Training Your Shih Tzu. J. Walker
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heard the terms “operant conditioning” and “positive reinforcement.” But, what do these terms really mean and how do they affect you and your Shih Tzu? Without going into tremendous detail and boring you beyond tears (unless you’re looking for a good way to fall asleep tonight), operant conditioning is the conditioning of an animal (be it a porpoise, dog, cat, bird, human, or wolf) to provide a specific behavior in response to a cue. In boiled-down dog-training terms, operant conditioning is training a dog to respond to a command or hand signal with the desired behavior.
Of course, there are many ways to get from point A (giving the dog a command) to point B (the dog gives the desired behavior). Positive reinforcement is a method of shaping a desired behavior, such as a sit, using something the dog sees as a benefit. In other words, if the dog does something correctly, he receives something pleasurable.
The opposite of positive reinforcement training is negative reinforcement training. As the name implies, this involves the dog receiving something undesirable in order to shape a behavior. This method works on the dog’s desire to avoid discomfort or pain. An example of training using negative reinforcement to shape a behavior would be the use of a choke chain. A pop on the collar causes the dog momentary pain. The dog must figure out what he needs to do (or stop doing) to prevent the painful pop from happening again.
Reward-based Training
Though the avoidance of pain is certainly an effective way to teach a desired behavior, it is not any fun for the dog. Fortunately, in the past thirty years, advancements have been made in how to approach training. Trainers realized that rewarding a dog for providing the desired response worked just as well as punishing a dog for providing the wrong response. In fact, in addition to finding out that dogs learned quickly with reward-based training, it was discovered that the reward-based trained dogs retained the material well, without losing their enthusiasm.
Breaking it down. In order to make positive, reward-based training as effective as possible, there are a few rules to follow.
Rule #1: Set your dog up to succeed. The less chance your Shih Tzu has to fail, the more quickly he will learn the correct behavior. This is why, for example, when training a dog to sit, you will lure your dog into a sit, using a treat, before giving the command.
Rule #2: One will cost you 20. For every mistake you make in training your dog (i.e., you give your dog a command and he doesn’t respond or gives the wrong behavior), it may take up to 20 correct repetitions to undo the one wrong action. If this isn’t impetus for getting it right the first time, what is?
Rule #3: Take baby steps. When making an exercise more difficult, it’s important to move very slowly and change only one variable of an exercise at a time. Variables can include: time (the length of time that the dog remains in a position); distance (how far away from the dog you move while the dog is in a position); or place (the setting in which you ask your dog to perform the behavior).
Rule #4: The eighty percent correct factor. Before increasing the difficulty of an exercise, it’s important to make sure your Shih Tzu has a solid understanding of it. If your pup is giving the correct behavior quickly and with confidence at least eight out of ten times, he’s considered good to go. This does not mean you have to repeat the exercise ten times in a row. You will most likely lose your Shih Tzu’s attention if you try to do this. Instead, break up the exercise throughout a training session or even throughout the day, asking for a few repetitions here and there.
Rule #5: Blame the trainer, not the dog. There are no stubborn Shih Tzu! If your Shih Tzu doesn’t “do” a command or is having trouble learning a new skill, he is confused. Take a look at how you are approaching your training. Did you make too big of a step? Are you training too long and losing your dog’s concentration? Are you making training fun? Usually, if you look hard enough you can find where there was a breakdown. Go back to making the exercise simpler and more enjoyable (and more playful) for your Shih Tzu and you should be able to roll right through your slight training bump.
Rule #6: Find what motivates your Shih Tzu best. Reward-based training involves rewards. For many Shih Tzu, treats work wonders but you might have a ball-crazy dog or one that likes to play tug. Take a little time to figure out what your puppy loves the most and use this for your reward.
Rule #7: Use treats as lures. With positive, reward-based training, you’ll be using treats as a way to shape behaviors. For example, rather than pull up on your Shih Tzu’s collar as you push down on his rear end to “force” a sit, you’ll gently hold your Shih Tzu’s collar as you pass a lure over his head to get him to fold into a sit on his own.
Rule #8: Fading is required. As your Shih Tzu learns an exercise, you will gradually phase out (fade) the treats used to shape the behavior. The next set of treats to fade will be those used to reward every correct behavior. You will always reward with praise and pats, but the treats will appear more randomly during training sessions.
Rule #9: Praise is the ultimate reward. Food rewards or playtime with a ball or toy are great rewards but your praise is what your Shih Tzu values most. Words of delight and physical pats and rubs are the ultimate reward for your dog.
Rule #10: It has to be fun. If your Shih Tzu doesn’t think you’re playing with him when you’re training, then you’re not making it enough fun for the dog.
Puppy Pointers
Puppies present a unique training problem to the owner: brief windows of opportunity. Very young puppies play hard, eat, relieve themselves, and sleep—not necessarily in that order. Finding a time when your puppy is focused enough on you to provide a productive training period can be difficult.
If you understand that your puppy can’t focus for long periods (or take much of anything very seriously, for that matter), you’ve got a leg up on training. To be effective, you will need to keep your sessions exceptionally brief (maybe just a few repetitions of one or two exercises). Keep in mind that training can be impromptu and that you can perform these quick training sessions multiple times during the day.
TZU TIP
When using treats as lures and rewards, it’s important that your Shih Tzu be a little hungry. If he’s just eaten a meal, he won’t be as motivated to work for food.
When training your puppy keep these pointers in mind. In addition, here are some more puppy-training tips.
1. Always end a training session on a good note. Have your puppy finish with a successful repetition—it does not have to be the exercise you’re working on, particularly if your Shih Tzu is having a difficult time.
2. Only train when you are in a good mood; your puppy will quickly sense your frustration, even if it’s not with him.
3. Have lots of patience. Shih Tzu puppies are easily distracted by the tiniest of things. His attention span will improve as he ages. When you see that he is maintaining his focus a little longer, you can work up to longer training sessions.
4. Burn off a little steam. If your puppy has lots of excess energy and can’t focus because he’s really wound up, play with him. Play zoomie around the house. Toss a ball. Go for a little walk. Then get your Shih Tzu’s attention for a mini training session.
5. Keep the puppy “joy” alive. Remember, it’s easy to squelch your puppy’s enthusiasm with just a single harsh word.
Working with Adult Dogs
Old(er) dogs can learn new tricks. In fact, the adult Shih Tzu will enjoy the extra attention she receives from you during training sessions. Training is also helpful in maintaining an elderly dog’s cognitive abilities.
A benefit to working with the adult Shih Tzu is that he has a considerably longer attention span than a puppy. If you’ve adopted a Shih Tzu, you may