Residential Service Dog Training

When the time comes for a dog to undergo training for its future role as a service dog, there are many different theories on which training method is the best, and there are almost as many theories as there are breeds of dog in the world! It seems like there is a newfangled service dog training method coming to the fore each and every week.

Praise and Reward

Praise and reward is more typically known as positive reinforcement and put simply it means that instead of chastising the canine when it does something wrong, it garners praise when it does something right. There are more and more professional dog trainers who are now swapping their old methods of chastisement and who are now using the praise and reward system instead.

A Tighter Emotional Bond

One other aspect to the praise and reward system is that the emotional bond between the trainer and the dog will be so much stronger and will in fact last much longer. The trouble with punishment during training is that it tends to make the hound associate you with pain and terror and that can have a bad negative impact on the dog when it is near its owner.

Be aware that using positive or negative reinforcement the wrong way can lead to very troublesome behavior. It's always best to consult with a qualified dog trainer.

Of course there are plenty of old school dog trainers who say that the old methods are in fact the best and that compulsion training is one of the best ways to train a dog. There are many implements available to these old school dog trainers that they tend to use to keep their dog under control include such items as the shock collar and the choke chain. These are seen as being cruel by those people who advocate the reward and praise method yet seen as an essential tool by those dog trainers who prefer the more strict method of dog training.

However, those people who do not agree with the stricter approach to dog training wonder why someone would want to deal with their dog in such a harmful way such as inflicting varying levels of pain. Both you and your dog can benefit from using the praise and reward method rather than a training method that relies on installing fear and pain on to your faithful companion.

Hopefully this article has gone some way to helping you to choose the best way to train your dog.