that follows [consequence]),” according to www.wagntrain.com.
Clicker training works hand in hand with operant conditioning. Clicker training is the popular term for the
training or teaching method based on what we know about how living organisms learn. Research has
shown that any creature—whether a dog, cat, dolphin, parrot, fish, horse, llama, or person—is more
likely to learn and repeat actions that result in consequences it desires and enjoys. So clicker trainers
provide consequences desired by their animal in exchange for actions or behaviors desired by their
trainers. These consequences are called “rewards” and the process is called “reinforcement.” Clicker
training, therefore, is a positive-reinforcement-based system of training,” states www.clickertraining.com
There are several factions of positive reinforcement training and there are many books and websites
designed to offer dog training solutions and techniques. BLRR does require that most of our adopted
dogs attend obedience classes. It is very important for a dog owner is to be comfortable with their dog
trainer. The APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) offers great support in finding a dog trainer in your
area and what questions to ask the trainer to make sure that is the right trainer for you and your dog.
More information can be found on the APDT website .
Training Tools
BLRR also has policies regarding allowable training tools. Chain check collars and prong collars are
permitted only if properly fitted by a trainer because they can very easily be misused and potentially
cause injury to your dog. Also, any electronic devices other than invisible fences are not permitted under
any circumstances. With that being said, there are many different training tools that can be used to help
train your dog. Most of them are special collars or harnesses.
Different types of collars range from traditional flat, buckle or snap collars to training collars such as
chain check, prong, and martingdale. Most collars are fabricated from nylon or leather and the training
collars are fabricated of metal chains or prongs. Leashes also can be made from these same materials
and even rubber materials. They come in array of different styles and lengths – ranging from 4 ft., 6 ft.,
and even 50 ft. leads to help with distance training. Retractable leads to allow your dog a little more
freedom but, also the ability to keep close at the same time.
Some people find it difficult to walk their dogs on a traditional flat collar and choose harnesses or head
halters. Some harnesses come with a leash attachment on the back and some have a leash
attachment on the chest area to help alleviate the desire to pull. It is very easy for dog and handler to
acclimate to the use of a harness. Head halters may look like a muzzle to some people until you explain
what it is and how it helps your dog walk better. A head halter works much like a halter that a horse
would wear. It loops around the dog’s nose and hooks behind the ears. A leash attachment is under
the chin allowing the handler to guide their dog. Head halters can take a bit of getting used to on the dog
and handler’s part but, are a great tool to use.
As you can see, there is an array of different training styles, tools and techniques. The best
recommendation is to do your research and find what works best for you and your dog. A professional
trainer is your best source to determine which training device is best suited to your dog's training needs.
The content provided on these training aids is for informational purposes only.