When considering how dogs learn, it makes sense that they, like humans, are more likely to perform behaviour that has been reinforced in the past, and less likely to perform behaviour that has been punished. Within these ‘laws of learning’, reinforcement and punishment can be classed as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative’.
Positive reinforcement involves providing the dog with something that he values, as a consequence of his behaviour, such as a food reward for sitting on request. In humans, a friendly smile in return for holding the door open for someone may be all it takes to increase the likelihood that we will perform the same behaviour again in the future. By placing a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement when teaching your dog, you will not only improve his behaviour, but the bond between you both will grow stronger. Negative reinforcement also makes behaviour more likely to occur, but in contrast to positive reinforcement, this involves the removal of something unpleasant for the dog. A clear example can often be seen when some owners push their dog’s hindquarters down when trying to get them to sit. In humans, getting up in the morning to turn off an incessant beeping alarm clock is negatively reinforced because the beeping stops! Despite the resulting behaviour of using either positive or negative reinforcement being the same, it is clear that the use of negative reinforcement makes the learning process much less enjoyable, and it should therefore always be the least favoured option. The emphasis should always be on setting the dog up to succeed, in order to reward appropriate behaviour. Punishment can reduce the likelihood of undesirable behaviour occurring again in the future. However, this does not mean that we should physically reprimand, scare or intimidate our dogs, as this is not only unethical, but also unnecessary, and it has the potential to lead to fear-related aggression. If punishment is to be used, then it should be in the form of ‘negative punishment’. Take jumping up as an example; if we did not want this behaviour to occur, we would remove the thing that the dog values most in this situation, our attention. In losing our attention for a short time (up to 1 minute), the dog is punished for his actions, making him less likely to jump up in the future. This then gives us more opportunity to then positively reinforce the desired behaviour of having all four paws on the floor! © |