Benefits of Positive and Natural Dog Training

You may have looked at your pets as they swayed, sitting in their sleepy state, or slept peacefully with their tongue lolling out, wondering why you would ever need to train your angels, only to find pee in your shoes, ripped curtains and missing chunks in your furniture after some time!

It is easy to get frustrated at times, and if you are a first-time pet-parent, you may be looking for ways to train your pup now. You may even have seen some methods of training, or heard stories of training gone sour, and are worried about how you could train your furry friend right!

Training pets is an incredibly important process which has the potential of shaping your pet’s personality. Every dog, just like us, is unique. They have their own personality, traits, and habits that form more naturally than others. It is understandable when you want to modify some of the not-so-healthy, or verging-on-problematic traits for their sake and yours.

But, doing so incorrectly can cause more problems than solve them. Don’t worry, it is natural if you are feeling a little overwhelmed. But, these furry babies deserve all the love and care, and we are here to tell you all about some healthy and balanced ways of training.

So, if you are wondering what positive and natural dog training is, and why you should adapt to this method, keep reading!

What is Positive & Natural Training?

Positive reinforcement is a method where you reward your furry friend with an activity or a food item they love when they accept your suggestions, inputs or important commands. 

The reward could be a treat they love, a toy, an activity like playing around or going for a walk or even belly rubs!

Instead of any negative reinforcement, which may cause trauma to your pup, a positive and natural method of training helps them to bond emotionally with you.

While positive and natural training boosts good behavior based on mutual respect, admiration and love, negative reinforcement hurts them and induces fear, trauma and intimidation in your pets.

It is vital to speak with veterinarians, good trainers and pet-parents who have happy, healthy and pawsome dogs before you stick to a method of training to avoid forming a negative bond with your pet.

Naturally, it is easier to train puppies, but if you have a fully-grown dog, it is never too late to help them with natural and kind methods of training!

For more specific details, don’t forget to check out our FAQ section below!

Where can you use Positive and Natural Dog Training Methods?

While we are busy living our modern-day, technologically advanced lives, sometimes, unfortunately, our pets spend at least some time by themselves. 

That makes the time they spend with you incredibly special to them, and when you use positive & natural methods of training, using treats that are healthy for them and that they love, training them becomes a fun activity even for them. 

Be it training in their daily exercise, commands like "sit", "stop", which come in handy even for their safety at times, and mental stimulation that gives them that peaceful and happy sleep (where they appear to be running after their toys in their dream!) using natural and organic treats as a part of their positive training will help you train them naturally while maintaining their physical and mental health.

The best part of it is that they become happy, content and emotionally stable adult dogs.

By rewarding them with healthy, organic and tasty treats, they are more likely to repeat the desired behavior and form a friendly bond with you. It not only helps them learn important instructions, but also helps them be in charge of their good behavior in the long run. It helps them get away from boredom and keeps them satisfied.

So, in short, where can you use the methods of positive reinforcement?

In a nutshell, everywhere!

Benefits of Positive and Natural Training

• Avoids anxiousness, aggression or other problematic behaviors.
• It is a safe way of training!
• Fun, easy training method that the whole family can get involved in.
• Motivates your pet to be attentive and respect your instruction.
• It helps when you take your pet to public places. This training helps your pet stay calm, trust you and behave well in public, giving them some independence.
• Treats that they love help them be appreciative of you and help them form a bond based on love and respect with you.
• Organic treats keep them healthy. Non-organic treats may contain toxic materials that have been known to cause diseases like cancer in dogs.

May is National Pet Month, and this year, you can treat your pets to some amazingly tasty, organic, preservative-free dog treats from Lord Jameson! We offer a wide variety of natural flavors for small breeds, large breeds and no matter what your pet’s personality is like, we have flavors to match their unique personality!

To know more about our soft, health-friendly and environmentally safe treats, click here! 

Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Dog Training

What is holistic dog training?

Holistic dog training focuses on the entire dog and takes a comprehension and balanced approach that delves further than just looking at individual behaviors and obedience commands and takes into account the physical, mental and emotional well-being of the dog.

“Is the dog getting what it needs?” - That is the first thing I want to look at when working with a new puppy or dog. By that I mean are its basic needs being fulfilled, diet and nutrition, exercise both mental and physical, structure, routine, these all play a role in your dog’s behavior and how your dog feels.

Is natural/holistic dog training reward based?

The short answer is yes it is. 

But we have to look at what the reward is, what it means to the dog, and the timing of when it is applied if we want to be successful in teaching the puppy or dog a new behavior.

What are the examples of different types of rewards used in natural/holistic dog training?

Well, the most obvious is food, right?

Food is an external reward, an outside source, something we give the dog. We can use food in training to motivate a dog, we can use it as a lure when teaching a puppy or adult dog how to move its body into a position, and then as a marker to mark the correct behavior or position.  This is where timing and how to properly use food in training comes in.  

Some dogs are highly food motivated and others less so, you have to find the food reward that works for your dog.  

There are dogs that are just looking for a higher hourly wage and not going to work for a low value reward so you may have to find the food reward that your dog really likes. We use Lord Jameson treats with our dog students for a couple of reasons. The first is well, we have not had a dog that refused them and that makes life easier for us!

They are great to break into smaller pieces for training sessions, we don’t want to overfeed on treats but we do want to have enough little training rewards to use during our training lesson. And most importantly for us is that Lord Jameson treats are real food.

Toys can also be used as a reward, many dogs are toy driven. Affection is another reward, a little pat on the head and a job well done can go a long way at boosting your dog’s confidence.

My dog has anxiety. Can natural, positive and holistic dog training help?

Yes, one of the great benefits of natural dog training is we get to the root of the behavior problem and don’t just put a band aid over it. Emotional well-being of the dog is at the heart of holistic dog training, and will focus on the emotional state of the dog and how to create a calm emotional state to address not only anxiety, fears and aggression but build self-confidence and impulse control to promote your dog’s overall well-being.

What are the examples of different types of rewards used in natural/holistic dog training?

Well, the most obvious is food, right?

Food is an external reward, an outside source, something we give the dog. We can use food in training to motivate a dog, we can use it as a lure when teaching a puppy or adult dog how to move its body into a position, and then as a marker to mark the correct behavior or position.  This is where timing and how to properly use food in training comes in.  

Some dogs are highly food motivated and others less so, you have to find the food reward that works for your dog.  

There are dogs that are just looking for a higher hourly wage and not going to work for a low value reward so you may have to find the food reward that your dog really likes. We use Lord Jameson treats with our dog students for a couple of reasons. The first is well, we have not had a dog that refused them and that makes life easier for us!

They are great to break into smaller pieces for training sessions, we don’t want to overfeed on treats but we do want to have enough little training rewards to use during our training lesson. And most importantly for us is that Lord Jameson treats are real food.

Toys can also be used as a reward, many dogs are toy driven. Affection is another reward, a little pat on the head and a job well done can go a long way at boosting your dog’s confidence.

My dog has anxiety. Can natural, positive and holistic dog training help?

Yes, one of the great benefits of natural dog training is we get to the root of the behavior problem and don’t just put a band aid over it. Emotional well-being of the dog is at the heart of holistic dog training, and will focus on the emotional state of the dog and how to create a calm emotional state to address not only anxiety, fears and aggression but build self-confidence and impulse control to promote your dog’s overall well-being.

Do you have any helpful training tips for dog owners?

Have plenty of patience!  

Training is a journey not a short trip to the store.  Keep in mind you are teaching your dog something new that it does not know, and secondly your dog doesn’t come programmed speaking any language you speak, so you are also teaching a new form of communication. 

Patience because your dog won’t always get it right and you may have to adjust how you are teaching or give your dog more clarity on what you are asking of it.  Learn to listen to your dog, they are giving us feedback during training sessions all the time, we just have to pay attention to the signs, and be aware of the feedback you are giving your dog. Don’t forget to breathe and have fun, and keep practicing! 

Want to Know More About us?

At Lord Jameson, we focus on creating organic, natural, flavorful, preservative-free, healthy treats for the well-being of your best-fur-friends. We understand the importance of giving your pets a good, healthy, happy life - and we start by using the best organic ingredients for your pet's treats! You can check out our collection here.

You can rest assured, we offer the highest quality food that helps boost immunity. For more information, don't hesitate to reach out to us!