Training Your Dog New Skills? How Important is Repetition?
Repetition is critical in the learning process! Whether it’s a child, adult or your dog, proper repetition supports long-term learning and skill mastery! Below, let’s take a closer look at how repetition supports the new skills you want your dog to learn.
What is Repetition?
According to Dictionary.com, repetition is “the act of repeating, or doing … something again; repeated action.” Just like with humans, with enough repetition comes association, understanding and then long-term learning for your canine. In other words, long-term learning requires repetition to acquire new skills and tasks. According to Ty the Dog Guy, “it’s all muscle memory.”
Think about it this way … when you get dressed each morning, don’t you repeat the same actions? For example, you put your pants on the same way, starting with the same leg. But that simple task took a plethora of repetitions when you were a small child growing up! Now, you don’t even give it a conscious thought. The tasks and skills we teach our dogs work the same way after enough time and repetitions!
But not all repetitions are equal!
Not All Repetitions are the Same!
Woman Training a Dog at the Mall
One of the biggest issues when it comes to training a dog is the temptation to quit too early when owners think several successful repetitions are “good enough.” Unfortunately, that creates a dog who only obeys in its current situation instead of dependably in every situation.
For example, training your dog to sit in your living room (with few distractions) does not ensure a dog will sit around distractions in your yard, at the park or in the general public. This is the result of training deemed “good enough” in just one situation or environment.
According to K-9Culture.com, “good dog training requires hundreds upon hundreds of repetitions in many different environments with several different distractions.” This thorough training ensures a dog will obey in any location with any distractions. Set your dog (and yourself) up for success with plenty of repetitions!
Also keep in mind, just like humans, dogs learn at different paces. So bring your patience!
In addition, make sure your repetitions are delivered consistently over the weeks and months of training and also by all members of the family. By being consistent with:
Commands,
The tone of voice,
Repetitions,
Expectations and positive reinforcements
it simplifies the training and makes it easier for your dog to create the correct association of what you want them to do. Whatever task or skill you are training your dog to accomplish, your dog must associate a behavior with a specific outcome. Now you and your dog are truly communicating!
Learn the 5 Stages of Successful Dog Training here.
So, should corrections be used when teaching a dog with repetitions?
Repetition vs Correction
Effective dog training is time-consuming and it’s often tempting to take shortcuts to gain the desired results. Resist that urge! Shortcuts only offer short-term results because the fundamentals of how a dog learns are being ignored. Also, corrections can create fear which is counterproductive to effective dog training.
Dog Trainer Working with a Young Service Dog
Remember, your dog needs time and repetition to associate the correct behavior with a command. While corrections and treats can be used to coerce the wanted behavior in the present, it’s just not “good enough” to ensure long-term dependability. If your dog is highly food-motivated, using treats can help in the beginning when training a new skill or task. But for the best, long-term results phase out the treats so your dog associates and performs the proper behavior because he understands the command, not because of the promise of a treat. Instead, use a happy tone of voice or gestures to positively reinforce and reward the dog’s correct behavior.
Remember, dog training is long-term and the time investment you make will affect the eventual outcome for years to come! So, keep it fun, remain patient, and keep raising the bar with lots of positive reinforcement and your dog will reward you with desirable behaviors for the rest of his life!
All Images Courtesy of MobilityDog.
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