Positive Reinforcement vs Forceful Training: The Definitive Verdict!
What is forceful training?
Forceful dog training methods are those that use pain, fear, or intimidation to control a dog's behavior. These methods can include yelling or physical punishment, such as hitting, kicking, or yanking hard on the leash.
Why Doesn’t it Work?
While forceful punishments may often seem to be effective in fixing a problem behavior, the fact is that they are just effective in suppressing the behavior in the short term (dogs are very good at learning to avoid pain and discomfort), and could have many serious long term repercussions.
A dog who is punished harshly for jumping up on people may learn to avoid jumping up on people when they are around their owner. However, this does not mean that the dog has learned that jumping up on people is wrong. The dog may still jump up on people when they are not around their owner, or they may start to engage in other problem behaviors, such as barking or biting.
People think that forceful methods work also because they cannot see the negative long-term effects of it. A dog who is trained this way may become fearful or aggressive towards their owner or other people. The dog may also develop anxiety. These things don’t happen overnight, but develop over time.
What are the Pitfalls of Using Forceful Punishments?
For one, they can damage the relationship between a dog and their owner. Dogs who are trained with force are more likely to fear and distrust their owners, and they may become aggressive or withdrawn. This distrust will make it difficult to bond with your dog and to train them effectively.
Forceful training methods also commonly make behavior problems worse. When a dog is punished for a behavior, they will try to avoid the trigger for punishment in the future, but will not learn what the correct behavior is. For example, if a dog barks and displays aggression towards other dogs and you keep punishing that with harsh leash yanks and/or hitting, what you’re teaching your dog is to not display aggression because he’ll get hit. The dog may replace the barking with just freezing and staring at the other dog until it gets too close…and BAM, a bite or a lunge and snap to get the dog away. Is the problem solved? Or maybe the dog will be very scared of barking around you, but not your kids, parents, or spouse. So, you’ll have a dog who reacts aggressively when out with anyone except you. You still haven’t solved the emotional response they’re having.
Forceful training methods also lead to frustration and anxiety in the dog, because they see that they never get things right, they always fail. Imagine you were trying to learn how to play football/soccer and your coach kicked you everytime you passed the ball to the wrong player. Did you learn who was the right player to pass to? Maybe the coach wanted you to shoot instead? What does he want from you? That would destroy your confidence, make the game unenjoyable, and the learning process non-existent.
Dogs with low confidence are unwilling to try new things. Their learning process will be slow, and they will give up easily when tasks become challenging. They will also be more likely to pick up on your frustration cues and react negatively, becoming withdrawn and anxious about the possibility of a harsh punishment.
Alternatives to Forceful Training
Forceful training methods are simply not necessary. There are many more methods to train a dog that will actually yield excellent results. I am not saying that we should not use “punishment”, I like to take a balanced approach (more on this below) to training most dogs, but I use positive reinforcement as the main feedback given to the dog. Always set your dog up for success so you could reward them for their success and boost their confidence and your relationship. If they fail (do the wrong thing) because you failed to set them up for what you actually wanted them to do, you should be punishing yourself, not the dog.
Now I mentioned taking a balanced approach to training. What does that mean? It means punishment is okay as long as you do it the right way, and it’s timely, effective, and coupled with positive reinforcement. Most people use punishment everyday without realizing it, with dogs and with other people too, even when they think they are being “purely positive”. Punishment does not mean hurting or yelling at your dog (that’s what I referred to as harsh punishment), there are many different forms of punishment. When the term “Punishment” is used in dog training, it typically refers to the adding or removing of something in the dog’s environment in response to a certain behavior, with the hope of decreasing the likelihood that the dog repeats that behavior in the future.
Positive Reinforcement and Negative Punishment
Negative Punishment can be used very effectively, when coupled with positive reinforcement. Imagine a scenario where your dog barks at you for attention. Negative punishment here would be when you purposefully ignore your dog: Turn away and break eye contact the moment they bark and don’t show any willingness to communicate with them. To break it down, it’s negative (removing your attention) punishment (decreasing the likelihood of repeating the barking next time). When they’re quiet, you can look at them and give them the attention they want (positive reinforcement). This way, you were very clear and fair with your dog, using punishment and reinforcement together for healthy black and white communication, and no gray area. Your dog gained confidence when they got it right and got the reward! If you don’t use positive reinforcement in this scenario, then the dog thinks that you ignore them whether they are barking or not, so they don’t learn which one is the desired behavior.
The Impact of Engagement on Your Relationship
Engagement is essential for effective dog training. When a dog is engaged, they are paying attention to their owner, confident, and are motivated to learn. This makes them likely to retain what they learned in the long term. This can be achieved by using training methods that are fun and rewarding for the dog. The confidence boost dogs get when they are successful is unparalleled and will lead to better performance and obedience in the future.
Training should be enjoyable for the dog. If the dog is bored or frustrated, they are less likely to be engaged. Keep training sessions short, making them just slightly more challenging each time. If the dog is motivated by food, use treats to reward them. If the dog is motivated by toys and play, use those as their rewards. End each training session on a success and positive note. Some tips for building a strong relationship with your dog:
Spend quality time with your dog every day. Training is bonding.
Train mainly using positive reinforcement methods. Redirect or ignore bad behavior.
Be very patient and consistent.
If you have a new puppy and are doing your research and reading this to learn how to train your dog, please understand the impact that harsh methods have on your dog’s development. If you are struggling to train your dog, please consult a professional who uses proper training methods based on engagement, clear communication, and confidence boosting.
