ASCA - AKC - OFA - CERF Australian Shepherds

Training Your Australian Shepherd

It is time to train your puppy!

• Reward is generally a better training method to use than punishment. Reward encourages good behavior, strengthens bonds and creates a happy atmosphere. This leads to a link between training and pleasure, making the dog more willing. Only reward for the activity you want. During training sessions don't just generally pat and encourage. Make sure the dog makes a link between the desired action and the reward by giving the reward as soon as possible after he has done what you asked. Teach one thing at a time so your dog is clear what he is being rewarded for.
• Reinforce previously learned behaviors by checking that the dog still acts as you want and reward accordingly.
• Break down behaviors and chain them together. Reward is the only way to teach your dog new patterns of behavior. But there are times during training when punishment is necessary, and correctly applied, is a valuable part of the dog's education.
• Punishment cannot teach a new behavior, it only suppresses existing behavior. Punishment should be intensive enough to be effective when applied, given immediately your dog clearly links punishment with the undesired behavior. 5 seconds. When during training, the dog willingly carries out a command but it is the wrong response don't punish (thereby confuse) your dog. Go back through your training sequence and establish why the dog misunderstood you. Always remember to "Go back to kindergarten" if your dog is not responding to a command.
• Be consistent! Don't reward certain behaviors one-day, punish them the next. Make commands clear and consistent. Write down every command you use with the definition. Each command should have only one meaning. Ensure you know exactly what you want your dog to do. Don't blame confusion on your dog.

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