Dog training in a nutshell
What is positive reinforcement training or R+?
Positive reinforcement dog training is a fantastic way to teach your furry friend good behavior. Instead of scolding or using force, this method focuses on rewarding your dog when they do something right. You can give them treats, praise them, or play with them to show appreciation. It's all about creating a positive and enjoyable learning experience. Unlike harsh techniques, positive reinforcement builds trust and strengthens your bond with your dog. It helps them understand what you want and boosts their confidence. This approach is widely considered the best because it is humane, produces lasting results, and dogs enjoy the process.
What are all the ways to train a dog?
- Positive Reinforcement: This quadrant involves rewarding desired behaviors with treats, praise, or play to increase the likelihood of those behaviors being repeated. It focuses on motivating dogs through positive stimuli.
- Negative Reinforcement: In this quadrant, the aim is to remove or avoid unpleasant stimuli when the dog performs the desired behavior. For example, releasing pressure on a leash when the dog stops pulling. The goal is to strengthen the desired behavior by relieving the dog from discomfort.
- Positive Punishment: This quadrant involves adding an aversive stimulus, like a scolding or physical correction, when the dog displays an undesired behavior. The intention is to decrease the likelihood of that behavior happening again by associating it with an unpleasant consequence.
- Negative Punishment: This quadrant entails removing a desirable stimulus as a consequence of the dog's undesired behavior. For instance, briefly withdrawing attention or ending a play session when the dog jumps on people. The goal is to decrease the occurrence of the unwanted behavior by taking away something the dog values.
Where is the proof?
We highly value critical thinking, skepticism, and drawing your own conclusions. Because of this, we're always happy to discuss how and why we came to our conclusions about any of our training. As such, we've notated a few scientific studies below to back up our positive reinforcement / play based methodology.
- Deldalle, S., & Gaunet, F. (2014). Effects of 2 training methods on stress-related behaviors of the dog (Canis familiaris) and on the dog-owner relationship. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 9(2), 58-65.
- Herron, M. E., Shofer, F. S., & Reisner, I. R. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117(1-2), 47-54.
- Rooney, N. J., & Cowan, S. (2011). Training methods and owner-dog interactions: Links with dog behavior and learning ability. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 132(3-4), 169-177.
- Arhant, C., Bubna-Littitz, H., Bartels, A., Futschik, A., & Troxler, J. (2010). Behaviour of smaller and larger dogs: Effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behavior and level of engagement in activities with the dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 123(3-4), 131-142.
- Cooper, J. J., Cracknell, N., Hardiman, J., Wright, H., & Mills, D. (2014). The welfare consequences and efficacy of training pet dogs with remote electronic training collars in comparison to reward-based training. PloS One, 9(9), e102722.