The Power of Positivity by Susan Howard, CPDT-KA
What would you say if I told you that I have a “magic wand” that can turn your unruly dog into a well behaved member of the family? That’s right, bring on your worst barkers, pullers, diggers, and jumpers and I will show you how a small plastic "cricket" (or clicker) can change the way you have always thought about dog training. But first you need to have a working knowledge of the principles of reinforcement training.
Remember the awe you felt the first time you watched a whale or porpoise show at a theme park? How do you suppose those trainers were able to get roughly 8000 pounds of blubber to shoot straight up into the air with a simple hand signal? They did it with reinforcement training, or what I like to call the awesome Power of Positivity. The technical term is operant conditioning, which simply means to respond to stimuli in our environment, either positive or negative. Whales and other marine life do not work to avoid punishment (as is the case with outdated dog training methods), they work to earn rewards (fish). It has always astonished me that this type of training was commonplace with marine biologists many decades ago, but it took us dog trainers until just recently to catch up!
It was once commonly thought that you must dominate your dog, or use punishing equipment such as choke, prong or even electronic shock collars in order to train effectively. This is absolutely not true and is outdated methodology! Just as we no longer use corporal punishment in our schools, dog training has also "come a long way baby." Fortunately, more and more trainers are moving away from dominance theory, realizing that it can be very damaging to the human/dog bond, and are instead embracing positive training techniques such as clicker training and lure/reward training.
So, a magic wand? Well, not really, but a simple clicker, used correctly, can mean the difference between a well trained pet who is a welcome member of your family and an unruly one who gets relegated to the basement or backyard. Very simply, the sound is used to mark the exact moment a desired behavior occurs, such as a Sit. The sound is then followed by a reward, usually food, but praise, petting or play can also be used. When this sound "marker" is made the instant the dog sits, and is then followed by a favorite treat, the dog quickly learns exactly which behavior earned him that reward and the likelihood of that behavior being repeated is increased.
That's all well and good for teaching new behaviors, but what about controlling those nuisance behaviors, such as bolting through the front door every time it is opened? Reinforcement training uses both positive and negative reinforcement. Obviously the Sit exercise is an example of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is when something is taken away until a desired behavior occurs, to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior being offered. In the case of door bolting, the reinforcement (or reward) is the freedom gained by running through the doorway. By withholding this freedom (by positioning yourself between dog and door and quickly closing it in his face until he stays put), you are able to teach him that he must first wait for you to release him before walking through the doorway to "freedom" (hopefully safely on a leash)! In this case, walking through the door is the positive reinforcer, so shutting it in his face each time he moves toward it is the application of negative reinforcement. Eventually, your dog will sit until released and allowed to walk through the door with you, thereby achieving his reward.
With the correct combination of positive and negative reinforcement (the “yin” and “yang” of training) acceptable behaviors are rewarded and unacceptable ones are eliminated. Boundaries and leadership are established and peace and harmony will reign in your once chaotic home.
For a more in depth description of reinforcement training I highly recommend Don't Shoot the Dog: the New Art of Teaching and Training, by Karen Pryor.
Susan Howard is the owner of Ruff Diamond Dogs and has been applying the principles of positive reinforcement in dog obedience training for over twenty years. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, former canine disc world finalist, has shown and titled numerous dogs in AKC obedience trials and is a Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Remember the awe you felt the first time you watched a whale or porpoise show at a theme park? How do you suppose those trainers were able to get roughly 8000 pounds of blubber to shoot straight up into the air with a simple hand signal? They did it with reinforcement training, or what I like to call the awesome Power of Positivity. The technical term is operant conditioning, which simply means to respond to stimuli in our environment, either positive or negative. Whales and other marine life do not work to avoid punishment (as is the case with outdated dog training methods), they work to earn rewards (fish). It has always astonished me that this type of training was commonplace with marine biologists many decades ago, but it took us dog trainers until just recently to catch up!
It was once commonly thought that you must dominate your dog, or use punishing equipment such as choke, prong or even electronic shock collars in order to train effectively. This is absolutely not true and is outdated methodology! Just as we no longer use corporal punishment in our schools, dog training has also "come a long way baby." Fortunately, more and more trainers are moving away from dominance theory, realizing that it can be very damaging to the human/dog bond, and are instead embracing positive training techniques such as clicker training and lure/reward training.
So, a magic wand? Well, not really, but a simple clicker, used correctly, can mean the difference between a well trained pet who is a welcome member of your family and an unruly one who gets relegated to the basement or backyard. Very simply, the sound is used to mark the exact moment a desired behavior occurs, such as a Sit. The sound is then followed by a reward, usually food, but praise, petting or play can also be used. When this sound "marker" is made the instant the dog sits, and is then followed by a favorite treat, the dog quickly learns exactly which behavior earned him that reward and the likelihood of that behavior being repeated is increased.
That's all well and good for teaching new behaviors, but what about controlling those nuisance behaviors, such as bolting through the front door every time it is opened? Reinforcement training uses both positive and negative reinforcement. Obviously the Sit exercise is an example of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is when something is taken away until a desired behavior occurs, to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior being offered. In the case of door bolting, the reinforcement (or reward) is the freedom gained by running through the doorway. By withholding this freedom (by positioning yourself between dog and door and quickly closing it in his face until he stays put), you are able to teach him that he must first wait for you to release him before walking through the doorway to "freedom" (hopefully safely on a leash)! In this case, walking through the door is the positive reinforcer, so shutting it in his face each time he moves toward it is the application of negative reinforcement. Eventually, your dog will sit until released and allowed to walk through the door with you, thereby achieving his reward.
With the correct combination of positive and negative reinforcement (the “yin” and “yang” of training) acceptable behaviors are rewarded and unacceptable ones are eliminated. Boundaries and leadership are established and peace and harmony will reign in your once chaotic home.
For a more in depth description of reinforcement training I highly recommend Don't Shoot the Dog: the New Art of Teaching and Training, by Karen Pryor.
Susan Howard is the owner of Ruff Diamond Dogs and has been applying the principles of positive reinforcement in dog obedience training for over twenty years. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, former canine disc world finalist, has shown and titled numerous dogs in AKC obedience trials and is a Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
