Positive Reward Based Training is a modern method of dog training, where the focus is on creating positive behaviour change without resorting to punishment.
Instead of training using techniques such as pushing animals into the correct position, or equipment such as the choke chain or the prong collar, Positive Reward Based Training uses positive reinforcement, rewarding correct behaviours by using rewards like small bits of food treats, toys, attention and even play time.
Positive Reward Based Training encourages the animal to think for itself and gives the animal a better chance to learn what you are teaching. Instead of physically putting the animal into a sit, the animal has to think and follow your hand actions and is then rewarded when its rear end touches the ground for a sit.
The main idea behind it this form of training is that you reward the good and ignore the bad.
Let’s take Buddy for example. Buddy is a sweet-loving, all-eating, ball of fluff Labrador, who loves jumping up on his owners when he wants attention. Human reaction is to automatically push Buddy down and rouse on him, but to encourage Buddy not to jump up for attention, Buddy's owners should simply turn around with their arms folded and ignore him. The turn will gently encourage Buddy to jump down, and then Buddy's owners should ask for a sit, and only giving him the attention he wanted when he has all four feet on the ground.
In this case, Buddy’s owners are ignoring the 'bad' behaviour of jumping up, and rewarding the good behaviour of maintaining all four feet on the ground. Remember, even pushing Buddy down and telling him 'NO', is still giving Buddy what he wants – attention.
Why is Positive Reward Based Training so good?
We prefer to use Positive Reward Based training over any other method of training. The use of fun rewards and fun training make for a much stronger and happier relationship between dog and owner than the more traditional forms of training.
Rather than being punished for doing the wrong thing (think check chains on the neck), dogs are rewarded for doing the right thing. It is a much clearer form of training both for dog and owner alike, and with pin-point precision, Positive Reward Based Training can almost make your dog into a Superdog, it'll learn that fast!
A quick word on punishment
We avoid punishment, as it can be very confusing and can actually destroy any relationship you have with your dog. A lot of people inadvertently use punishment when they're house-training their puppies.
Take this scenario. The owner walks along and finds their puppy urinating in the hallway. They start yelling at the small puppy, "Don’t wee there, Flora! Bad dog! Bad dog!" Out comes the rolled up newspaper and a swift whack along the backside, and poor Flora is running away, her tail tucked between her legs. The owner could be thinking, "Good, that worked – Flora knows she's weed in the wrong place. Look at her! She looks guilty. She'll know for next time." No, she won’t. All this owner has done is to confuse and scare poor Flora.
This is the problem with punishment techniques – while the owner may assume that the dog has learnt not to wee in that particular spot, we can never know for sure what the dog has actually learnt. Poor Flora could have learnt that she will get yelled at for weeing in front of her owner, or for facing a particular direction, or for being near the owner – the list goes on. This is why punishment is so confusing and should be avoided.
What type of things can be rewards?
The good news is that you don't have to stick to food treats as rewards for your dog. Sure, they may be the best form of reward for your dog, but they are unlikely to be the one and only motivator.
Rewards are anything that your dog loves, including dog treats (but keep them no bigger than your smallest fingernail), toys, pats, cuddles, squeaky voices and even just attention and smiles.
It's a good idea to use a variety of rewards, rather than just sticking to one or two. You could, for example, use a treat after one behaviour, a toy after another, and a squeaky voice and cuddles after another. In fact, mixing the rewards up like this is a good way to prevent your dog from becoming dependent on only one type of reward – we’'e all heard of the dogs who won’t do anything unless there’s food involved.
One important point when you’re using voices as rewards is to not overdo it too much. A lot of people talk and chatter to their dogs for a minute or two, and in the meantime, the dog has moved onto a whole lot of other behaviours. The owner has then stopped rewarding the initial, wanted, behaviour, and could now be rewarding jumping up, or rolling over, or pawing or anything else. I'’s no big problem, it just makes training less precise and that much more difficult for you. So now that you know what Positive Reward Based Training is and how to use it, have a go with your own dog. All you need is a few rewards, pats, and a positive attitude.