Positive Reinforcement Versus
Punishment in Dog Training
For those unfamiliar with positive methods, it might seem that we advocate treating our dogs with kid gloves and letting them do whatever they want. This is absolutely not the case. Being positive does not mean being permissive. Our use of rewards (food, toys, play, praise and attention) is just part of a program that includes proper management to limit the dog’s opportunities to misbehave, and the use of passive punishment (e.g. ignoring unwanted behaviors, removing attention, time outs etc).
When analyzing dog behavior it is misleading to talk about wolves and pack behavior. Dogs have been domesticated for over 100,000 years, and it is widely accepted that through our selective breeding they have become vastly different to their wild ancestors. If you consider the physical differences between a wild wolf and, for example, a Chihuahua, these differences are blatantly apparent. It is no surprise that their behavior patterns are just as different. Making comparisons between the two is akin to giving human relationship advice based upon studies of the behavior patterns of Cave Men.
Fortunately we do not need to rely on studies of wolf behavior when training dogs, as there are decades of evidence-based research on the ways in which ALL animals learn, including dogs. Its called operant conditioning, and is the basis for our approach. Studies confirm that methods such as ours are humane, effective, and far less likely to compromise the relationship between a dog and its owner than any other. We agree that dogs are highly social animals that need leadership, but it is clear that we can provide this using a positive approach.
Dominance and pack theory are over-used justifications for the use of punishment based training. It is too simplistic to think that dogs misbehave or are disobedient simply because they haven’t been shown who is boss, and that if you can just exert adequate dominance over a dog that everything else will fall into place. This approach is likely to lead to unneeded amounts of punishment and frustration, which are likely to only worsen problems such as not coming when called and biting, while the real issues go unaddressed, such as adequate opportunity to learn what is required, and the provision of an adequate environment.
However, for those that are determined to cling to the concept of dominance, the positive method of training is still relevant. Surely making a dog work for every bit of food that they need to live puts the owner in the most dominant position available? Leash correction training surely cannot compete with this position of power.
Last but not least, we completely disagree that the use of positive methods can be linked to dogs becoming aggressive. Quite the opposite, as the methods are so non-confrontational. Further to this, positive methods are the best form of approach with a dog that is showing aggression since punishment based training is more likely to incite retaliation from a confident aggressive dog, or in a submissive dog to teach them not to warn before biting. (If growling gets punished then it’s safer from the dog’s perspective to go straight to biting without giving any warning). So if we are serious about reducing the number of bites in homes (and we are) then we are more likely to succeed when dogs are positively trained (and further if owners can be better educated to understand their dog’s body language).
Let us end by saying that we have never experienced the use of positive training causing the euthanasia of a dog. On the contrary, our use of positive methods has allowed us to re-educate and re-home dogs who have shown defensive aggression in homes that relied on physical adversives. In these cases it has been wonderful to see the dogs learn to trust their handlers, to watch their happy personality reveal itself when they learned there was nothing to fear, and to see their progress in learning when they were given calm clear guidance about what was actually required of them in a non-confrontational way.
© Copyright 2009 RSPCA of SA Inc. All rights reserved.
"DOG AND PEOPLE TRAINING"
Julie Jacobus, A.B.C.D.T
(443) 852-4912
© Training by Julie. All rights reserved.