Positive Reinforcement for Dogs: Examples and Training Tips

What if you never had to punish your dog for bad behaviour again? Instead you got to heap praise on them – sounds good right? Positive reinforcement dog training (reward training dogs) is just that.

Happily, research shows positive reinforcement has a range of benefits, including much lower stress levels for your dog than other methods of training can cause.

In this article, dog trainer and canine behaviour consultant Maria Alomajan shares insights into how and why this method yields such pawsitive results.

What is positive reinforcement in dog training?

Positive reinforcement is also sometimes called reward training for dogs. Essentially, it means that you reward the behaviours you want to promote and you don’t react to those you’d like your pup to stop doing.

This is similar to promoting good behaviour in humans. In human education, it’s a method that’s replacing old-school punishments. Rather than telling a first grader what he or she is doing wrong, you give them the benefit of feeling proud of what they’re doing right.

Happy kids who feel good about their actions learn (and remember well). The same logic can be applied to our furry best friends.

“I choose to approach it from a place of trust and kindness towards the learner in front of me. In my experience, this is the most beneficial approach and makes the most sense to me, both innately and based on what I have learnt.”

– Maria Alomajan

Reward training for dogs is an approach that instils and promotes a sense of well-being around positive behaviours. Eventually they’ll want to focus primarily on those good behaviours that get a good response and make them feel good too.

Positive reinforcement dog training for aggression

Of course, like humans, dogs might not always react the right way immediately. A dog that’s fearful or aggressive might have some baggage they need to unpack before they’re ready to learn new behaviours.

“Dogs who are chronically stressed can’t come down from this state by themselves, in their environment, so they need help decompressing before we can expect them to learn alternative behaviours. Canine emotional detox (CED) is by far the best protocol I’ve found to aid me in this work.”

– Maria Alomajan

This is often the case when dogs are traumatised by past experiences.

Perhaps they’ve been abandoned or abused. As a result they may experience trepidation, which they express in ways that look scary and can of course be dangerous. Stress can get in the way of their normal responses and learning.

In cases like these, it’s important for the dog to first unlearn the trauma before taking on new lessons.

Can you train a dog without rewards?

With pet obesity becoming a top concern these days, you might wonder whether you can train a dog without treats?

Absolutely! Rewards don’t have to be edible treats. We’re really lucky because dogs love humans so much which is why simply giving your dog praise or a pat on the head is a reward in and of itself.

Your dog doesn’t have a registry of rewards that you have to buy. Simply dote on them and show them how proud you are because that’s a reward they’ll be proud of too.

If, however, you’d like to give your dog treats as rewards without tipping the scales, head on to our National Pet Obesity Day article for some great suggestions from a vet.

How to use positive reinforcement with dogs

Thankfully praising your dog is far easier than scolding them. At least in part. It’s both rewarding for them and you. However, the hard part is sitting tight and not doing or saying anything that could be perceived as a reaction amid ‘naughty’ behaviours.

This requires patience.

So what might positive reinforcement with dogs actually look like when put into practice? Let’s look at an example of what you do to promote and reinforce good behaviour (while avoiding reacting to the ‘bad’).

• Rewarding good behaviour. Your dog comes when you call them so you give them a pat on the head, a scratch on the tummy, a treat or praise them, for example.
• Sidestepping bad behaviour. Your pup is barking or jumping and you wish they’d stop. Hang in there and wait until they do then as soon as that happens, give them a reward, whatever form that may take.

Food and praise are the most commonly used rewards, although playtime is a good one as well. Because, after all, that’s what dogs value the most! Snacks and attention from their humans.

How to implement positive reinforcement for dogs

Positive reinforcement is easy to understand, but not always quite as easy to implement! To get the best results, there are a few basic principles you should follow.

• Timing. Firstly, know that your reward should be immediate. Don’t reward your dog in the afternoon for something they did well in the morning. Don’t reward them 10 minutes later either – they won’t remember or link the reward to the action. Acknowledge their good behaviours right away, i.e. seconds after they’ve listened well or done something good. This helps the dog make the connection between the behaviour and the reward. So praise or give a treat as soon as your dog shows the behaviour you want to encourage.
• Shorthand. Secondly, keep your cues short and sweet. Don’t use long sentences like “Rover, come over here and sit down nicely for me.” Just say “come” and “sit.” Make it easy for your dog to understand what you’re asking. We’re not doing language studies so much as behavioural ones!
• Consistency. Keep consistent. Don’t chop and change if you want your dog to follow what you mean. Chat with your family or household members so everyone can be in unison and use the same cues. That way there’s less opportunity for confusion from your dog’s perspective.
• Stay at it. Even if your dog gets it, don’t stop rewarding them. Positive reinforcement dog training isn’t limited to behaviours, it’s also about building a connection with your dog and that connection is ongoing. Rather than suddenly forgoing the pat, the tummy tickle or playtime, keep it up. As long as you do you’re always showing your dog appreciation and they’re always feeling appreciated. Of course, if you don’t want to overdo it with feeding them using tasty treats then try to phase into rewards like pats and kisses instead of kibble or biscuits.

While we’re on the topic of training, find out if you can train a cat too.

Benefits of positive reinforcement dog training

There are good reasons why positive reinforcement training with dogs is an extremely popular method of getting your pooches well-behaved and happy. In fact, chances are you’ve probably used positive reinforcement even if you don’t know exactly what it is.

🟢 Reduces stress

In 2020, a Portuguese study showed companion dogs trained with positive reinforcement methods were healthier and happier than dogs trained with aversive methods. For instance, they displayed fewer stress-related behaviours and lower cortisol levels.

“Unfortunately there are so many aversive tools still in practise. Often these are applied in a way, involving physical and mental pain, to force and scare an animal to do or stop doing something.”

– Maria Alomajan

In fact, dogs trained using aversive methods (like giving them a smack when they do something wrong) can be up to 15 times more likely to show stress than dogs trained with positive reinforcement.

🟢 Engenders adaptability

Dogs trained using positive reinforcement also adapted better outside the training environment than other dogs. That’s great because you want your dog to understand rather than copy good behaviours. That way they’re able to enact good behaviours in a range of different contexts.

“I do not want to evoke fear in my learner, nor do I want to force them into doing something. Neither are conducive to learning and both are detrimental to the animal’s welfare.”

– Maria Alomajan

And of course, having a dog who’s both well-adjusted and obedient is a pleasure as a dog owner. It allows you to do cool outings like off-leash hikes or beach trips (read our tips on keeping your dog safe at the beach) and means your bond will go from strength to strength over the years.

Other positive training tips

Keep in mind that dogs develop in stages, just like kids. Or adults, come to think of it. Taking advantage of these milestone stages can help with your training.

Toilet training is easier with a puppy than with a mature dog, for instance. Then again if you adopt an adult dog don’t fret because the old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks simply isn’t true!

When it comes to reward based training for dogs, you can teach an old dog new tricks. If your dog is traumatised from past experience it might be beneficial to bring in a pet behaviourist to help overcome those initial hurdles. Then once that’s done the positive learning can snowball.

Here are some dog training articles to give you some inspo:

• Puppy training tips
• Puppy sleep training
• Toilet training your puppy
• Teach your puppy to walk on a lead
• Should you crate train a puppy?

If you want to get some guidance from those in the know, read about how to find a great puppy training school.

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