Dog Training 101 – The Basics
Even a brand new dog trainer must have a basic understanding of a few things; operant conditioning, classical conditioning, dog drives/motivations and basic needs. I’m going to try to keep my explanations short so we can really delve into the myth that is positive only dog training.
A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired: a response which is at first elicited by the second stimulus is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone. Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov.
Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an individual makes an association between a particular behavior and a consequence. Discovered by American psychologist B.F. Skinner.
A dog is an animal, it is driven by a few things in life (which is a whole other debate), we call these drives. The main drive we will talk about is food.
Just like humans dogs have basic needs, think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Dog’s can’t ever reach self actualization, but they have physiological needs (food, air, water), safety needs, and belongingness needs (being a part of a pack).
To break this down very quickly classical and operant conditioning are how animals learn. Their drives and needs are the rewards in the training process.
What is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?
Positive reinforcement dog training is when you reward your dog for a specific behavior, so the behavior will happen more often. When a dog sits, and he gets a treat, he learns to sit more often. Positive reinforcement works even when pet owners don’t suspect it.
If you open a crate door, while your dog is barking inside it, your dog learns barking means you’ll open the crate door. Begging is a good positive reinforcement example too. If you feed your dog while he sits next to your plate, he learns that sitting close to your plate makes food happen. Yup, this is positive reinforcement too!
Positive reinforcement works in the human world too. We work for paychecks—that’s our reward for working hard. Pats on the back, bonuses and hugs are human rewards too. Super yummy treats are easily great dog rewards because everyone loves food. Praise, pats, fun games, tidbits from your dinner plate, escaping a boring crate or moving away from a scary dog are great positive reinforcement examples for dogs too.
Yes, Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Does Work
Every single day, I’m asked whether or not positive reinforcement dog training works. While many pet owners purposely pursue a positive dog trainer, there are still doubts written across their face. This is very evident when working with reactive dogs; many pet owners just don’t trust the dog training technique.
As with anything, there are pros and cons, but you’ll notice very few cons with positive reinforcement dog training. When doubt creeps in, tell yourself to trust the process because positive dog training really works.
Positive ONLY Dog Training is a LIE – Train Your DOG the BEST WAY
As our society is evolving and becoming more advanced, modern ideas seem to be affecting all aspect of our lives. That includes dog training.
Unlike man-made modern technology that evolves constantly to fit more advanced human needs, nature seems to always stay the same. In fact, advances in technology is helping us to reveal more secrets about the way nature has always existed.
From day one, humans gained their knowledge by observing nature. To this day, most of our inventions are the result of nature’s inspiration.
With that being said, it makes perfect sense for humans to observe how dogs interact with each other and then mimic their behavior in order to properly train them.
In nature, everything is based on balance, and without balance, everything will fall apart. Problems arise when humans that have little knowledge about dogs intervene to change things for their own desires and comfort level.
In the modern world of dog training, positive reinforcement-only dog trainers are causing a lot of confusion for dog owners. For those who might not know, an all-positive reinforcement dog trainer uses only positive punishment methods, like clickers, to mark good behaviors and then over-rewards the dog with treats. This type of training uses very little to no correction when a bad behavior arises. In fact, they do not believe in correcting bad behavior at all. Instead, they believe in ignoring a bad behavior and withholding a reward, using time-outs, intimidation tactics, ignoring the dog, withholding affection. This fools dog owners into thinking that this method is humane.
Always keep in mind that as long as you stay balanced in training your dog – meaning you balance love and discipline – you will raise a balanced dog who is very confident and understands how to behave in every situation. Discipline must be done in a way to increase your dog’s intelligence and to guide your dog toward the desired behavior. Punishment is wrong and does not provide any guidance.