This type of training is effective because it takes the dogs natural
tendencies and just reinforces them and focuses them into proper channels. Let
us now look at some of the behavior and personality traits that can be
advantageous to training.
For Curious dogs, it is quite easy to train in all manner or tricks and
behaviors. These dogs are naturally inquisitive and can be taught such tricks as
opening and closing doors or fetching cold drinks from the refrigerator. An easy
trick for this dog is fetching ones slippers or even bringing you the food dish
at your dog's meal times. These dogs love to perform so give them lots of
chances to do so. They are most easily trained by giving them a challenge to
work out. Perhaps hiding a treat under a box or playing games such as hide and
seek with them. These dogs are excellent for tracking once they learn to focus
their attentions.
The Aggressive dog can be a bit harder to tame but does have its useful areas. A
dog with aggressive tendency will be very defensive of its master, including the
master's house and belongings. This animal should be trained with this thought
in mind but it is of great consequence to also teach this animal proper outlet
for its aggression and also, when enough is enough. In other words, clearly and
consistently teach the no and leave it commands or you run the risk of finding
this dog mauling a neighbor child for getting too close to the fence.
The Friendly dog is a pure pleasure to train as they truly want to please you
and will do almost anything to gain your attention and approval. These dogs are
wonderful companions and are awesome when trained for specialized uses such as
visiting nursing facilities or hospitals in a pet therapy usage. These dogs do
require a bit of training in how to contain their sometimes over friendly
advances and must be taught the 'down' commands and the 'lick / no lick'
commands as their warm personalities can be a bit overpowering for some peoples
liking.
The Shy or Reclusive dog will be in adventure to train, as first you have to
find the pet. This animal will make it a point to stay out of your reach and
usually out of your sight. These animals can be stubborn during the training
process and they must be taught to answer when called. Leash training most
easily facilitates this with a lot of rewards for appropriate behavior. Negative
reinforcements rarely work with these animals, as they perceive this is a
further reason to avoid your presence.
The Nervous or Easily Frightened dog is very similar in training technique to
the Shy pet. They require patience and understanding during training and much in
the way of positive reinforcements. Avoid using negative reinforcements unless a
particular behavior could prove immediately harmful to you, the pet or another
individual. This animal will not respond well to negative reinforcements and
these will damage the trust relationship between you and the pet. Trust is a
very important issue with these animals and this must be established before any
other training will have any effectiveness. These dogs almost always have had
prior abuse or neglect issues.
Learn as much as possible about the past of the animal and find what
behaviors trigger the fear responses of the animal. For example, if you raise
your hand when you say 'no' and the dog whimpers, drops to the ground or tucks
its tail and runs, you can safely assume someone has struck this dog at least
once. If this is the case, modify your training behaviors and hand movements to
be less threatening to the animal. Perhaps, instead of raising your hand with
the command, just give the verbal cue. This still implies the same lesson to the
animal without producing fear, which is contraindicated in training. After the
dog learns to trust you, hand gestures can be added later at the animal's
comfort level.
As we discussed before, each animal is different and you may see traits of any
or all of these personality types in your pet. You should use this knowledge to
modify your training and achieve a happier, healthier bond between you and your
pet by reinforcing the animal's own personality.