Positive Reinforcement is a concept in behavioral psychology that can help teach and strengthen behaviors. Positive reinforcement refers to the presence of something desirable after a behavior. A.k.a. A Reward. Positive Reinforcement is often called Reward-Based Training. When there is a favorable outcome after an action, that behavior becomes stronger, reliable, and eventually constant. In dog training, there are multiple rewards! The most common is food. However, you can use play, praise, environment, or anything the dog finds rewarding!

Positive Reinforcement can also be used to strengthen undesirable behaviors. One great example of environment reinforcement is counter surfing! Dogs learn quickly that kitchen counters have food. If they manage to steal from the counter, they have been positively reinforced by stealing food! Now it will always be on their mind and this behavior will happen more often. The stolen food reinforcer makes the behavior so strong, that it can be hard to kick!

However, in dog training, we use rewards to our advantage. We know that any behavior rewarded will be repeated. Instead of jumping, you can repeatedly reward your dog for sitting. The more sitting is rewarded, the more a sit instead of jumping will be offered. Promoting rewards in different ways can create dog-human bonds, emotional stability, independence, and calm dogs. Positive reinforcement is actually the recommended standard for training dogs through AVSAB (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior)! AVSAB Position Statement

Our dogs do not act out due to resentment, revenge, or hate. They are just being dogs who live in the moment, basing their actions on their environment and emotions. Using positive reinforcement we can communicate to our dogs and change their point of view. We can turn fearful, reactive dogs into calm, happy dogs. We can train puppies using happiness and good food instead of pain or punishment. Rewards give us a chance to lead our pets into being a positive part of our family!

“ "What is possible between a human and an animal is possible only within a relationship."
-Suzanne Clothier

Ethologists (scientists who study natural animal behavior) have discovered exciting things about the emotional world of animals that show there is much more to dogs than just instinct. Dogs have emotions, not unlike our own. Knowing what we now know, we cannot ignore that the dog has feelings, too.

Relationship-based dog training strives to meet the needs of both the human and the dog. It is an empathetic approach to taking into account the dog's point of view. There are times, of course, when the dog's desires cannot be considered. Molly may want to chase the kitty across the highway, but she cannot be allowed to for her own safety. However, we can still focus on making her happy she complied rather than the old approach of making her sorry she didn't. ”- excerpt from Caretoadopt.org

Relationship-Based Dog Training focuses and three main topics.

1. Help the dog succeed.

   We use building blocks and success for the dog to learn. Just like teaching children, dogs need to learn their ABCs before writing. Starting with something easy and slowly advancing will encourage the dog to learn faster, enjoy training, and lead to reliable behaviors. It just makes sense to learn how to walk before you run, we just need to allow our dogs too as well.

2. Listen to what the dog is saying.

   Dog’s can’t speak English, however, they are always communicating using body language. Learning how to read a dog’s body language open’s a door to understanding how your dog is feeling and what they are trying to tell you. This can lead you to understand your dog in any situation and be able to support him. Creating trust, obedience, and a strong bond.

3. Read the dog to deduct what he is thinking.

   Observing body language also gives insight into the dog’s mind. If his tail is completely tucked under, he is scared. If he is scared, what would he be thinking and what might he do next? If we know he is scared in a certain situation, what can we do to help him? Knowing that your dog is feeling a certain emotion can help adjust our actions, training, and environment. Doing this improves the dog’s emotional state and allows the dog to obey, listen, and behave.

The amazing thing about Relationship-Based Training is just that, it builds a relationship! Our entire goal of owning a pet is to have a relationship with him. To be able to enjoy life together and mutually benefit from each other. There is no better way to do that than learning to work together in a positive way.