Dog House Training – Negative Reinforcement Versus Positive Reinforcement
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In this article we will discuss a variety of amplification methods used in animal training. We will try to clearly point out the advantages and disadvantages of each type and also discuss their suitability for given situations. Hopefully this will give you, the reader, the necessary knowledge to make an educated decision about how to reward or correct your pets behavior. To begin, let’s improve our understanding of positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement, for the purposes of this article refers to any form of exercise that is based on the reward rather than punishment. This training will be the type witnessed in many zoos where a trained animal is rewarded with a treat, such as a piece of food, for a job well done. Positive reinforcement can also refer to pat the animal or verbal praise. Other examples of positive reinforcement would play once, like a rousing game of fetch or play chase.
Negative reinforcement is the opposite of positive reinforcement. This entails a penalty of less than favorable performances and usually involves some form of fear, pain or discomfort to the animal being trained. Training aids such as electric shock collars or choke chains would fall under this category. Also in this category, you will find such things as crate training and chemical compounds, such as Bitter Apple and Cayenne Pepper. This is the kind of training exhibited in the old time circus show display lion tamers and whips to keep the animals in the submission.
Although both types of reinforcement have their place, they also have limitations and unacceptable use. To beat a dog or inflict serious physical harm to the animal in the name of the exercise is morally unacceptable and unforgivable, not to mention illegal in most areas. By the same token, allowing a dog to be a danger to others by not using any form of punishment is also unacceptable. A similar balance must be achieved for proper training of your pet, or you risk owning a maladjusted animal which will be either too aggressive or fearful and nervous. If the error should be made in either direction, it falls to the safer side of too much positive reinforcement, as this is much easier to correct.
Positive reinforcement does much for the ratio of pets to their master and should be given to any pet demonstrates a correct behavior at an appropriate time. Your pet will feel your joy in their performances, and will seek to repeat them more often in the future. A kind word or a small treat goes a long way towards your dog sees you as a leader. Being pack animals, dogs will pick an Alpha or leader of the pack, and will follow the light with its own desire to please. To use positive reinforcement effectively, find what motivates your dog. Maybe it’s food or toys, games or even verbal praise. Whatever the case may be, use this motivation to achieve results with your pet. Consistently reward the pet in the immediate response of the desired behavior. Dogs are creatures that thrive on instant gratification. In other words, reward them immediately for an action, and they are far more likely to repeat it.
Negative reinforcement also has its place in training your dog, but a much smaller space. If your dog displays an undesirable behavior such as chewing on power cords for your laptop or soiling the floor, then action must be taken to correct this. Behavior that chewing power cords can be dangerous for animals and let this continue to be harmful to your pet’s health, as well as expensive for you, both repair costs and veterinary visits. Just as a child, sometimes a puppy needs correction or a timeout. Some time in the kennel or a light but convincing tap on the nose will help your pet to understand that these behaviors are not going to continue. (A note from the author: While a light swat to correct a dangerous situation that cord chewing is acceptable, hit or hurt your pet is not Be a responsible pet owner, and if you have had a bad day, do not take. Out of the dog .)
Again it should be remembered that the immediate and consistent action is the key to training using both methods of reinforcement. If you wait too long before correcting or rewarding a behavior, any impact of the message is lost. Observing these basics, you can clearly see that both methods are useful to coaches and have their particular niches.
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