| ive dog training was developed under the principles of | | | | the dog that a particular behavior is unacceptable. This |
| Skinner's operant conditioning. While it's not a new | | | | is a common and big misinterpretation. Practitioners of |
| technique, it didn't get enough popularity until the | | | | positive training do teach this to dogs, but they don't |
| nineties. | | | | use punishment or negative reinforcement for that. |
| Former students of Skinner, psychologists Keller and | | | | Clicker training is the most popular of these techniques |
| Marian Breland, pioneered commercial applications of | | | | in many countries. It is the same technique used by |
| operant conditioning when they created Animal | | | | Keller and Marian Breland, and was popularized by the |
| Behavior Enterprises (ABE) on 1942. ABE was the first | | | | biologist and dolphin trainer Karen Pryor. |
| company that offered positive training services. | | | | The main difference between clicker training and other |
| The huge popularity of traditional training prevented | | | | positive techniques is the use of a clicker in the former. |
| ABE to succeed in dog training. So, the Breland's | | | | A clicker is just a small device that emits a click-click |
| company was forced to look for new niches and ABE | | | | sound when squeezed. It is used to mark the exact |
| got focused on training animals for TV shows and | | | | moment in which the dog performed a desired |
| commercials. Keller and Marian also pioneered dolphin | | | | behavior. |
| training for aquaria and US navy. | | | | The absolute absence of negative reinforcement, |
| Positive reinforcement is the main teaching way of | | | | punishment and training collars (choke, prong or shock) |
| these techniques. Positive reinforcement is not the | | | | make of positive dog training a very friendly technique |
| same as reward, though this is a common | | | | to both dogs and owners. This could be the main |
| misconception. | | | | advantage of this kind of training. |
| Positive reinforcement is the process that strengthens | | | | Other advantages are that positive dog training is easy |
| a behavior because a pleasant situation occurs as a | | | | to understand and fun to carry out. Besides, these |
| consequence of that particular behavior. For instance, if | | | | techniques are not only focused on obedience |
| you give a food treat to your dog when he lies down, | | | | exercises. Instead, they are widely used to solve |
| he will tend to lie down more frequently to get that | | | | behavioral problems. |
| delicious treat. Thus, your dog will be learning to lie | | | | Detractors of these techniques claim that dogs trained |
| down through positive reinforcement. | | | | in a positive way won't be able to respond properly |
| On the other hand, if your dog lies down and you | | | | unless they can see (or scent) a food treat. These |
| reward him after 10 seconds, he may not associate | | | | people also claim that positive trained behaviors are |
| the action of lying down with the reward. He may think | | | | not reliable under variable circumstances. |
| you gave him the treat because he was looking up, or | | | | Although very common, those claims are not true. The |
| moving his ears. So, you rewarded your dog but you | | | | efficacy of positive training is demonstrated each day |
| didn't reinforce the desired behavior. | | | | by hundreds of service dogs for disabled people, police |
| Some people think that positive trainers never teach to | | | | dogs, competition dogs and performing dogs. |