Operant Conditioning
As you train your dog, bear in mind the following principles of operant conditioning, as developed by Harvard Psychologist B.
F.
Skinner.
Positive Reinforcement Having a grasp of the concept of positive reinforcement is a significant element to the training of your dog.
If your dog does something well that you ask her to do, you would then reward your dog for that, in the hopes that she once again perform such a behaviour at some point in the future.
As a basic example, you would ask your dog to sit, and if she does, you would positively reinforce this through treats and praise.
After some repeated application of this principle, your dog will recognize that beneficial things will happen when she obeys this command, and will probably do the same again.
Positive Punishment Not normally used unless you have to, this occurs when your dog is punished for performing an unwanted behaviour, in the hopes that such behaviour will not occur again.
For illustration, if your dog incessantly jumps up on an invitee in your house, you can firmly scold her and mildly pull back on her collar to get her away from the guest.
Negative Punishment So as to decrease the likeliness of a certain form of behaviour happening again, the operant conditioning principle of negative punishment calls for removing something from a peculiar situation.
For instance, if you have a treat in your hand, and your dog nips at your hand to get it, cover your hand over the treat, and place your hand behind your back.
Be patient, and repeat the process if required.
Your dog will soon get the idea that her nipping conduct makes the treat disappear.
As she wants the treat, the nipping conduct will discontinue.
Negative Reinforcement Negative reinforcement, another facet of operant conditioning, involves taking something away from a particular scenario, in the hopes that by doing so, a particular behaviour will replicate itself.
An instance could be taking off an uncomfortable training collar after your dog stops jumping, which can help stop a dog jumping up on you and other people in the future.
F.
Skinner.
Positive Reinforcement Having a grasp of the concept of positive reinforcement is a significant element to the training of your dog.
If your dog does something well that you ask her to do, you would then reward your dog for that, in the hopes that she once again perform such a behaviour at some point in the future.
As a basic example, you would ask your dog to sit, and if she does, you would positively reinforce this through treats and praise.
After some repeated application of this principle, your dog will recognize that beneficial things will happen when she obeys this command, and will probably do the same again.
Positive Punishment Not normally used unless you have to, this occurs when your dog is punished for performing an unwanted behaviour, in the hopes that such behaviour will not occur again.
For illustration, if your dog incessantly jumps up on an invitee in your house, you can firmly scold her and mildly pull back on her collar to get her away from the guest.
Negative Punishment So as to decrease the likeliness of a certain form of behaviour happening again, the operant conditioning principle of negative punishment calls for removing something from a peculiar situation.
For instance, if you have a treat in your hand, and your dog nips at your hand to get it, cover your hand over the treat, and place your hand behind your back.
Be patient, and repeat the process if required.
Your dog will soon get the idea that her nipping conduct makes the treat disappear.
As she wants the treat, the nipping conduct will discontinue.
Negative Reinforcement Negative reinforcement, another facet of operant conditioning, involves taking something away from a particular scenario, in the hopes that by doing so, a particular behaviour will replicate itself.
An instance could be taking off an uncomfortable training collar after your dog stops jumping, which can help stop a dog jumping up on you and other people in the future.
