Why Positive Reinforcement Creates More Focused Dogs
MaKayla Smith 
Learn why positive reinforcement training is effective in building focus
Now that we have talked about why focus is so important as a foundation skill, let’s talk about why positive reinforcement training creates a more focused dog!
Positive reinforcement training focuses on teaching your dog how making good decisions brings good things. For example, they sit and they get a treat. They come back to you, the ball is thrown again or they get attention. By doing this, the dog learns what actions will get them good things and what actions won’t. This, in turn, will lead to them to choose the appropriate actions so they can get those rewards.
They want those rewards. Whether it is a toy, a treat or some really good scratches. When you pair the reward with the desired behavior, that behavior will become more frequent. This creates a habit where they are more likely to exhibit the desired behavior because it has become routine to them. Almost like muscle memory.
Punishing your dog for making a wrong decision won’t necessarily mean that they will stop that specific action or behavior. But it will make them more likely to not want to engage with you because they don’t want to risk making the wrong choice again. Why would they want to engage when they are punished for making the wrong choice? Especially when they don’t understand why they are being punished or why that choice was wrong.
Positive reinforcement makes engaging with you and participating in training the best thing ever! So why keep trying to fight your dog when you can teach them that focusing and listening to you brings games and fun things? Training shouldn’t be a fight. It shouldn't be frustrating and you or your dog shouldn’t dread that training time. It should be a time when you and your dog can engage in a fun and enjoyable way. The more games you can integrate into your training, the more effective it will be and the more your dog won’t want the fun to stop!
If you want to learn more about how to get your dog to focus, check out our affordable online dog training course: Build Focus in 7 Days!