The Proper Use of Praise
Praise is a common element found in most training programs. When praising a dog, the owner is communicating his or her approval of the pet’s behavior. Yet the use of praise tends to be a widely misunderstood and misapplied training tool. Many times praise is given too freely, too sporadically, or is ill timed. Understanding the proper use of praise can improve your training program and help your dog achieve higher levels of success.
What is Praise?
Praise is simply communicating to your pet that you approve of his or her actions, whether intentionally offered or not. For example, you ask your dog to sit and he responds promptly; a “Good Boy” is definitely deserved. Or, you find your normally rambunctious Black Labrador lying quietly in the kitchen. This is another great opportunity to verbally reward your canine companion.
Praise can also be used to encourage a pet on to higher levels of performance such as steadier sit stays, quicker response to “come”, or a calmer greeting of guests. Using praise in this manner is no different than the enthusiastic cheering of football, tennis, and soccer coaches. Savvy coaches know that their students need well-timed information when they have done things right, as well as wrong.
Timing is Everything
In order for your praise to be effective you need to mark the desired behavior as it happens. If your praise is too early or too late, your dog will become confused as to what you actually want him or her to do.
To mark good behavior you can get as sophisticated as developing a conditioned reinforcer, such as a whistle or click. Or, you can simply use a short, to the point, praise word, such as, “good” or “yes.” Either way, you will be able to quickly communicate what behavior you liked. Long, drawn out praise responses like “Good Boy...what a clever fellow,” are too lengthy to properly identify the precise behavior you wish to reward. Instead, use these longer phrases after your marker word.
The Right Tone
An enthusiastic, upbeat tone will improve your dog’s confidence while also asserting your leadership position. This hearty form of praise is commonly referred to as praising your dog “up.” The opposite, praising your dog “down,” is better known as baby talking or sympathetically reassuring your pet...”It’s ok puppy...don’t worry...it’s ok.” By using this type of praise when your pet is startled or frightened it will validate your pet’s fear and encourages your dog to act fearful in strange situations.
Banking Your Praise
Just as treats or corrections need to be regulated depending upon the circumstances, praise should also be regulated. The ability to “bank one’s praise” (offering a simple ‘good’ on a sit stay for an advanced dog vs. a virtual celebration when a puppy sits on command for the first time) is a skill that separates the good trainers from the great ones. The term banking comes from the technique of “expending” slips of praise here and there for low and moderate levels of performance while “saving up” heaping portions of praise for exceptional efforts.
Exceptional trainers instantly recognize when a dog understands what is expected. These trainers instantly increase the criteria that the dog must attain in order to receive the same level of praise. The ability to read a dog and self-discipline are key training skills needed to masterfully deliver praise in the right quantity at the right time.
