Abc's Of Positive Training. Miriam Fields-Babineau

      Positive-reinforcement training can be done in several ways. You can lure your dog into position and bridge/reward as soon as he attains what you want, you can capture the behavior by chance or you can wait for him to do something near your objective and shape the behavior into the ultimate goal. Whichever method, or combination thereof, you use depends on what you are teaching, the level of training and how much time you have to accomplish the goal.

       Petting is a great way to praise and reinforce good behavior.

      Luring can be done with any type of positive reinforcer: food, praise, petting or a favorite toy. Different lures can be used for different situations. Praise is a good reinforcer if the dog did something well but did not improve the behavior, or if the dog is in the process of performing well. Praise encourages the dog to continue the proper response. Touch is a great means of rewarding dogs. They love being stroked and scratched. It’s part of pack bonding and affection display. For dogs that don’t care how delectable a food treat might be, stroking can be used as the primary reinforcer. Some dogs love a ball, a rope or a stuffed toy more than a piece of food. The action of giving the dog this toy to reinforce a specific behavior is rewarding and will encourage the dog to continue working. Food, however, is the easiest means of reinforcing good behavior. Most dogs have good food drives and it’s just a matter of finding the foods that motivate. Dogs without a food drive will be difficult to teach through positive reinforcement unless you can find another high-value motivator. I’ve had several dogs who prefer a tennis ball to food. Give it a try.

       Toys can be used as lures to get a dog to perform a behavior.

      For the next method, capturing a behavior, you’ll need to be patient and have very good timing. You will need to place your dog in a space or situation in which the behavior you are aiming for will happen at some time or another. An example of capturing a behavior to create a retrieving dog is to bridge/ reward when the dog is playing with his toy. At the time he picks up the toy, you want to capture this behavior, so you bridge/ reward at that moment. This reinforces your dog’s desire to pick up his ball.