John McKay John McKay

Bed Stay

Bed stays are great for when people come to the door and you need your dog to calm down and not be underfoot.



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John McKay John McKay

Positive reinforcement versus punishment

English is a fickle language

Many words have different meanings. Recently, in the context of dog training, the word “punishment” has taken on a very negative connotation, depending on whether it is being used by a lay-person, or by an animal behaviourist. As a dog trainer, I try to use the word carefully, making it clear that it denotes something that causes a decrease in an unwanted behaviour.

In dog training, reinforcement and punishment are used to teach your dog what behaviors you want and what behaviors you don’t want. Here’s how the four quadrants work, explained simply:

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1. Positive Reinforcement (Add something to increase a behaviour):

You reward your dog to encourage a behaviour.

Example: When your dog sits, you give them a treat.

Goal: Your dog learns that sitting leads to something nice and will do it more often.

A MAJORITY of behaviours are trained in this quadrant

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2. Negative Reinforcement (Take away something to increase a behaviour):

You remove something when your dog does what you want.

Example: You stop pulling on the leash when your dog stops pulling ahead.

Goal: Your dog learns that stopping the unwanted behavior makes the unpleasant thing go away.

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3. Positive Punishment (Add something to decrease a behaviour):

You add something to discourage a behavior.

Example: Your dog barks, and you spray a little water on them.

Goal: Your dog learns that barking leads to an unpleasant consequence and stops barking.

WARNING: ABUSE MOST OFTEN OCCURS IN THIS QUADRANT.

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4. Negative Punishment (Take away something to decrease a behaviour):

You take away something your dog enjoys to reduce a behavior.

Example: Your dog jumps on you, so you turn your back and stop giving attention.

Goal: Your dog learns that jumping means losing attention, so they stop jumping. (DOES THAT SOUND SO TERRIBLE?)

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Depending on the nature of the training challenges, any of the 4 quadrants could have a role in ethical force free dog training.

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John McKay John McKay

Aggression…

It all begins with an idea.

AGGRESSION is one of the more difficult behaviors to address.

  • Dog-to-Person aggression is a bit more straightforward because as owners, we can direct the people involved.

  • Dog-to-Dog aggression is more difficult.

BEFORE training for aggression, we look at some common contributors like the need for:

  • more physical exercise

  • more mental stimulation

  • socialization

  • desensitization

THEN start with some fundamental obedience behaviors that have carry-over when it comes to aggression.

  • Does your dog come when called?

  • Does your dog go straight to their bed and stay when you ask?

  • Does your dog know that jumping on you is not allowed?

  • Can your dog walk on a loose leash?

  • Does your dog sleep in your bed?

    THESE ARE KEY BEHAVIORS that ensure that your dog understands what are the rules and what is their role. Walking on a loose leash means they need to be checking in with you. Recall is a distal behavior that lets the dog know that no matter where they are that they need to listen. A bed stay sets the tone for being calm and having a tool to manage excitement. Not jumping defines boundaries. Not sleeping in your bed sets boundaries.

FINALLY, we need to understand the MAIN ISSUES.

There are different reasons for aggression. The triggers and the underlying issues matter.

  • Is it fear?

  • Protection?

  • Resource guarding?

  • No established boundaries?

  • Previous trauma?

  • Something else?

What are the important missing pieces?

  • What is THE most important missing piece?

  • Let’s deal with THAT first, because it will have the biggest impact.

And then…We train.

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