Dog Reward and punishment
Most training revolves around establishing consequences for the dog’s behaviour. Operant conditioning defines four types of consequences:
1. Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
2. Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
3. Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
4. Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
Most trainers claim that they use "positive training methods ". Generally, this means using reward-based training to increase good behavior rather than physical punishment to decrease bad behavior.
Rewards
Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owner's attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer.
Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called "building prey drive", and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time, in the hopes of earning access to its special toy reward.
Positive punishment may be the consequence that is least used by modern dog trainers. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner. Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him is not only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog fearful or unwilling to cooperate.
Punishments should only be administered as appropriate for the dog's personality, age, experience and physical and emotional condition. A sharp "No" works for many dogs, but some dogs may show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. Other dogs with may ignore a verbal reprimands. Trainers generally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions; if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled.
Punishment should only be used if the dog does something unwanted and you catch the dog in the act or within a very short time of it
