Timing is the key to communication with your dog. We normally have about 1 second to influence a dog’s understanding of cause and effect. In some cases, it can be faster. In any case, the right timing is necessary for a dog’s understanding.
Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to training a dog. We have to provide them with a consistent set of rules. This part of our philosophy ensures greater understanding and minimal conflict between you and your dog. The more consistent we are at forming new behaviors and reinforcing them, the more habitual those behaviors become.
Creating useful markers is one of the more important aspects of training. A seemingly meaningless action like a snap of the fingers or a short vocal cue can become a meaningful form of communication. These kinds of markers are how your dog learns to respond to commands. That’s why we work to minimize the time between those cues and your dog’s reward. The goal is to create a mark for a specific behavior and have the dog respond as quickly as possible.
Why should your dog listen to you? What makes training work?
We understand a dog’s motivation when it comes to training and cooperation. Rewards are provided for desirable behaviors, but rewards are also withheld to create a choice for your dog. Dogs are motivated to seek positive experiences, so we use positive and negative reinforcement alongside other conditioning to optimize the positive behaviors.
