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Ask the Trainer : The Science and Art of Dog Training
When I was an up and coming dog trainer , the psychology of training animals absolutely fascinated me . We are two different species yet we need to communicate on a daily basis ! How do we get there if we don ’ t speak the same language ? By touch ? By food ? There were so many questions and an overwhelming amount of information to be found . In this article , I ’ ll explain B . F . Skinner ’ s Operant Conditioning Theory and how it shapes all dog trainers and the philosophies they use to help train you and your dog . Opinions on the use of these methods can be debated intensely , so we ’ ll save that conversation for a different day .
While Pavol gets mentioned many times for his classical conditioning experiments , B . F . Skinner is often not given enough credit . Operant conditioning deals with intentional actions that have an effect on the surrounding environment . He believed that the best way to understand a behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences . In Operant Conditioning Theory , there are essentially four quadrants : positive reinforcement , positive punishment , negative reinforcement , and negative punishment . What do you think of when you read “ positive ” and “ negative ”? Good and bad is the first thing that comes to mind . In this context however that would be incorrect . In Operant Conditioning , “ positive ” is considered adding and “ negative ” is subtracting or taking away . “ Reinforcement ” is pretty straight forward and means trying to increase the frequency of a desired behavior . Lastly , “ punishment ” is a consequence that is aimed at decreasing the likelihood of a behavior happening again in the future .
Still with me ? Good . Let ’ s break it down even further by mixing and matching our newly learned terminology . We ’ ll start with the best known example : positive reinforcement . Positive reinforcement is essentially adding something to the equation to encourage the subject to repeat a desired behavior . Examples include giving your dog a treat for sitting when asked , rewarding an employee with a bonus for a job well done , giving your child $ 5 for every A they receive on their report card . Positive reinforcement in dog training does not necessarily have to be with a food item , but can be given through praise or playing with a favorite toy . Some trainers may not use treats , but this doesn ’ t mean they don ’ t utilize something positive to reinforce a behavior .
By Mike Jahnke
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The next quadrant is one of the most misunderstood forms of Operant conditioning , negative reinforcement . Many people consider correcting a dog to be negative reinforcement , but that ’ s not the case . If we circle back to our terminologies , negative means taking away or removing something , not that you correct the dog using a negative or aversive stimuli . This is the most difficult quadrant to understand and to put into practical terms . The best example that comes to mind involves a common household dynamic , the nagging spouse . When wanting something to get done around the house the spouse will constantly bring up that they want it done . Once the task is completed the nagging is removed . At the end of the day , negative reinforcement is one of the hardest to quantify in dog training and is the rarest quadrant used .
Positive punishment is often confused with negative reinforcement . Positive punishment involves adding a stimuli to a stop an unwanted behavior . There are many ways to go about this and most dog owners use this more than they realize ! A great example is telling your dog “ no ” or “ stop ” when he / she is barking . You ’ re adding verbiage to stop an unwanted behavior . Positive punishment is often used on daily walks . When a dog pulls , handlers often have the tendency to tug or correct them back on leash . The handler is adding a correction ( positive ) that will decrease the frequency of the behavior ( punishment ).
By now , explaining and understanding negative punishment should be a breeze . We take away something to get a behavior to stop . Your teenager comes home late so you take the car away ( negative ) to stop them from coming home late next time ( punishment ). In terms of dog training , if your dog growls at another dog over a toy , you take that toy away ( negative ) to get him / her to stop growling ( punishment ). The list of examples goes on and on !
While there ’ s plenty of science to dog training , the art is knowing when to apply each quadrant depending on the dog ’ s specific personality . If your dog is skittish and shy around people or other dogs , a trainer may elect to lay off positive punishment and use more positive and negative reinforcement to coax it out of its shell . Some trainers may find positive punishment more effective when teaching a dog to heel then having to constantly rely on treats and positive reinforcement the entire walk . Judgment is key and no matter what techniques you use to train your dog , almost all of B . F . Skinner ’ s quadrants are in play at some time or another .