Abc's Of Positive Training. Miriam Fields-Babineau

likes a number of things, you can vary his rewards according to how well he performs. Let’s say you are teaching your dog to sit in heel position. When he sits at your side, but not in heel position, he receives verbal praise but no treat. When he sits a little closer to your side, facing forward, he receives a piece of biscuit. As he learns that better things come to him the closer he sits, he’ll sit straighter in proper position. As he achieves his goal, his reward is a piece of freeze-dried liver or hot dog. Buster has learned how to achieve without your having to force him into it. It would be similar to your getting a better raise at work due to putting in more hours than normal versus a regular raise for merely consistent performance.

       The Round Robin game is a great way to involve all family members in the training process, as the dog goes from one person to the next and performs what is asked of him.

      A problem with training in this manner is that the animal can learn to associate the reward with only the trainer. He will only listen to or work for this one person. In order for the animal to respond to the entire family, everyone will need to work with Buster. This way, he learns to listen to everyone because anybody in the family has the possibility of being a reward-dispenser. However, when teaching something new and complex, it’s a good idea for just one person to be the key trainer so as not to confuse Buster. Once the behavior is learned, others can join in.

       Teaching targeting with a target stick.

       This hopeful beggar seems to ask, “Do I get a treat now?”

      If your pet is being rewarded with food, he can become sated. Once sated, he’ll no longer be motivated to perform. In order to avoid this, very small pieces of treats should be used, or he can learn to perform for his regular meals. This way, you’ll be able to maintain his proper eating habits and weight while he “works for a living” just as he would in the wild. This would so closely resemble his natural instincts that the dog would feel very fulfilled with his learning process.

      Some dogs tire of the same type of food reward, so it would be a good idea to vary the types used. If using freeze-dried liver, try different flavors. If using hot dogs, try different brands or substitute some bacon once in a while. Popcorn is usually a favorite, as are small bits of pizza. As with any treats, dispense in moderation and make sure you choose something that doesn’t irritate your dog’s digestive system. Inflamed bowels can cause extinction in the behaviors you’ve achieved, because the dog might learn that the more he performs, the worse he feels.

      In order to control when your dog performs, utilize only positive reinforcement when teaching a new behavior during a training session, otherwise your dog will constantly be bugging you by throwing out behaviors until he receives his reward. At first, the behaviors will be those previously taught, but when he sees that he isn’t rewarded for them, the behaviors will turn to negative ones that will ensure him of attention of some kind.

       Puppies have short attention spans and are easily distracted. You will need a reward with high value to the pup to keep his attention focused on the lesson; even at that, you should only work with pups in several-minute sessions.

      In everyday life with your dog, there are chances of creating what is termed “secondary negative punishers.” We tend to do this inadvertently and need to strive to either avoid these situations or turn them into something positive. An example of a secondary negative punisher is calling your dog to come and thus taking him away from something he was enjoying, such as leaving a doggy playgroup or ending a fun game of fetch. While there’s really no means of avoiding these situations, you will need to identify them and try to turn them into something positive. So the next time you call your dog to come inside from digging in the yard, think of offering him something that might be more enjoyable, such as eating his meal or doing some tricks for food rewards. Even a tummy rub would be great!

      Positive punishment alone can also be abusive if not used correctly. Pairing positive punishment with a secondary positive punisher would be more humane and teaches the dog to correct himself upon hearing the trigger word, such as the word “No” along with a punishment. An example is to say “No” as the dog gets a squirt of water in the face. The dog learns that “No” will coincide with the punishment, thus reducing his bad behavior as soon as he only hears the word. This form of punishment is a very humane means of correcting your dog, although there are some schools of thought in which they strive to not punish at all, in which case the undesired behavior may or may not extinguish.

       To a retriever, a game of fetch is very rewarding.

       Giving the dog a chew toy to play with is a positive way to end a training session.

      Some dogs learn that while a specific behavior doesn’t receive a reward from their human companions, the behavior itself is rewarding. Digging is self-rewarding, as is obtaining scraps from the garbage can. Barking is a fun means of releasing energy. Chewing is a great way to relieve anxiety.

      Punishments can also be associated with a specific person. In order for them to work, they must be used by all family members. If the dog has a tendency to do something when nobody is around, he should be contained in an area where he cannot perform the behavior when unwatched. This way, he is conditioned to not behave in such a fashion at any time that he has access to the means of deploying the behavior. An example would be a dog getting on the furniture. Whenever anyone is nearby to see the dog get on the furniture, the dog is corrected for doing so through the use of positive punishment, such as a squirt of water or tug on the leash, along with a secondary punishment, such as the word “No” or “Off.” Eventually he’ll learn to either avoid the furniture or to get off when the secondary punishment is used. However, when no one is around to give the punishment, he gets on the furniture. To condition him out of this behavior, he should not have access to furniture when no one is around to watch him. Eventually the habit will become extinct.

       Digging is an example of a self-rewarding behavior.

      There is also another possible outcome to an animal’s behavior and that is no response. There is no reward marker, no “Good Dog,” no secondary positive punishment (“No”) and no correction. This is considered the “keep going signal,” also called the “no reward marker.” For dogs that are well into how to throw out (keep performing) behaviors in order to receive their reward, this lack of signal will cause them to continue throwing out behaviors until they get something right. A special word can be formulated to coincide with this lack of signal. Some trainers use “Nope” or “Wrong” or “Try Again.” This will cause the dog to try again. However, this will only work with dogs that have been trained via positive reinforcement and have an attention span that will prevent their extinction of performing altogether.

      Animals can suffer both physical and mental damage from incorrectly applied punishments and reinforcers. Using these techniques correctly will prevent harassing or abusing your pet. Be certain that you are clear on the procedures prior to beginning the training process. Try them out on a family member or friend. The children’s game “Stop and Go” is a great way to practice, as is the game “Hot or Cold.” Things to think about when applying the techniques are: Does it work? If not, why? Was the timing off? Dogs are very forgiving, but once a behavior is learned, it is far more difficult to extinguish it than it is to teach it correctly in the first place.