Know what you're rewarding

Reward is not just a bit of jerky or a tennis ball. Punishment is not a smack, or shouting.

Acknowledgement is reward.

That means eye contact, verbal contact and physical contact - no matter whether you think it's positive or negative interaction.

Because humans and dogs communicate in very different ways, humans seldom realise what behaviour they are rewarding and how.

Notice how often you look at your dog, how often you touch him, or speak to him... probably thousands of times a day - and depending on timing you may or may not be rewarding behaviour you want. 

What's sure is, you get the behaviour you reward.  So if you're getting behaviour you don't want, you need to become conscious of how you're rewarding it. 

If you help understanding what you reward, get in touch!