Laying a POSITIVE Foundation
Everyone’s heard it at least once in their life—“You need to be the alpha!” when it comes to the relationship between you and your dog. TV shows, magazines, books, and even some professional trainers will recommend outdated training tactics such as alpha rolling, scuffing, and use of aversive training tools in order to force your dog into “submission” and therefore “good behavior.” While these training tactics may work for some dogs, they can be detrimental if you are working with a naturally sensitive breed such as the Hokkaido.
When training your Hokkaido puppy, it’s important to lay the foundation for POSITIVE learning and a strong dog/handler relationship. When dogs are trained with a positive reinforcement rewards system, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine transmits feelings of happiness and pleasure; thus making the dog want to repeat the behavior in order to experience that same “feel good” reaction. This greatly increases the bond that dog and handler share, because learning becomes something fun and pleasurable for them. Dopamine also influences movement, learning, and attention. Studies have shown that puppies who were trained using positive reinforcement methods learn more quickly than puppies trained with punishment-based methods, they have a much greater responsiveness to their handler, and a reduced likelihood of developing serious behavior issues after maturity.
When training with punishment-based training tactics such as the “alpha” method, the handler is evoking a fear response. During a stressful event (such as a puppy receiving a harsh correction), neurotransmitters suppress activity in areas of the brain which deal with short-term memory, concentration, and rational thought. This greatly inhibits the dog’s ability to learn and perform successfully. What’s worse, this feeling of fear can be generalized not just to training itself, but to the handler as well. Training with aversive methods greatly damages the bond between dog and handler. As a result, more behavior problems are likely to spring up. Common side effects of punishment-based training tactics include heightened aggression, decreased responsiveness to the handler’s commands, and learned helplessness.
Our Hokkaido puppies are exposed to clicker training at just four weeks old. From 4-8 weeks, we spend time laying the foundation for a well-rounded, responsive puppy who wants to please their new owners. However, it is extremely important that new puppy families continue what we’ve started.
When training your Hokkaido puppy, it’s important to lay the foundation for POSITIVE learning and a strong dog/handler relationship. When dogs are trained with a positive reinforcement rewards system, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released in the brain. Dopamine transmits feelings of happiness and pleasure; thus making the dog want to repeat the behavior in order to experience that same “feel good” reaction. This greatly increases the bond that dog and handler share, because learning becomes something fun and pleasurable for them. Dopamine also influences movement, learning, and attention. Studies have shown that puppies who were trained using positive reinforcement methods learn more quickly than puppies trained with punishment-based methods, they have a much greater responsiveness to their handler, and a reduced likelihood of developing serious behavior issues after maturity.
When training with punishment-based training tactics such as the “alpha” method, the handler is evoking a fear response. During a stressful event (such as a puppy receiving a harsh correction), neurotransmitters suppress activity in areas of the brain which deal with short-term memory, concentration, and rational thought. This greatly inhibits the dog’s ability to learn and perform successfully. What’s worse, this feeling of fear can be generalized not just to training itself, but to the handler as well. Training with aversive methods greatly damages the bond between dog and handler. As a result, more behavior problems are likely to spring up. Common side effects of punishment-based training tactics include heightened aggression, decreased responsiveness to the handler’s commands, and learned helplessness.
Our Hokkaido puppies are exposed to clicker training at just four weeks old. From 4-8 weeks, we spend time laying the foundation for a well-rounded, responsive puppy who wants to please their new owners. However, it is extremely important that new puppy families continue what we’ve started.
Puppy Fear Periods
Much like human children, puppies will experience multiple periods of heightened fear responses and fear imprinting. Special care must be taken during these periods in order to not incidentally expose your puppy to something which will evoke a negative reaction. Fear periods first start to develop around 5-6 weeks of age, again at 8-10 weeks, and again somewhere between 6-14 months; each period increasing in severity until the puppy’s final temperament and fear sensitivity levels off between 2-4 years depending on the breed and the individual dog.
Young puppies are like little sponges; absorbing new information and situations rapidly with little ability to distinguish between what is “safe” and what is “dangerous” for them. During a fear period, however, puppies experience higher levels of emotional sensitivity. This allows a maturing brain to retain more information about specific environments, objects, people, and situations. Unfortunately, this increased sensitivity also gives the puppy the ability to develop permanent fear reactions to what they may encounter during this critical window.
During fear periods, it’s important that new puppy owners be especially careful when it comes to their puppy’s socialization. The Hokkaido is a sensitive breed to begin with, making POSITIVE socialization experiences absolutely necessary. All socialization encounters should be structured so the puppy remains fully in control if the situation. This means everything should be taken at your puppy’s own pace. Do not try to lure or force your puppy into a situation where he is clearly uncomfortable. Instead, wait for him to approach the scary situation on his own. New situations during this period should always be presented as something mild (i.e. a tiny startle), that the puppy can easily overcome. If he doesn't recover almost instantly after a spook, you are pushing your puppy too far, too fast. Training sessions also should be kept short (under 6 minutes with plenty of rest in between), and positive reinforcement should always be used.
For more information on socialization, please check out our Puppy Socialization page.
Young puppies are like little sponges; absorbing new information and situations rapidly with little ability to distinguish between what is “safe” and what is “dangerous” for them. During a fear period, however, puppies experience higher levels of emotional sensitivity. This allows a maturing brain to retain more information about specific environments, objects, people, and situations. Unfortunately, this increased sensitivity also gives the puppy the ability to develop permanent fear reactions to what they may encounter during this critical window.
During fear periods, it’s important that new puppy owners be especially careful when it comes to their puppy’s socialization. The Hokkaido is a sensitive breed to begin with, making POSITIVE socialization experiences absolutely necessary. All socialization encounters should be structured so the puppy remains fully in control if the situation. This means everything should be taken at your puppy’s own pace. Do not try to lure or force your puppy into a situation where he is clearly uncomfortable. Instead, wait for him to approach the scary situation on his own. New situations during this period should always be presented as something mild (i.e. a tiny startle), that the puppy can easily overcome. If he doesn't recover almost instantly after a spook, you are pushing your puppy too far, too fast. Training sessions also should be kept short (under 6 minutes with plenty of rest in between), and positive reinforcement should always be used.
For more information on socialization, please check out our Puppy Socialization page.
Potty Training Your Hokkaido
Coming soon!
Resource Guarding
Coming soon!
Healthy Play & Puppy Biting
Coming soon!