Both Rewards and Punishment Get Results
As in all areas of educating, there are different methods of doing things, and different beliefs about what is right and wrong. In this department you will find topics like religion. The next thing that occurs is that children have different ways of learning. Physical force applied to a bad misbehaving child could get the result you want, or will it. Dog Training might run a close third with questions like Pinch collar, or Choke Chain or none of the above?
Good behaviors can be encouraged in 3 different ways.
1. Positive reinforcement is a reward that encourages a response. When you reward your dog for doing something right, the dog comes back for more and will ultimately repeat the behavior because he wants that positive response.
2. Negative reinforcement means that something is taken away in order to encourage a response. Dogs that are trained with electric shock collars figure out that when they perform correctly they don’t get shocked. After behaving there is no shock, hence he learns to behave to avoid the shock. And idea like this for yourself is that you have figured out that when you leave the house early there is less traffic. Repeated experience with the elimination of the traffic teaches you to leave the house early.
3. Punishment is an unpleasant thing that is added to the situation. The differences with “negative reinforcement” are critical. When a dog growls you might “smack” him and yell at him. When a child misbehaves it is easy to repond with a yelling tone of voice and threats. You get the desired response due to fear of the punishment.
Eventually they all work. The dog will come when you tug his leash really hard. Your dog will come to you if he expects to get a reward. Also, dogs will chase after running people.
If your dog is a bad dog you can yell at him and yank at his leash super hard, sometimes enough to freeze up his body or make his yelp. Or, if he senses a treat nearby then he will give you the behavior you are looking for.
What is implicated herein? Would you rather your dog behaves well for pleasing you or out of fear? It is entirely up to you to decide which way to go.
By
Dr. Marika Zoll
DrDogTalk.com
