WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE REINFORCING?
“Positive Reinforcement” has become a familiar term when considering how to train a dog. However, there is a lot of confusion about what this means and how it applies to the dog being trained.
Let me clarify this. If the dog is doing something good or stops doing the unwanted or negative behavior, then the dog should receive “Positive Reinforcement” by way of praise, hugs, belly rubs, treats, or a toy—whatever the dog will perceive as a reward for good behavior.
Here is an example to help explain the difference. Let’s say that a large dog is jumping on a person and biting them or pulling at the person’s sleeve. If a trainer or family member offers the dog a treat to distract the dog and get the dog off a person, then yes, the trainer or pet parent might stop the jumping and biting, but it is TEMPORARY and SHORT-LIVED, and the dog has learned NOTHING. The worst part is that the DOG WAS REWARDED FOR BAD BEHAVIOR by teaching and conditioning the dog to understand that if he jumps on a person or bites them again, he will get another treat.
If your dog jumps up on you and you pet him, he will not learn to stop jumping. If you allow an unwanted behavior and reward the dog by petting him, you are condoning it and conditioning the dog to continue doing the undesirable behavior.
In short, the dog receives “POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR.”