A Case For Positive Reinforcement

Posted by jennifer on March 17, 2010 in .

Over the years, I have seen many methods, learned from many different trainers and behaviorists and have had the great joy in inventing my own approaches with domestic dogs. There always seems to be people on one side of the fence or another, a lot of black and white thinking but I base my method for each case individually on what I feel.
I have used combinations of techniques, no techniques, my own techniques and something I saw yesterday on an article about fish that we just might try to see if it works. I want to make a case tonight however for positive reinforcement and what that means to me as a dog trainer. I believe that there are several variations of reward to a dog. This could be anything from a treat, attention, praise, exercise, a ball, going for a ride in the car, fetching a stick or for a swim in the ocean.
There seems to be a lot of science based arguments as to why dogs need positive reinforcement. I don't believe however it comes always in a dog treat. My dogs will get more excited when they see the leash then a meat bone laying on the floor any day.
All dogs need to know what they are doing right vs. what they are doing wrong. If you are constantly saying you are wrong, the dog doesn't understand what it is they need to do that is right.
A positive reinforced dog does not mean they have no rules and guidelines. Actually, because we humans have bigger brains, our best resource is to use them which is simply out thinking or outsmarting your domesticated, non-human companion.
I really don't like it when people try to put behavior into one box or another. There is actually a lot about behavior that we don't know. There is however, moral and ethical values in the way we treat our best friends.
It falls upon the responsibility of dog trainers & behaviorists every where to obtain the necessary back ground information on cases as well as be able to give their clients options in techniques, correct diagnoses of problems and a reason why this may be occurring.
If I said there was one way to work with mental disorders, that would very much limit my capabilities as a good psychologist. I do know that if I was going around and beating up my patients however, I may have a disastrous reputation.
It's so important to be fair to our animals and understand that some of the behaviors that we see in dogs can sometimes just be normal dog behaviors. If you think about how much we expect from our furry friends- it's actually for the most part, a lot.
Don't get me wrong- they have it pretty easy. For most pets, free rent & food is not a bad trade for being well mannered.
I would love to see more canine professionals be able to adjust and be flexible enough to cover a large number of bases. I think that comes with experience, using our intellect, heart and intuition.
Positive means many great and fun things to a dog and there is a lot that can be accomplished through clicker training, food reward (but not too much or your dog may become over weight) and lots of praise. Don't forget to be open to new experiences, be willing to experiment and always no matter what the case- first and foremost, give respect to your dog as an individual.

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