One way to differentiate positive dog training methods from other methods is that it focuses on looking for good behavior and rewarding it, rather than looking for bad behavior and punishing it. In fact, ignoring bad behavior is part of the process. The goal is for the dog to learn good behavior without the trainer using punishment, pain or fear as motivators.
Positive dog training techniques have their origins in behavioral psychology. They are based on scientific methods that have been tested and verified over the past 50 to 100 years by such world renowned behavioral scientists as Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner.
Pavlov uncovered the concept of associative learning by observing that his dogs salivated at the sound of a metronome, even when there was no food in front of them. Over the course of several days, they heard the sound of a metronome every time they were fed, so they learned to anticipate being fed (which caused them to salivate) whenever they heard the metronome.
B.F. Skinner made famous the concept of operant conditioning. To simplify two of the basic concepts, Skinner observed that behavior that is rewarded increases, and behavior that is ignored decreases. So how do these concepts apply to dog training?
Traditional dog training has relied on punishment methods like hitting, slapping, swatting with a newspaper, jerking the leash and using choke or shock collars. The theory behind those methods was that dogs would learn to behave in order to avoid pain. Unfortunately, dogs (and humans) do learn to perform behaviors in order to avoid pain, but there are some negative side effects to that approach.
They can cause physical injuries like broken bones, crushed internal organs or even strangulation. And instead of developing a bonding relationship between dog and trainer, they promote a relationship based on domination and fear. And at its worst, a fear based relationship can actually train an otherwise normal animal to become stressed and aggressive.
On the other hand, positive dog training methods use a system of rewards instead of punishment. It's the trainer's job to watch for the behaviors that he wants the dog to learn. For example, when he wants to train the dog to sit, he watches for the dog to site during the natural course of their activities, and then labels the action as "sit" at the same time that he verbally praises the dog for sitting.
The sequence of pairing the behavior with the verbal cue is straight out of Pavlov's associative learning principles. And rewarding the dog with lavish verbal praise when the dog performs the desired behavior comes directly from Skinner's operant conditioning.
It's easy to see how positive training methods are not only kinder and more fun, but also develop an enjoyable, healthy and stress-free relationship between trainer and dog.
