We all love our pets for just who they are! But every now and then, a behavior will pop up that may require some work or practice. Many times this means training, for both pets and their owners, to help everyone live their happiest life under one roof. And believe it or not, training can be fun! Lollypop Farm has kicked off a positive training challenge to help pet owners and their furry friends find the best ways to fix problematic behaviors and reward good ones.
Each week, we’re posting a brand new video with an example of how you can use positive reinforcement to create a stronger, happier bond with your pet. We encourage you to take the challenge and learn how to use these recommended positive reinforcement methods!
The first week of the positive training challenge speaks to the importance of healthy exercise for your pet, and for you! Pets with extra energy with no outlet may find ways to entertain themselves that aren’t ideal for your average home. Walking is a great way to get your dog out, but it can be a struggle if they pull and jump on the leash. Positive reinforcement can help you enjoy your walks more! And don’t forget cats! Our feline friends need exercise too. Play and exercise can be a great way to bond with your cat at home. Check out our healthy exercise video below, and think about trying these techniques with your pets at home.
Week two focuses on trading aversive techniques for positive ones. Aversive training techniques and tools are anything that make your pet feel fear or stress in order to make them do or stop a certain behavior. These techniques include using things like prong collars, e-collars, or spray bottles. While some of these techniques may have worked in the past, positive reinforcement has been proven to just as effective, and doesn’t cause your pet any unnecessary stress or fear. Check out the video below!
Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool to enact behavior changes in our pets! When you pair positive reinforcement with something that is scary to an animal or something that they’re not familiar with, you’re helping them overcome that fear, or learn a new behavior, by associating the positive reward with that thing! Pet owners can teach their pets awesome things using positive reinforcement, plus it’s great for your bond with your pet. Check out the video below and show us the results of your positive reinforcement training!
Every pet is an individual with their own preferences! We have so much control over their lives most of the time, that it’s great when we can give them choices and respect those decisions. Giving your pets options like the choice to work for their food, the choice to participate, the choice of where to walk, all have a positive effect on their behavioral health. Click the link below and show us how you give your pet choices!
Remember that you welcome an animal into your home, they’re just that – an animal! Cats, dogs, and all other types of pets have species-typical behaviors – things that they do, just because they’re a cat, or a dog, or an iguana. Every pet is an individual! Sometimes their quirks are adorable, sometimes they can be messy, but at the end of the day, we love our pets just for who they are. Click the link below and show us your animal’s quirks!
Interested in learning more about the positive training challenge and getting involved? Click here to view all of the videos so far. When new weekly training challenges are released, they will be added to that webpage! In the coming weeks, you’ll see all sorts of exciting new things to try out with your pet, including clicker training, giving choices, feeding enrichment, and acceptance.
Once you’ve tried each of these training methods, we encourage you to head over to our Facebook page and share a photo or video of you and your pet practicing! We’d love to see you and your pet learning together, and we guarantee you’ll have fun doing it!
