Let’s dive into a little introduction to R+ training:

Reinforcement: Reinforcement simply means exactly what the word implies. You’re reinforcing a dog behavior somehow, or increasing the likelihood it will happen again. 

Positive: The ‘positive’ signifier simply means ‘addition’. When it comes to positive reinforcement, you are adding something to increase the likelihood that behavior will happen again. 

Imagine your dog executes a perfect series of hurdles/ dog jumps. You reward with enthusiastic praise and a treat! Now you’ve given your dog a great reason, or reinforcer, to do this again. Because you’ve given something, or added something to the training, it is ‘positive’!

Examples of Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement training techniques don’t always have to use food as a reinforcer. Many dog breeds have a very strong desire to please their human family members, and praise is also very effective! You know how much that Pibble butt wiggles when let them know who’s a Good Boy/Girl 🙂

In fact, plenty of enthusiastic praise is especially important when training a puppy. You want to show that puppy that their accomplishments are the most amazing things in the world!

Some dogs are more play or toy driven and less food driven. Use this to your advantage! Offer a game of ‘rope tug’ when your dog successfully completes a trick or behavior.

• That treat reward you give for a job well done is an example of positive reinforcement.
• The enthusiastic praise you give your puppy after eliminating outdoors is an example of positive reinforcement.
• The toy you offer your dog after completing an agility hurdle is an example of positive reinforcement.

Just for some added context, that extra bonus at work for completing your job early, or the cheers of joy from the crowd at a football game would be human examples of positive reinforcement. Things are being added to encourage repeated behavior.

• Are you looking for a dog trainer? Consider looking for a trainer who prefers to use positive reinforcement dog training techniques.

Timing is Important

So you know you want to use positive reinforcement training methods with your dog, but how exactly? Is it really that important how quickly you reward a behavior (i.e. trick)?

The answer is yes! Timing is extremely important! You want to reward that behavior as quickly as possible after your dog does it. We’re talking just a few seconds can be too long!

Understand your dog is learning through association. He or she will associate that reward to the action that just happened. 

What if another behavior occurs between the time of the trick and the reward? Your pup could think it is being rewarded for that other behavior. You want those treats ready to give in a few seconds’ notice!

 

The Dog Clicker

A dog clicker is simply a button that makes an audible ‘click’ when you want to mark something. Most handlers use these to mark good behaviors. The ‘click’ lets your dog know he or she did a good job, and a treat is coming!

So what is all of the excitement about? It could take you 3-4 seconds to reach in your pocket and grab a treat (sometimes more). It takes a mere fraction of a second to press a button! 

There is absolutely no time for other behaviors to occur, and no room for confusion.

What is Conditioning?

Conditioning relates to the process of preparing an animal to behave a particular way or accept certain circumstances. It is sort of like teaching and is the backbone of dog training!

Dogs learn through forming associations, much like human children do. This is called classical conditioning. 

Classical Conditioning: Learning Through Association

You pick up your dog’s leash, and he starts doing a doggy dance! The leash is just a piece of cloth or leather, but your dog has learned through association, over time, that this means he is about to go for a walk. 

‘Pavlov’s dogs’ drooling at the sight of food then the sound of a bell is an example of classical conditioning. They’ve learned the bell means food is coming.

Operant Conditioning: Learning through rewards and consequences

‘I go potty outside and my human rewards me. I better potty outside next time so my human is happy!

My human says ‘sit’ and rewards me with a tasty treat once my bottom touches the floor. This must be what ‘sit’ means!

Both forms of conditioning come into play when training a dog, but this is the one you really want to focus on when using positive reinforcement techniques! 

Consistency is Important!

Your dog learns to form associations through conditioning, but the conditioning needs to be consistent. In other words, you want to find a training method that works and stick to that exact method every time!

If you change things up, your dog might become confused, and your training might take longer. Make sure to reward that behavior every single time, whether it be with treats, praise, play, toys, or all of the above!

Remember not to over-train or over-reward when it comes to food rewards. Yes, you want to reward every successful attempt, but reward to often with too much food and that food could start to lose value.

Try and keep your training rewards small.

Why are Reward-Based Training Methods Most Effective?

Though these are the preferred training methods by nearly all educated and accredited professionals today, this wasn’t always the case. Early in our dog training history, it was thought that ‘heavy handed’ ‘positive punishment’ (remember, positive just means addition) methods worked better.

And this was true; they were very effective- for a time. Dogs are very smart animals, and self-preservation is a very high instinctual drive! So these dogs would learn quickly to do what it took to avoid painful outcomes.

It worked great to a certain point. Using these methods, you run the risk of creating a sense of fear and the need for defense. Animals would attack handlers out of defense, and these techniques wouldn’t do anything for human-dog relationships.

You want your dog to look forward to wonderful rewards, not fear an outcome for not behaving appropriately.

For us personally, our relationship with our Dogs is the most important.Their safety, well being and emotional state all come into play when training. We love training with positive reinforcement and reward based training, it even works amazing for horses too! We will be publishing a deeper dive into this so we can help you build a foundation and better communication with your pup!

We want to hear from you! Let us know what you’d like to learn in the comments below 🙂

Opie & His friends hanging out, wishing you all a lovely day! XO

( They give 11/10 for R+ Training )