The Pros of Practicing Positive Reinforcement

Why should we use positive reinforcement when working with our dogs?

So what is positive reinforcement? The thing that comes to mind for most people is food rewards. These are a form of positive reinforcement, but to begin to understand what makes positive reinforcement the best option for our dogs’ learning process, we need to understand a little bit about learning theory. Anything that will increase the chances of a dog repeating a behaviour is known as a reinforcer. Reinforcing the behaviour means that the dog is more likely to do it again. There are two kinds of reinforcement – negative and positive.

Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleasant or uncomfortable stops. This could be a prong or choke collar releasing when a dog untrained in loose lead walking stops pulling, or an electric collar stopping shocking the dog. Because the nasty thing stops as a result of what the dog has done, they make the connection, and so are more likely to do that thing again. Positive reinforcement works in the same way of making connections, but instead of taking away something nasty, we are giving the dog something really good, that has value for them, such as fuss, a game, or a tasty treat as a reward. We can also alter the amount of motivation we are giving the dog by varying the rewards that we use. Easy cues can earn lower value rewards, while difficult tasks gain the dog something they really desire and do not have constant access to.

Look at the focus on this little cutie! 😍

I wrote an entry recently about how some people view using food in particular in dog training as bribing a dog to do what we want them to. There seems to be a pervasive element in the dog world that believes dogs should follow human commands out of respect or love. I have a few issues what that kind of terminology.

Many modern dog people are not fans of the word ‘command’. Language is important to humans. The words we use can have massive influence on how we think and feel about things, and there is a large element of unconscious bias built into language and word choice. With the switch many people are making in their attitude towards the dogs in their lives, moving to regarding them as part of the family rather than possessions, the word ‘cue’ has started to replace command. A growing number of people are following a more cooperative path with their dogs. This is not ‘letting the dog be in charge’ or anthropomorphism. Instead, it is simply a less controlling way to live together. With the right methods used in introducing and reinforcing cues, our dogs will want to do what we ask them, because the results are enjoyable. Done in a positive and careful way, many dogs will actively enjoy training. My own dog, for instance, on the first glance of a clicker in my hand will be in front of me, tail wagging and happy engaged body language as he waits to see what fun he has to do for his favourite treats this time. This also shows just how much utilising positive reinforcement training has helped our bond, as he is really keen to work for and with me in our training sessions.

While food rewards are the most common rewards we pay out as our dogs’ wages in reward-based training, not all dogs value the same treats equally, and some dogs are more likely to find toys or attention from their human as having more value to them. For some dogs who have had a harder time in their lives perhaps and are maybe nervous or anxious, the highest value reward we can give them is to end the training session. The important thing to remember is that the dog decides what they find rewarding, and how they rank the available reward choices we offer them.

One of the central themes of the more cooperative ways of working with our dogs is offering choices, and respecting the choices our dogs make. By the definition of living as human companions, the choices available to dogs can be quite restricted. Humans control their access to food, water and social contact whether with humans, dogs, or other animals. Try to offer your dog as much choice as possible in their lifestyle, as it will benefit them greatly, and may well improve your bond even further.

Earning a reward, as in positive reinforcement, triggers dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that hooks straight in to the brain’s reward centre. It is also involved in mood, motivation, and learning. By making the choice to use reward based training to reinforce our cues we are harnessing the body’s own processes, the natural mood boost that comes when dopamine is released, to make our training extra effective. Helping our dogs to learn in a kind and scientifically proven effective manner, making them feel good at the same time and so increasing their confidence to try ever more new cues for us and with us, and feeling good about the training ourselves.

With all of that behind it, why would we not use positive reinforcement?

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You may have noticed a new button on the blog. I have now set up a Ko-fi account so that, if anyone felt so inclined, they could help support my work and writing helping and supporting people and their dogs, particularly the nervous and anxious reactive variety. Links to Ko-fi are also on a couple of pages on the website and on my social media accounts.