REWARDS TRAINING

Most training revolves around giving the dog consequences for hisbehavior, in the hope of influencing the behavior the dog will exhibit inthe future. Operant conditioning defines four types of consequences:Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase thechance of the behavior being exhibited again (for example, giving a dog atreat when he sits.)

Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increasethe chance of the behavior being exhibited again (for example, releasingthe tension on an uncomfortable training collar when the dog stops pullingon the leash).

Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chanceof the behavior being exhibited again (for example, growling at amisbehaving dog).

Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decreasethe chance of the behavior being exhibited again (for example, walkingaway from a dog who jumps up).

Most modern trainers say that they use "positive training methods", whichis a different meaning of the word "positive" from that in operantconditioning. "Positive training methods" generally means preferring theuse of reward-based training to increase good behavior over that ofphysical punishment to decrease bad behavior. However, a good trainerunderstands all four methods, whether or not she can putoperant-conditioning terminology to them, and applies them asappropriate for the dog, the breed, the handler, and the situation.

RewardsPositive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - specialfood treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with otherdogs, or the owners attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particularreinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain thereinforcer.

Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire aparticular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcerfor good behavior. This process is called "building prey drive", and iscommonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Servicedogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for longperiods of time.

Some trainers believe that the toy acts as a positive reinforcer for thedesired behavior, when in all likelihood the prey drive works on an entirelydifferent level from standard training and conditioning techniques. This isseen most clearly in the fact that, according to the laws of operantconditioning, positive reinforcers lose their effectiveness if they're givenevery single time a dog does what is desired of him; the more predictablethe reinforcer, the less reliable the behavior. Yet detection dogs only workwell when they are always rewarded with a toy, every single time they finddrugs or explosives, etc. The reason for this disparity is that when a dog istrained through the prey drive, the training activates an instinctive,automatic sequence that has to be completed in order for the dog to feelsatisfied. That sequence is: search, eye-stalk, chase, grab-bite, and kill bite.So when a dog searches and finds drugs or explosives, he feels he hasn'tfinished his job unless he can bite something. This is the primary reasonhe's always given the toy. It's not really a positive reinforcer. If it were itwould reduce the reliability of the behavior overall. It's a means ofcompleting the predatory sequence for the dog.

Positive Punishments"Positive punishment" is probably the consequence that is least used bymodern dog trainers, as it must be used very carefully. A dog is generallyonly given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner.Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him isnot only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog a fearful or unwillingworker.

Punishments are administered only as appropriate for the dog'spersonality, age, and experience. A sharp No works for many dogs, butsome dogs even show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections.On the other hand, certain dogs with 'harder' temperaments may ignore averbal reprimand, and may work best if the reprimand is coupled with aphysical punishment such as a quick tug on a training collar. Trainersgenerally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions;if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behavedefensively when stroked or handled.

Avoiding punishmentKeeping a puppy on a leash in challenging situations or in his crate or penwhen not closely supervised prevents the puppy from getting intosituations that might otherwise invite an owner's harsh reaction (such aschewing up a favorite pair of shoes).

The command voiceWhen giving commands to a dog, a calm, firm, authoritative voice is mosteffective. Dogs do not respond well to hesitant, pleading voices, nor toyelling, which might sound to the dog like threatening barking or scolding.It is also important that the word used for the command and the pitch ofthe voice be consistent each time the command is delivered so that the dogcan more easily learn what the owner means (siiiiiiiiiiiit does not sound thesame as sit, for example).

Using the puppy's name before a command ensures that the dog knowsthat a command is coming, that it is for him (rather than for other dogs,children, or people), and that he should pay attention. This is importantbecause dogs hear a lot of human speech that has no relevance for them atall, and it is easy for them to disregard commands amongst the babble.To reinforce the command, the dog always gets some kind of reward orreinforcement (praise and usually a treat or toy) when it performs theaction correctly. This helps the dog to understand that he has done a goodthing.

The specific command words are not important, although common wordsin English include sit, down, come, and stay. Short, clear words that areeasily understood by other humans are generally recommended; that way,people will understand what a handler is telling his dog to do and otherhandlers have a good chance of controlling someone else's dog if necessary.In fact, dogs can learn commands in any language or other communicationsmedium, including whistles, mouth sounds, hand gestures, and so forth.Dogs are very much like us. They want to follow a leader they respect.And dog training is just like school. They like to do things that are fun andmake them feel good, where they get rewards for accomplishing what isasked of them. And they want the same thing their owners want, a happyand safe relationship with the ones they are love. A little dog obediencetraining will go a long way in making this happen.

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