Training Jargon Explained

Reinforcement – behaviour more likely
Punishment – behaviour less likely
Positive – add something
Negative – subtract something

Positive Reinforcement:
Common Training Method:
• Clicker training - a desired behaviour, for example sitting, once the dog provides the behaviour, the secondary reinforcer signals the behaviour is correct and the primary reinforcer is then utilised as a payment for the desired behaviour.
Conditions that need to be met:
• Timing is essential, the length of time between the behaviour and the secondary reinforcer should only be two seconds, or the dog may perform another behaviour (it may look at a bird for example) before the conditioner is supplied.
• Consistency is important, without consistency the dog may become confused and frustrated as it may not be able to understand what is required of it.
• Clicker training should be fun for both the dog and the trainer/owner
• Short sessions only – if helps keep focus and ensures your ability to set the dog up for success
• Distractions should be kept to a minimum.
Positive Implications:
• Relationship and communication opens up between animal and person.
• Easy to do for the owner and the dog once the foundation is understood.
• Owner is has a positive association to the dog and the dog to the owner.
Negative Implications:
• Dog requires treats for behaviour (lure is not faded correctly)

Negative Reinforcement:
Common Training Method:
• Electric Collar for off lead training, although this may seem to be positive punishment at first, the use of an electric shock collar in this instance is negative reinforcement (although as Pamela Dennison states in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Positive Dog Training, points out you already have to be using a punisher to be able to take them away). In the case of training a dog to be off lead, it is the attempt of the trainer to increase the dogs desire to be near the owner (increasing behaviour), as opposed to training the dog not to run away (decreasing the behaviour). It is actually the removal of the shock when it comes back to the owner that is the lesson for the dog.
Conditions that need to be met:
• Timing is crucial to getting the right reaction and the right behaviour, if the timing is out the dog can be confused.
• Knowledge, this isn’t the type of training that can or should be used by a novice,
• Consistency
Positive Implications:
• The dog learns stay near the owner off lead this creates a bond to the owner, and may make the dog think that the owner equals safety and security.
Negative Implications:
• The dog miss associates the signal, for example if this was occurring in the street and every time the shock was initiated the dog was moving towards a person or another dog, then the dog may associate the pain with people or other dogs – resulting in fear or aggression towards the thing that the dog perceives as causing pain
• Learned Helplessness, this comes from not knowing why it is being punished/reinforced. The dog may shut down because all experiences (beside being near the owner) have a negative association – not knowing what to do, it can only do nothing.


Positive Punishment:
Common Training Method:
• Citronella Collars to stop barking, essentially the citronella is added (sprayed at the dog) to decrease the barking behaviour.
Conditions that need to be met:
• Timing
• Correct Sound needs to be picked up
Positive Implications:
• Dog learns not to bark
Negative Implications:
• The dog associates the spray with something else other than barking and the incorrect behaviour is averted.
• The dog learns to avoid the spray (moving it’s head out of the way.
• The dog becomes accustomed to the spray
• The device picks up on other noises besides the dog barking, this confuses the dog further as it doesn’t understand what behaviour caused the spray.

Negative punishment:
Common Training Method:
• Removing attention when jumping up decreases the jumping up behaviour
Conditions that need to be met:
• Timing is important, you need to recognise when the behaviour has abated so that you can offer a reward.
• Owner must remain calm and quiet, so that they don’t inadvertently reinforce the behaviour.
Positive Implications:
• Dogs behaviour is reduced, tensions in the house between dog and owner are eased.
• Good basis for teaching further behaviours (reward the good, ignore the bad)
Negative Implications:
• Time it takes and calmness required from owner