The Carrot, Not the Stick
To the great fortune of our companion animals, pet dog care and training have evolved considerably over the past 15 years. In our progressive Boulder community, we now define our role as that of pet “guardian” instead of “master” or “owner”, a change in terminology indicative of our changed perception of human – animal relationships. Comprised of a large population of dog loving individuals, the city of Boulder encourages and enhances mental and physical stimulation for our pets by promoting dog park development, opportunities for open space doggie enjoyment, and dog training activities. As guardians, we search for and engage in relationship-building activities such as hiking, trail running, and dog agility. We even host and attend social events especially for pet dogs and their guardians. No doubt about it, a companion dog in Boulder is a lucky dog indeed!

Most encouragingly to those of us in the field of animal welfare, Boulder guardians champion humane, positive methods to teach pets to be joyful, well-mannered canine citizens. Traditional coercion-based methods of dog training have paled in comparison to more efficient, positive training techniques. We now strive for joyful companion behavior from our pets, not the submissive compliance ideal of yesteryear. Consider the loveliest dogs you observe around our wonderful city – their good manners are as evident as the enthusiasm with which they respond to their guardians! This overwhelmingly positive effect on the guardian – companion dog relationship is perhaps the greatest reason for the increasing widespread popularity of positive training methods. To top it all off, dogs not only enjoy positive based training, they learn quickly and with exceptional behavioral reliability!

While we are fortunate within our community to see the effect of over a decade of positive change, elsewhere there remains a perpetuation of misinformation regarding domestic dog behavior and the most effective training methods for our companion animals. Dog guardians continue to be inundated by training philosophies touting “natural, gimmick-free” techniques and the use of “calm, assertive leadership” or human use of canine body language to resolve behavior problems. With so much fad terminology to decipher and potentially damaging training techniques through which to wade, we hope that an explanation of the laws of animal learning and an exploration of the fallacies surrounding current dog training philosophies may be beneficial support for dog guardians.

The Laws of Animal Learning
Described and made famous by B.F. Skinner in the 1940s, the laws of animal learning are among the most widely studied psychological phenomena.  After over 60 years of study in a variety of animal species including humans, pigeons, and dogs, we know that behavior is either encouraged or discouraged by the consequences that follow.  Training is truly a scientific endeavor, pure and simple.  But how elegant it is in its simplicity! By simply controlling the consequences that follow our dog’s actions, we can easily promote appropriate behavior and resolve inappropriate behavior – resulting in a well-trained companion! Gone are the dark days of faulty dominance rationalizations and pack theory explanations for dog behavior.   These inaccurate, unscientific explanations of canine behavior are neither necessary nor helpful for the effective change of a companion animal’s problem behavior. 

Learning by consequence is the primary way in which animals discover that their behavior affects their environment.  In the field of psychology, consequential learning is termed operant conditioning because the animal learns to use his own behavior to operate on his environment, producing a variety of consequences.  When dog guardians provide the consequences, we can encourage behaviors we love or extinguish those behaviors we are less than crazy about! 

Scientific literature explains that there are four types of consequences: two types encourage (reinforce) behavior and two types discourage (punish) behavior.    To reinforce appropriate behavior, we may either provide a pleasant consequence (positive reinforcement) or remove something unpleasant (negative reinforcement).  For example, if your dog sits when asked, you may either provide a treat (positive reinforcement) or remove the choke collar pressure around your dog’s neck (negative reinforcement). 

To discourage or punish inappropriate behavior, we may either provide an unpleasant consequence (positive punishment) or remove a pleasant consequence (negative punishment).  For example, if your dog jumps on you when you arrive home, you may either yell, knee him, or pin him to the ground (positive punishment) or you may remove the very thing he wants most – you! – by walking right back out of the door (negative punishment).  If the positive / negative terminology of learning theory sounds a bit confusing and counterintuitive, that’s because it certainly is!  The best thing to do is think about math class; positive (+) means “added to” and negative (-) means “removed from”.  As elegant as science may be, it is still rife with some confusing terminology!

Every training philosophy utilizes either one or a combination of these consequences – to varying degrees.  While not all trainers may even attest to their use of these methods, we must remember that dog learning is governed by the four types of consequences.  Therefore, if a trainer successfully increases the frequency of appropriate behavior and / or decreases the likelihood of inappropriate behavior, some type (or combination of types) of consequence manipulation is in place.  Call it what you will – natural training, assertive training, dominance control - if the training is working, the trainer is applying the laws of learning.  And dogs are always obedient to the laws of learning.  There is no way around it.   

Positive Training vs. Force-Based Training
In pet dog training, we hope to encourage behaviors we enjoy (sitting when neighbors visit) and we sometimes need to discourage those behaviors we are less than thrilled about (jumping when neighbors arrive). The dividing line between traditional training and a progressive, positive based approach rests on the decision to use either aversive, force-based techniques or non-aversive, pain-free techniques to accomplish our training goals. 

Training techniques that employ aversive, force-based methods rely on pain or discomfort as a source of motivation for behavior.  In the field of psychology, we define an aversive event as any situation that your dog acts to avoid.  For example, common aversive training techniques include choke collar pressure, electronic collar shocks, and alpha rolling or pinning a dog to the ground. Our domestic dogs learn very quickly to alter their behavior in order to avoid these events that must seem like sudden, random acts of violence.  Trainers may insist that their techniques are non-painful or non-aversive; however, as a loving guardian, you must determine if your dog acts to avoid the correction or technique.  If so, you can rest assured your pup finds it aversive.  Armed with this knowledge, you are now equipped to make training decisions that will determine the future of your relationship with your dog.   

Truly positive trainers embrace non-aversive training methods and rely heavily on positive reinforcement to encourage and promote appropriate behavior – sitting for greeting, chewing on appropriate chew toys, and any number of “obedience” type behaviors.  With the advent of positive training methods, there has been a cultural mind-shift away from intimidation and force as a method to achieve compliance.  We have changed our focus from “How do I get my dog to stop this behavior?” to “How to I get him to start doing this instead?”  Positive trainers have learned to reframe their expectations of pet dogs with the goal of teaching dogs to work cooperatively and enthusiastically with the guardian.

Positive, But Not Permissive
One of the primary criticisms of positive training is the lack of negative consequence for inappropriate behavior. We frequently hear, “He must learn that there are consequences to his actions! How else will the dog learn what not to do?” We wholeheartedly agree that consequences for inappropriate behavior are important; however, we have differing opinions regarding the nature of the negative consequence. If a negative consequence is in order, positive trainers choose to use negative punishment, the removal of something the dog really enjoys. Typically, we make use of “Time Outs” and remove our attention from our dogs. Alternatively, we may remove the opportunity for exciting events – such as access to the yard, tennis ball play, or treat delivery. The use of positive reinforcement coupled with negative punishment develops a well-mannered dog companion and fosters a trusting, non-violent relationship that does not rely on physical punishment for behavior modification.

Why Be Positive?
For a number of compelling reasons, animal behavior scientists and highly credentialed dog trainers embrace the use of non-aversive dog training.  First, it is an incredibly efficient means of communicating precisely which behaviors are acceptable within your household.  When you provide a yummy treat, your dog obtains immediate, accurate information as to which behavior is appropriate; furthermore, he is highly motivated to offer that behavior again.  The use of praise and attention is a nice addition to food; however, the use of praise alone is a far less potent reinforcer and one for which a dog is typically less motivated to work.   If your dog is uninterested in food, but ball-crazy, you can use the opportunity to catch the ball as your reinforcer.   Feel free to get creative and have fun determining what your dog finds to be most reinforcing.  Remember that if you desire fun, efficient training, identify the highest value motivator for your dog and capitalize on it! 

Most importantly for pet guardians, positive-based, non-aversive training enhances the relationship between you and your dog.  If we are the source of All Things Good – including food, access to the outdoors, and opportunities for Frisbee and Tennis Ball Time – the better and more successful will be our relationship with our pet.  However, if we employ aversive techniques, we become predictors of discomfort and our dog quickly associates us with that yucky feeling.  The relationship may withstand it; however, we do not wish to be predictors of pain for well-loved companions! Our best bet?  Identify our dog’s highest motivators (tennis balls, pieces of cheese, and opportunities for hikes), associate ourselves with these wonderful things, and our relationship will be one of mutual trust, companionship, and a whole lot of fun! 

Good luck, Happy Training, and Stay Positive!