It is a common question – when should you begin training your new dog or puppy? The answer – as soon as you bring him/her home. Really, from the time that your new friend enters your life, he is already learning what to do and not to do simply by the feedback he receives from his environment about the behavior. Behaviors that serve to get him a consequence of value will be repeated and even strengthened. And on the flip side, you too are learning (consciously or unconsciously) to reinforce behavior. So, it’s important right from the start to focus on making those good behaviors you want to see more of, the ones that get the highest value consequence. That’d be training with positive reinforcement – and it makes learning so much fun!
