The Psychology of Positive Reinforcement: Debunking the Myths
Training a dog is an endeavor that requires a deep understanding of canine behavior and the application of effective methods of communication. Amidst various training philosophies, the approach of positive reinforcement stands out as one of the most powerful tools in creating long term desirable behaviors in dogs. Unfortunately, lots of people misunderstand this tool, apply it incorrectly, or are simply unconvinced of its efficacy.
Core Principle: What is Positive Reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement operates on the simple principle of rewarding desired behaviors to increase the likelihood that they are repeated in the future. It's about setting your dog up for success, rewarding those successes, and creating emphasis on what the dog does right as opposed to focusing on mistakes and punishing them.
Popular Myths About Positive Reinforcement
Myth 1: Punishment is More Effective
Punitive methods like yelling, harsh physical corrections, or dominance-based techniques are often thought to be the most effective techniques in dog training because they seem to yield quick results, but the truth is that they lead to lots of stress and anxiety in dogs. Although these methods may appear effective when dealing with bad behavior, they simply suppress the unwanted behavior in the short term and actually fail to address the root cause of these problems. Moreover, relying on these techniques damages the bond between you and your dog.
Unfortunately, suppressed behavior tends to resurface at some point in the future or may manifest in different, potentially more severe ways. Therefore, using punitive methods not only jeopardizes your relationship with your dog but also fails to resolve behavioral issues, allowing them to persist or worsen over time.
This is not to say that punishment has no place in dog training, as there are forms of punishment (such as withholding a treat, toy, or attention till your dog complies, i.e., negative punishment) that can prove effective when used correctly and in conjunction with positive reinforcement; But this is a topic for another blog post.
Science Behind Positive Reinforcement
Neuroscientific studies consistently highlight the efficacy of positive reinforcement. Here’s why it works so well: when a dog receives a reward (food, praise, play, etc…), the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation, which produces the happy feeling. When this happy feeling is linked with experiences or whatever they are doing at the time, their brain makes the connection that then reinforces the neural pathways associated with the experience or behavior, making it more likely to be repeated.
Myth 2: Treats Create Dependency
A common concern is that using treats when training a dog leads to the dog becoming solely motivated by food, relying on treats for every behavior and becoming 'addicted' or 'dependent' on them for obedience.
This myth stems from the misunderstanding of how positive reinforcement works.
Let’s Make things Clearer
When treats are used with dogs, it is because they value treats and are motivated to make an effort to access those treats. So this is how treats can become a tool for teaching new behaviors and reinforcing them.
You cannot expect a dog to know what desirable or “good” behavior is or refrain from doing the “wrong” thing without first teaching them these things; And teaching requires trust, motivation, patience, and consistency.
Treats are not for creating dependency. As the dog’s behavior and understanding of the rules and commands become more established, the need for treats diminishes and your use of them should decrease and become more random.
As a summary, when utilized correctly in positive reinforcement training, treats act as initial motivators to encourage a dog to perform a specific behavior and establish this behavior as habitual, before then phasing out the treats into a more randomized reward system to ensure the maintenance of the good behavior for years to come.
Myth 3: It's Only for “Easy” Dogs
There's a belief that positive reinforcement works only for naturally obedient or easy-to-train dogs. In truth, this method is effective for all dogs regardless of breed, age, or temperament. It's adaptable and can be tailored to suit individual needs, making it a versatile approach that can be applied with any dog. If you feel like you are trying but it is not working for you, seek out the help of a professional dog trainer & behaviorist for the best results as you may need to refine your own dog training skills.
Practical Application: Making Positive Reinforcement Work for You
Timing is Key: Instantly mark the desired behavior and reward to reinforce it effectively. Use a clicker to unlock the next level of timely and clear marking to achieve optimal results with positive reinforcement training.
Consistency: Everyone involved in the dog's training should be on the same page regarding methods of training, rewards (type, timing, frequency), and expectations. Even when only one person is handling the dog, mistakes are made with respect to consistency due to that person’s changing mood and habits. Keep in mind that your inconsistencies create inconsistencies in your dog too that sometimes prove to be difficult to undo.
Gradual Progression: Start in low-distraction environments, gradually increasing difficulty. There’s nothing that will frustrate you more than trying to make huge leaps in progress too soon. You’ll be struggling to get your dog’s attention in an environment with many distractions and your frustration will be sensed by your dog who might become unresponsive and shut down due to feeling uneasy and possibly scared. Your dog might start to dislike training and have a behave strangely when they sense that they’re in a training “session”. Remember: slow and steady wins the race!
Varied Rewards: Incorporate different types of rewards in different scenarios – treats, toys, verbal praise – to get the best results and motivation. The best case scenario is that your dog loves all kinds of food and toys so that you can select the appropriate reward for the situation at hand but that is not always the case, Different dogs are motivated for different things so try to find what your dog loves working for and make them work for that. Sometimes dogs of the same breed and from the same litter will have completely different motivations.
Real-Life Success
Positive reinforcement isn't just a training method; it's a philosophy that requires you to have a strong bond with your dog based on communication, trust, confidence, and a desire to please and work together. Check out my Engagement Mastery E-Book to learn more about how to have an excellent bond with your dog. By understanding the science of communicating with dogs and applying it practically, you’ve tapped into the most effective methods to train your own dog for anything.
