The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training. Jean Cuvelier

Good Trainer’s Secrets

       PART 5 POSITIVE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

       Mind Map: Positive Behavior Modification

       Maintain the Relationship

       Analyze the Situation

       Take Action

       Consider Your Dog’s Instincts and Emotions

       BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES

       Desensitization

       Counterconditioning

       Interruption and Redirection

       Extinction

       A Canine Role Model

       How Long Does Behavorial Change Take?

       Summary of Techniques

       When Should Medications Be Used?

       APPENDIX

       Timeline of Puppy Milestones

       Training Timeline

       GLOSSARY

       INTRODUCTION FOR THE LOVE OF THE DOG, STOP PULLING ON THE LEASH!

       In this book, I propose changing your perception of dogs and their training. A dog’s first year is critical to his future development: with a loving mother, a competent breeder, a nurturing environment, a good owner, and positive training, your dog will become the perfect companion and will only bring you joy throughout his lifetime.

       As Confucius says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” To improve clarity and make memorization easier, many infographics and illustrations have been included in this book to help you better understand how to train the wonderful gift of life you are responsible for.

       WHY ARE THERE SO MANY ILLUSTRATIONS?

       Images speed up memorization. The proof is in the pictures!

      WE ARE VISUALLY WIRED

      People follow instructions with images three times better than with text alone.

      50% of our brain is involved in visual processing.

      70% of our sensory receptors are located in our eyes.

      We understand the meaning of an image in less than of a second.

      We remember 80% of what we see, 20% of what we read, and 10% of what we hear.

       Part 1

       Who Is Your Dog?

      Adopting a puppy is a wonderful adventure, provided you really get to know this creature who will share your life for more than ten years. In order to make the right choice, you need to know how the bond between man and canine has developed over time, how a dog’s personality is formed, and about the various breeds and their inherent skills.

An Opportunistic Wolf

       Dogs have retained the memory of their distant ancestor, the wolf, in their genes. But after a very long common history and life shared with humans, the canine species has undergone physical changes and acquired new skills in order to integrate with their human families and become, so to speak, “children” of their families.

      UNITED FOR BETTER LITES

      A Win-Win Relationship

      About 25,000 years ago, the first wolf to approach human camps was a rather brave outsider who was attracted by food waste. He quickly understood all the benefits that entailed befriending the human species. It is in this way that we believe the wolf allowed itself to become domesticated. In return, the humans gained a guard, a hunter, and an efficient garbage collector. The first relationship between the dog’s ancestor and humankind was thus established on a “win-win” premise.

      An Emotional Bond

      Due to constant contact, what was initially a purely utilitarian relationship gave way to a relationship of selfless trust. We can imagine that it all began when a hungry, orphaned wolf cub found refuge with a compassionate human family. The early contact with humans and the maternal care given to the cub made it possible to establish a mutual, lasting bond between the cub and his rescuers.

      Even today, few humans can resist the irrepressible desire to take care of a puppy who noisily expresses his distress. The maternal instinct ingrained in the human brain and the puppy’s expressive gaze have a lot to do with this instant connection.

      Without the intervention of a good human soul, this little wolf cub would certainly have died. But instead of being solely a useful animal, he became what can be considered the promising beginnings of our pet dog. Today, while some breeds still play the double role of working dog and pet dog, many breeds are primarily companion animals.