Need help training your dog but don't know where to start?
America is a dog-loving nation in which over 65 million households own at least one dog, making our furry friends the most popular pet by a considerable distance. Whichever breed you have, obedience training and behavioral adjustment training could be key to giving your pup the best quality of life - while also removing a lot of stress from yours.
While many people use the two terms interchangeably, there are distinct differences between the dog training methods and how they can be used to support your pet. Here's all you need to know about obedience training and behavioral adjustment training in order to make the right selection.
The Difference Between Obedience and Behavioral Adjustment Training
What is Obedience Training?
In its simplest terms, obedience training is defined as teaching dogs to respond to specific verbal commands. Almost all of the 6,800+ dog trainers in the U.S. will offer this as a service.
Dog obedience basics will focus on commands like “sit”, “stay”, or “heel”. More advanced commands include terms like “look”, “off”, or “place”. Either way, they are clear commands that are designed to evoke a response from the dog whenever they are called, irrespective of the context or environment.
Obedience dog training techniques often focus on repetition and positive enforcement until the dog understands the command. Success is only achieved when the pup will reliably respond to the command every time. Therefore, dog owners need to be present during the dog training techniques as the pup will likely comply only when the command is said in the same way that it was used throughout training.
Owners may choose obedience training as a tool to prepare their pup for dog competitions or develop basic manners. It is also easier to keep dogs safe if they will respond to commands like “stop” or “stay” instead of entering potentially dangerous situations.
What is Behavioral Adjustment Training?
Behavioral adjustment training is used to address unwanted or problematic behaviors that the dog has displayed. In most cases, then, the goal is to modify the dog's emotional responses and actions in certain situations, which is why context will matter greatly.
Whereas obedience training basics focus on verbal communication, behavioral adjustment training aims to help dogs make the right choice without the need for human intervention and verbal clues. It may be used to help pups overcome behavioral problems linked to fear, aggression, leash reactivity, and other contextualized behaviors.
This type of reactivity training focuses on teaching dogs to learn the consequences of a particular behavior. Therefore, repetition will be required. Common methods used include desensitization, counter-conditioning, and reactivity management. The use of consequences, both positive and negative, to certain actions will also shape the learning curve.
The goal is to make the dog feel safe and secure when making the right choices, which helps them naturally avoid the negative behaviors that the training was designed to cure.
When to Choose Obedience or Behavioral Adjustment Training
Both obedience training and behavioral adjustment training serve to boost your dog's quality of life. However, they are two very different dog training methods. Knowing whether to opt for the verbal communication and trainer-dog bond of obedience training or the contextualized responses of behavioral adjustment training is essential for making the right choice. Generally speaking, the following advice should serve you well;
- Select obedience training for training puppies, competition dogs, or dogs that need to learn commands for walks, etc.
- Choose behavioral adjustment training if your dog has a fear of strangers, shows aggression in situations, or is guilty of resource guarding.
Ultimately, though, every pooch is unique and the individual circumstances should be analyzed to make a winning decision. To discuss your dog's training needs and find the right solution for their requirements, get in touch with Daynightk9s’ today.
