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Dog Training - What They Are and How They Can Be Used

Like people, dogs are motivated by increase and to prevent pain. Consequently, to train a dog, punishments or reinforcements may be used.

So What Are Reinforcements and Punishments?

Reinforcements are anything that raises the probability of a dog replicating, dog training richmond va a certain behaviour. Similarly, punishments are anything that decreases the chance of a behaviour being repeated.

What may not be overly clear is that there are 2 kinds of reinforcements and likewise, 2 types of punishments. Here's why...

To strengthen a dog for a specific behavior, you'll be able to give it something it likes (e.g. a treat) or takeaway something it does not enjoy (e.g. an aversive). Both ways, the dog is rewarded to duplicate the actions. The previous is called positive reinforcement (R ) and the latter negative reinforcing stimulus (R-).

And to punish a dog for bad behavior so as to decrease the likelihood of the dog replicating that behaviour, you are able to administer something the dog does not enjoy (e.g. physical punishment) or just take away something it enjoys (e.g. a withdrawal of privilege say in the kind of a time out).

The word positive and negative is only used to indicate if something is being managed or taken away as might be seen from the aforementioned examples. And because you're able to reinforce or punish a dog by adding or taking things away, we wind up with 2 different forms of punishments and reinforcements each or the 4 Quadrants of Operant Conditioning, in short.

Examples of the 4 Quadrants Being Used in Dog Training

Here are common examples of the four quadrants in activity during dog training:

Inquiring a dog and giving it a treat when it sits



Positive Punishment (P ): With a leash pop to correct a dog for an unwanted behavior.

Negative Punishment (P-): When a dog is happily playing with a different dog, to Instituting a time outside by taking a dog to some dreary corner (taking away play time) the second it becomes too rough or aggressive (undesirable behaviour)

Clicker Vs Compulsion Dog Trainers as well as how they use the 4 Quadrants

Another favorable benefits based trainers and clicker normally implement tons of R in their training. On rare occasions where punishment is demanded, they normally manage P-. In clicker training, dogs are generally set up to succeed, dog trainer in virginia, giving the opportunity to mark, reward and reinforce desired behaviours to trainers. Such training is consequently usually termed as more humane and dog friendly.

Conversely compulsion trainers focus a great deal on using P and R - to get the task done. Dogs are at times purposefully set around make blunders, giving the chance to correct the dog to the trainer. Hence compulsion and the definition of correction are generally associated with such form of dog training.