Five things about Positive Reinforcement in Dog Training
If you have a dog you’ve probably heard the term positive reinforcement at some point, but what does it even mean ? Positive reinforcement was first introduced in the field of Psychology in the 1930’s as a method used to reinforce desirable behaviors by presenting something positive, like praise, immediately after the behavior occurs to increase the chance it will be repeated. This is in opposition to negative reinforcement where undesirable behaviors are coupled with something negative, like criticism, to decrease the likelihood of it being repeated. There’s a lot of debate in the Dog world about which is the best method, so, here are five things to help you understand more about positive reinforcement:
1. Reward based training: Positive Reinforcement involves rewarding your dog with things they value such as treats, praise, toys, and affection immediately after they perform a desired behavior. For example, if you are teaching your dog to sit, your dog sits and you give them a treat, your dog then starts to build the association that sitting when asked leads to treats.
2. Creates a positive learning experience: Positive reinforcement methods provide an enjoyable experience for both you and your dog because you are making it fun. An environment where your dog feels safe and motivated to learn promotes trust thereby strengthening the bond between you.
3. Encourages engagement and cooperation: Dogs will be more eager to participate in training sessions when they receive rewards for their efforts. Positive reinforcement is motivational for dogs because they learn that training sessions lead to good outcomes like treats.
4. Reduces stress and fear: Dogs are more likely to feel calm and relaxed when we utilize positive reinforcement, because they are expecting good outcomes. When we use negative reinforcement our dogs are anticipating bad outcomes, this can lead to fear and anxiety and make it less likely that the dog will try new things.
5. Effective for teaching new skills: Positive reinforcement can be utilized to teach a wide variety of skills to dogs. This includes basic obedience and tricks as well as behavioral modification for issues such as reactivity, and barking.
Positive reinforcement in dog training is all about highlighting the good things that happen and creating positive associations via rewards so that they will happen again. This fosters communication between you and your pup and builds trust and understanding.
It also increases confidence and problem-solving because your dog feels safe to try new things because with positive reinforcement they expect good things to happen. Ultimately, it seems like you’ll have way more fun together with positive reinforcement.
