Dog Training 101: Positive Reinforcement and Operant Conditioning
- TJ Gibbons
- 8 minutes ago
- 11 min read
Have you heard of the term Operant Conditioning? This is a scientific theory behind learning, both in animals and humans. There are 4 quadrants to Operant Conditioning, and over the next 4 weeks, we will look into each of those quadrants individually in detail.
Operant conditioning is a learning principle that was developed by psychologist B.F. Skinner in the early 20th century. It is based on the idea that behaviours are influenced by the consequences that follow them. In essence, behaviours that are rewarded tend to be repeated, while those that are punished tend to diminish.
Before we get started, let me make a few things crystal clear:
I’m not a dog trainer yet; I’m on my way to becoming one. Everything I share here comes from what I’ve learned in my journey toward becoming a qualified dog trainer.
In this theory, "negative" and "positive" don’t refer to bad and good. Instead, they mean to remove or add something, much like in math.
For example, giving your dog a treat is considered positive because you’re adding something enjoyable to the situation. On the other hand, not fussing over your dog when they jump up is seen as negative because you’re removing attention.
Reinforcement means to encourage the frequency of a behaviour, and discouragement is to reduce the frequency of a behaviour.
I’m not promoting punishment as a way to correct a dog’s behaviour. This information is meant to help you understand Operant Conditioning, how it works, and the best methods you can use for training your dog at home.
Here's a quick breakdown of the quadrants:
Positive Reinforcement - Adding a reward to increase the frequency of a behaviour.
Negative Reinforcement - Removing something to increase the frequency of a behaviour.
Positive Discouragement - Adding something to decrease the frequency of a behaviour.
Negative Discouragement - Removing something to decrease the frequency of a behaviour.
In today's post, we will focus on positive reinforcement, what it means and how it works. We will also explore how you might be accidentally reinforcing bad behaviour with positive reinforcement.
The Basics - What is Positive Reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement, in a nutshell, is rewarding a dog for a behaviour. That then encourages the dog to do that behaviour more often as they get a reward.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
You are teaching your puppy/dog recall, and every time they come to you, you give them a treat, praise them and give them a cuddle. You are positively reinforcing recall with something the dog enjoys and will want more of.
You ask your dog to sit/down/speak, etc, before you throw the ball in a game of fetch. You are positively reinforcing that they don't get the ball for free and that they have to work for it.
Now, let me give you two examples of positively reinforcing an unwanted behaviour.
Your puppy/dog jumps up at you. In response, you push them off and correct them verbally, or you fuss them when they jump up because you think it's cute.
You are giving the dog attention when they jump up, which means you are positively reinforcing jumping up, even if you don't intend to.
Your puppy/dog barks at noises when they are in the garden or house, and you shout at them, tell them to stop, yell that they are annoying and try to distract them with food or fuss. Your shouting only increases their barking because to them, it sounds like you are barking with them! This makes it so much fun for them, so they carry on and do it more often. If you use treats or attention to bribe them to stop, you are positively reinforcing the barking by rewarding that behaviour.
Positive reinforcement is not the only method of training that is effective, however, this is the most commonly used theory and for good reason. It works, it builds the bond between you and your dog and provides long-lasting results. When done correctly at the right time, positive reinforcement can show your dog what it is you want them to do safely, and show them they can trust you and look up to you for guidance. You are the boss, but only because you make them feel safe, not because you show that you are dominant (an old school training method that is now entirely outdated!)
Dog training should be fun for you and your dog, because then your dog will do what you ask because they want to, not because they fear you or the consequences of ignoring your commands.
There are a lot of trainers out there who will disagree with this; many still use E-Collars, Prong Collars, choke chains, etc, but these methods have since been proven to be less effective than positive reinforcement training and are almost always followed by worsening behaviour and even aggression from the dog.
Types of rewards:
"Yeah, but my dog isn't food motivated!"
I hear ya!
Not all dogs are as food motivated as Labradors, and some might enjoy treats in the house but feel too overwhelmed or excited when outside to pay attention to treats.
Well, food is not the only motivator for dogs; you just have to find what works for them.
In this section, we'll go through what rewards can be used to encourage wanted behaviour through positive reinforcement.
Steve Mann, in his "Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy" book, explains that there are only 2 reasons a puppy/dog would not do what you ask.
They didn't understand what you were asking of them.
The motivation wasn't high enough.
If you think you're dog doesn't know the command, then start training from the start, even if you have already done it, the likelihood is you moved on too soon and the dog couldn't keep up.
If you are sure your dog does know what you are asking, or you are finding it hard to get them to focus on you and put effort into the training, your rewards are not working.
Treats
The most common reward used in training is treats, and for good reason! Food-motivated dogs will do almost anything for a good bit of food.
There are a few things to consider when using treats:
Weight gain
Using treats for training can cause weight issues with your dog, and it is important for their health that they stay at a healthy weight. Obesity in dogs can cause joint issues and put extra pressure on their heart and other organs. If your dog has a high metabolism and/or is highly active, you won't have to worry as much, but it is still worth considering using low-calorie treats such as cooked chicken or training-specific treats: your vet can recommend some if you are struggling, and always talk to your vet if you have concerns about your dogs weight. You can also use their kibble, if your dog is motivated enough by it, at their regular meal times.
Mixed value treats
I have seen many dog owners have a treat pouch with a bunch of different treats in it, and their reasoning is "it keeps the dog guessing what they'll get,". Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is not true, no matter how good-hearted it may be. Dogs are smart, and if they know that you have some sausage in that pouch alongside the hard biscuits, they may stop working for the lower-value reward. Once you go up to higher value treats, it's almost impossible to come back down again.
Some treats aren't high-value enough.
You go to the pet store and buy a load of training treats that claim to work every time, and yet your dog is uninterested in them. This could happen for several reasons: maybe your dog doesn't like that flavour, the distractions around them are too great, or they are not tasty enough to gain their attention. The most rewarding thing will win, and if the distractions are providing enough stimulation, they are going to be more exciting!
Reduce treat rewards for behaviours you expect
When teaching your dog to walk in the heel position, as with any behavior, it's important to use treats to lure and demonstrate the expected behaviour, followed by rewarding them with that treat.
For heel training and similar commands, gradually reduce the frequency of treats. Start by holding the treat in front of your dog’s nose to encourage them to stay in the heel position, rewarding them consistently at first. Once they become comfortable with this in various locations and situations, transition to holding the treats in your hand without placing them directly in front of their nose, and reward them less frequently. Eventually, keep the treats in your pouch and treat even less often until your dog understands that this behaviour is expected, rather than a trick that warrants a reward every time. This goes for all behaviours that are expected off them, like not jumping up and staying out of the kitchen when you are cooking etc.
Treats to consider:
Some of my favourite training treats come in the form of a meat paté, normally available from most pet stores. You can get all sorts of flavours, including beef, chicken, and salmon, as well as more adventurous game flavours like rabbit, venison, and wild boar. These patés are great because you can cut them into whatever-sized chunks you want, they are high in meat content and usually low on additives if there are any at all! They tend to be low-calorie and grain-free. I use this paté on lick mats too, sometimes!
Cooked chicken offers great benefits, with it being high in protein and low in fat and calories. It's also cheaper than some of the alternative options.
Meat jerky can be made or bought, has a longer shelf life, is less smelly and sticky in your treat pouch and can be bought from most pet stores.
Cheese is an option for dogs who are not motivated by alternatives, however, this is higher in calories and not a great healthy choice. If the chunks are small enough, cheese can be an okay choice for a high-value treat. Let's face it, the cheese tax is expensive with most dogs!
Toys
Some dogs enjoy playing with toys more than eating food, and that's fine! At least you don't have to worry about them putting on weight during training!
Using a toy as an alternative method of reward can work just as well as food. Every dog is different, what one dog finds rewarding, another might not.
When using toys, it is important to note that if your dog does not know the "Drop" command, training might take longer if they refuse to give you the toy back. Teach them to drop, first!
It is suggested that you keep the chosen training toy for training only and do not let your dog have access to it at any other time. This keeps the motivation and novelty there. It needs to be a high-value toy, like a special ball, a tug rope or a flirt pole, something you know your dog adores more than anything else. Tug ropes and flirt poles are great for dogs with high prey drive, and the movement of chasing, catching and tugging the toy can be as high a reward as a chunk of chicken.
You should still pair toys with verbal praise and fuss, especially when your dog does something amazing and you want the reward to be extra awesome!
Fuss/pats
A lady I know has a dog who is motivated solely by praise and affection. She can effectively train him simply by giving him a hug at the end to show he did a good job, and he learns the expected behaviours.
However, this is where many people go wrong and inadvertently teach their dogs the wrong behaviors.
Take a nervous dog, for instance. If you walk a nervous dog through a situation that makes them uncomfortable and continuously pick them up, fuss over them, and reassure them, your well-meaning attempts to calm them may reinforce their nervousness. By giving them attention and affection when they are acting anxious, you are inadvertently praising that behaviour, which can lead to its continuation.
Instead, when your dog exhibits good behavior, reward them with a belly rub, an ear scratch, or plenty of affection along with verbal praise.
This approach can also be combined with treats and toys, serving as an effective way to gradually reduce the reliance on treats for rewarding expected behaviors. As you wean them off treats, you can replace them with affection and praise to reinforce that they are still doing a great job.
Verbal Praise
This is so undervalued and underused. Verbal praise is so, so important and gets overlooked too often.
Jon Katz's book "A dog year" follows the story of a rescue Border Collie named Devon, who Jon refers to as the world's worst behaved dog.
Early in the book, Jon states that "I began praising him extravagantly for just about everything: If he walked ten yards in a straight line, if he finished his own dog food and left the labs' bowls alone, if he came when I called, if he just sat quietly looking gorgeous. Good boy, Devon. Good, good boy became the mantra."
He continues by claiming "A couple of days of encouragement made a startling difference."
Praising your dog cannot be done with words alone. If you say "Good boy, Buddy," in the same tone as you give your instructions, your dog is not going to understand that "Good boy!" means they did something right. You need to lighten your tone as if you were talking to a child who had done a good job on their artwork. It should sound happier, softer. Dogs are adept at understanding our tone of voice and understand that more than they do the words. The same goes for the other way around. If you are adding a verbal cue to stop your dog from doing an undesired behaviour like digging, your voice needs to be deeper, firmer and stronger. Some people even recommend adding a bit of a growl to your voice if your dog is not listening. You should never shout or yell at your dog, but verbal correction like a firm "No!" is encouraged.
The reward Trifecta
I am going to use recall as the example here, but this applies to any training.
When teaching your dog recall, it is important to vary your level of reward depending on the effort put in by your dog.
If your dog instantly runs to you with all the enthusiasm in the world, you should give them what we call the trifecta: a treat/toy, praise and fuss. This shows them that what they did was awesome and that they should totally do it again.
Should your dog carry on sniffing for a moment or two before making their way to you, you still need to reward that behaviour because your dog did indeed come to you, but that delay cost them slightly. This time you should only reward them with one or two from the trifecta, such as a fuss and verbal praise but no treat/toy. At no point should you scald them for delaying the command, as this could teach them that coming back to you could result in bad things, and they want to avoid that, so they just won't come back.
If your dog ignores you completely, do not yell at them or get angry. In this situation, you confuse and scare the dog. If they don't come back to you, you are going to be mad, but if they do come back to you, you are mad anyway. They are in a loose-loose battle.
Instead, take training back a step and keep them on a lead until you can trust them to listen to you 100% of the time.
There you go!
The first quadrant of Operant Conditioning explained!
Key points to take away from this:
Food is not the only way to train a dog.
Positive reinforcement is the best method for training your dog and results in longer-lasting results.
Your dog should learn because they want to, not because they are scared of what happens if they don't.
Dog's will only continue a behaviour if it is rewarding to them or they are scared to do otherwise.
Scaring your dog into submission is not a training method that is advised and can cause more issues like aggression.
If a dog is not doing what you ask, they either do not understand the command or the motivator is not convincing enough.
Next time, we will look at another section of Operant Conditioning.
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See you next time!
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