Dog Communication
Basically, dog training is about communication. The handler or owner conveys to the dog what behaviors are correct, desired, or what circumstances and what behaviours are wrong and undesirable. To obtain good results, the handler must discover ways to motivate the dog to behave as expected.
The handler must be sensitive to the dog's actions. The dog can signal that he is unsure, confused, nervous, happy, excited, and so on. The emotional state of the dog is an important consideration in directing the training, as a dog that is stressed or distracted will not learn efficiently.
According to Learning Theory there are four important messages that the handler can send the dog:
Reward or release marker - Correct behavior. You have earned a reward.
Keep going signal - Correct behavior. Continue and you will earn a reward.
No reward marker - Incorrect behavior. Try something else.
Punishment marker - Incorrect behavior. You have earned punishment.
Dog and Human Relationship There are numerous dog breeds, and few basic breed types have evolved gradually during the domesticated dog's relationship with humans over the last 10,000 or more years. It is still believed,
and can be stated with some degree
of certainty, that our relationship
was one born out of necessity, no
one really knows for sure why it
happened. So it has become widely
accepted that the dogs wanted shelter and a solid food source, and humans wanted companionship and protection from the wilds of nature.
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