08 Reinforcing Good Behavior
Description
This article is from the Your New Puppy FAQ, by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
08 Reinforcing Good Behavior
Puppies want attention. They will do a lot to get that attention --
even if it is negative! Thus, if you scold your puppy for doing things
you don't want it to do, and ignore it when it is being good, you are
reinforcing the wrong things. Ignore the bad things (or stop it
without yelling or scolding) and enthusiastically praise it when its
doing what you want, even if it's as simple as sitting and looking at
you, or quietly chewing one of its toys. This can be difficult to do,
as it is essentially reversing all your normal reactions. But it is
very important: you will wind up with a puppy that pays attention to
you and is happy to do what you want, if it understands you.
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