Q: I have a question regarding training. I have been doing quite a bit of research on obedience training with books and on the Internet and the idea of positive reinforcement is very appealing. However my concern is this, if you are always giving your dog treats for performing commands aren’t you in essence bribing the dog instead of commanding him? If he will only work for treats how will this make him reliable when I need him to obey?

A: Positive reinforcement techniques are designed to reward the dog for correctly performing desired actions. This is not limited to only treats. You can also use a favorite toy or in some cases just praise from you will work. It depends mainly on what motivates your dog the best. Whichever form of reward you choose, the timing is what is important.

There are three phases to the learning process. Two are for the dog. The third is more for us as trainers than for the dog.

The first is the teaching phase. It is at this stage where you will use what is known as sculpting to lure your dog into a desired position or perform an action. Each action is broken down into simple steps that the dog can easily master, being rewarded each time as he progresses through each step. A good example of this would be the down command. You would begin first by luring the dog into a sit by taking a treat in front of the dogs nose while he is in20a standing position and slowly raise it above his head. At the same time, you give him a verbal cue “sit” As his head raises, his butt will lower into a sit. You then reward him with the treat and praise “good sit” for achieving step one. Step two would begin with the dog in a sit position and luring him into a down by lowering the treat from his nose straight down to the floor along with the verbal cue “down“. As his head follows the treat, his body will follow into the down position and he is once again rewarded with the treat and praise.

The second phase is the learning phase. It is at this point that through many repetitions of each step performed consistently each time, the dog becomes conditioned to the action and begins to associate that action with its verbal command name. During this time, you begin to increase the difficulty by combining the steps that the dog must perform before he is rewarded with the treat. This is a slow process and should not be rushed if you want to maintain an all positive approach. Phase one and two should be done in a private setting with minimal distractions so as to give your dog its greatest chance for success. Building on that success rather than correcting him for his mistakes is the cornerstone of the positive reinforcement method.

The third is the proofing phase. At this time we will begin to increase the difficulty by adding distractions to the training sessions. Patience is a virtue here as we still want to build on success and the temptation to push your dog past his limits can be strong. The distractions must be minimal at first and slowly increase in intensity as long as the dog is consistently performing each task. Once the dog is proficient at his commands under high level distractions you may then begin to slowly wean him off the treats. Again, there is no need to rush this process. Reliability comes with consistency and patience.

While it’s true that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, it is the speed at which you travel that line that is important. If you go too fast you miss out on one crucial factor to any trip. Half the fun is in getting there.

This article was published on April 19 , 2009 on Page 3 of the Sunday Sentinel