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Dog Behavior Training

Positive Reinforcement - a 'Win Win'

Dog Behavior Training Series - Miniature Schnauzer Training

Let me ask you a question……

"Would you rather be praised or punished?"

Praised? That’s what I thought.

We all love to hear praises and it's no different with your Miniature Schnauzer. This is the whole theory behind positive reinforcement dog behavior training.

It's what I call Tricks for Treats and it simply means to reinforce your Miniature Schnauzer's good behavior with treats, verbal praises,with a favorite toy or game... or anything at all, that your Schnauzer sees as a reward.

You get what you want - the behavior - and in return, your dog gets what he wants - the reward.

It's a win win situation!

About Dog Behavior Training

Dog behavior training can begin at any age but starting early will prevent bad habits from forming in your Miniature Schnauzer.

The good news is Miniature Schnauzers are extremely smart and love to please their owners. So training your Miniature Schnauzer will be fun and it will help build a stronger bond between the two of you.

dog training tip: A word of caution about Miniature Schnauzers; Because Miniature Schnauzers are so smart, we sometimes expect too much out of them. Be patient and give your Miniature Schnauzer time to master each trick.

Do not introduce too many tricks to your Mini Schnauzer at once.

Allow your Miniature Schnauzer to master one trick before teaching him another dog trick or dog command.

For successful dog behavior training sessions, keep the training periods down to 10-15 minute intervals several times throughout the day (3 to 5 times a day is best).

For simple dog tricks, learning 2 a day is possible for your Miniature Schnauzer. For harder tricks – teach only one a day – but integrate an already learned behavior into the process – so your Miniature Schnauzer feels he is performing well.

Positive reinforcement training or tricks for treats is both an effective and humane way to train your Schnauzer. So keep nearby a handful of treats or kibble and make sure you reward your dog right away for proper behavior.

Also, offer up lots of verbal praises to your Miniature Schnauzer as rewards. Schnauzers love to please their owners and you don't want your Miniature Schnauzer to become dependent on just receiving dog treats to perform a dog trick or dog command.

dog behavior training tip: Never give your Miniature Schnauzer a treat without him first performing a trick or command. Even if you just have your Miniature Schnauzer SIT before receiving a dog treat. This is important as training should be reinforced throughout your Miniature Schnauzer’s life.

Clicker Training Your the Miniature Schnauzer

Another form of positive reinforcement training is called Clicker Training. Timing (one of the dog training tips) is a key component for you to master in order to successfully train your Miniature Schnauzer with this method. Learn clicker training for dogs.

You teach your Miniature Schnauzer dog that the click=reward.

To begin clicker training start by rewarding your Miniature Schnauzer for responding to the sound of the clicker only. It is important not to talk to your Schnauzer when practicing this method of dog training, at first.

Simply hold the clicker in one hand - a piece of kibble or small treat in the other. Then click and treat. It doesn’t matter what your Miniature Schnauzer is doing. Just click and treat. You are simply teaching your Miniature Schnauzer to respond to the clicking sound.

Now your Miniature Schnauzer dog has associated the sound of the clicker to the reward, a treat. click = treat

Adding commands to clicker training

Once your Miniature Schnauzer has associated the sound of the clicker to the reward, a treat - you may begin to add verbal or hand signals into the process.

Clicker Training:

Command = Behavior = Click = Treat

Start a Dog Behavior Training Program

First, we will teach our Miniature Schnauzers the basic dog commands.

Teaching your Miniature Schnauzer the basic dog commands also teaches him words and signals. Communicating with your Miniature Schnauzer daily this way, will improve his overall ability to quickly master new tricks, later on.

So before beginning any of the cool dog tricks – make sure your Miniature Schnauzer has mastered the basic obedience commands of dog behavior training.

Before you begin training your Miniature Schnauzer - take a few moments and familiarize yourself with the Dog Training Tips and Dog Training Aids on the next pages --->

Miniature Schnauzer Dog Training Series