The Four Types of Dog Training

Whether it is a newborn puppy or a full-grown dog, many dog training techniques exist to achieve different results and work on different breeds of dogs. You can most certainly teach a dog new tricks. Patience and commitment are key for training your dog to pick up good habits. Some dog training South Jersey experts speak upon the different types of dog training and when it is ideal to use each of them. 


There are four specific training techniques. These four techniques are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Most dog owners might say no way should my dog ever be punished. Negative and positive punishment is very helpful for your dog and sounds a lot worse than it really is. 


Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is the act of reinforcing behavior by adding something positive after the behavior is shown. For example, if you wish to teach your dog to roll over, you may feed him or her a treat after they listen to your command to roll over. Over time, your dog will associate the command with a positive thought and will willingly listen to it. Be sure to remove the treat after some time and replace it with a different form of positive reinforcement such as cuddles or a head scratch. Too many treats may not be the best option for a long time. 


Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is the opposite of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement involves removing a behavior once your dog has obeyed your command. For example, if you want your dog to sit, you say the command and then put slight pressure on their lower back until they are in a seated position, then remove the downward pressure. Your dog will associate the negative behavior of pushing down with not obeying your command. Over time, your dog will associate following your command with avoiding a negative outcome like a hand pushing down on them. 


Positive Punishment

Positive punishment is not a harmful tool if done correctly. Positive punishment is when you add a negative consequence after an incorrect behavior is shown. A great example of this is when you see dog owners pull on the leash when your dog tries to jump on someone while going for a walk. The punishment of pulling on the leash associates the act of your dog pulling on you to be a negative behavior to do. 


Negative Punishment

Negative punishment refers to when you take away a positive action to prevent undesired behavior. An example of this would be to stop playing with your dog when he tries to belittle another dog. You are negatively punishing the behavior of playing rough with another dog by taking away the positive act of throwing the ball. 


I hope these insights help with the different forms of punishment and reinforcement of dog training!


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