YNP #026: Timing is EVERYTHING When Training Your Dog

The foundation of positive dog training is to reward the behaviors we want repeated and ignore or redirect the behaviors we don’t want repeated.Oh, how I wish it were that simple.  A question we don’t even think to ask is “how does the dog know what behavior we are rewarding or correcting?”  This is where timing is EVERYTHING.     Dogs are very present-minded. If we want to reward or stop a behavior from happening we have to do it the exact moment the behavior is happening.  Not a before or after. If we are just a moment or two off they may make the wrong connection with the wrong behavior.This is the only way we make sure our dog is making the connection to the right behavior.  If we reward them even 30 seconds later, it mines as well be 3 days later.There is some room for error here and we are not going to be perfect.  This skill is something WE need to practice. Understanding how timing makes a huge difference is the first step.    In this episode, I go into a few examples of what I mean and how to avoid rewarding or correcting the wrong behavior.See you inside!