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Reinforce

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Tell me I've done a good job and I'll do it again and again. Give me a treat like a salary raise and you'll have the most loyal employee on earth. Give me random perks like a paid company holiday to some exotic place and I'll eat out of your hand. Dogs are no different.

Over the years, I've owned a number of dogs and have taken most of them through extensive obedience work. One got her Utility Title meaning that she competed in scent discrimination work, extensive off leash work, hand signal work, and directed retrieving and jumping. Shasta was a great dog and it was always a game for the two of us to play. She was what is known as a "soft" dog. One stern look or a harsh tone and she was crestfallen. A dog like that unless it's timid is extremely easy to train. Give them praise "Atta good girl!" or a treat and they're in heaven.

I do believe correction has its place in dog training, but only under the guidance of a professional. Most of the dogs I see wearing choke chains have them on wrong. If they don't pull left to right, there's the risk that the chain catches and literally does choke the dog. Choke chains are meant to be used for quick corrections only a snap and release that catches the dog's attention but doesn't hurt it. Allowing a dog to pull against a chain collar can cause permanent damage to its neck.

In the training I've done, I'd say 99% of it was based on positive reinforcement and 1% on correction. One dog we had, a Gordon setter mix was as hard-headed as they come. She wasn't pure bred but I decided to train and enter her in Fun Matches anyway. She made it clear that she was much more interested in doing her own thing chasing after a squirrel or cat than coming when called. Upon the advice of the instructor, I used a pinch collar on her for about 5 minutes. Used to my constant praise, Kinley was startled when I jerked her to me on a long line. It only took once or twice and then we were back to praise and treats. So, I'm not against correction training but I think it should be used sparingly and only by those who know what they're doing.

Thankfully, the modern trend is toward soft collars Halties instead of choke chains, observing good behavior and rewarding it rather than punishing bad. Dogs respond very well to random treats. If you give a treat every time, then the dog comes to expect it and won't do the behavior without it. But if you always give praise and occasionally something more, the dog is always hopeful. It's like the reason people continue to play slot machines. If they always lost, everyone (except idiots) would stop, but because people do occasionally get a money treat, they keep repeating the behavior over and over

Reinforcement training is the basis of Hollywood stunt dog training. Think of the steps involved in training a dog to stand on his hind legs, reach up on the counter and grab a bag of cookies. However, lots of dogs do things like that naturally so the wise trainer observers, names the behavior (GET THE COOOKIES!) and then praises. I taught our dog to bow by simply naming her stretching behavior and praising. It requires patience and observation but this is an easy way to get a dog to do tricks.

I love dogs that can be trained gently. Our last dog, a Border collie was so sweet that you literally just had to explain to her what to do. A rescue dog, I think she was so afraid of being abandoned again, that she spent her too short 14 years (13 with us) doing everything within her power to make us happy. She was a dog who exemplified the principle that positive reinforcement is more effective than correction. The key to any kind of training is to know your dog well and to teach them with love, kindness, and consistency.

Learn more about this author, Cynthia Wall.
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