Punishment - where does it stop

I thought I'd tackle the uncomfortable area of punishment in dog training.
I hate to say it but we all use some sort of negative reinforcement at some time when we're training dogs.

Let me explain. Even when you train using a clicker or other positive reinforcement method, you are by default being negative when you click intermittently or reward inconsistently.
However the crossover between negative clicking and inconsistent rewarding is far outweighed by negative reinforcement and punishment. Issuing punishment can lead to all kinds of emotions for both dog and handler.

Let's take the modern traditional approach to training. The dog is exhibiting an undesirable behaviour. The modern traditional trainer sticks an electric collar on him, waits for him to display the behaviour and zaps him until the pain or discomfort is so great that he is distracted from what he is doing. The dog soon learns that exhibiting this behaviour results in him getting hurt. He usually stops the behaviour when he realises the consequences of his actions.

Here's where it all gets a bit nasty. Human behaviour can sometimes take over and it's possible for the handler to get some sub conscious satisfaction out of inflicting the pain and suffering on the animal.
I think some handlers get pleasure from achieving results and this pleasure sometimes overrides their awareness of the pain they're inflicting on their so called best friend. This is particuarly common and somewhat historic in gundog training but I'm witnessing it more and more with owners of guarding breeds like rotties, dobermans and GSDs.

My view is that a dogs brain works in the same way whether the dog is a 140lb rottie or a 3lb toy poodle. My training methods deal with the conditioning of the brain to achieve an acceptable behaviour not the punishing of the body to stop an unwanted behaviour. I think it's better to give the dog an alternative action to perform rather than punishing him for the original misdemeanour.

Here's an example : A dog has aggressive tendencies towards other dogs. The theory is that we show the dog that if he displays a more desirable behaviour, like sitting quietly with his handler or holding a toy while the other dog passes, he will be rewarded.

1. To achieve this you need to condition your dog to clicker training. The dog needs to understand that a click means he's getting something nice like a treat or kind words, a cuddle or even a game of tug with his favourite toy.He may not receive the reward instantly but it will come and he knows it.



2. Once the dog understands that a click means something good, you need to introduce him into an environment where he can encounter distractions (i.e. other dogs).



3. I prefer to keep him a good distance away from other dogs to start with. As with all dog training activities, you need to set the dog up for success and praise success rather than setting him up for failure and punishing failure.



4. Stand with the dog on a 6 foot lead.
   Let him see the other dog from a distance. As soon as he clocks the other dog, click and treat him.If he turns to you when you click, feed him the treat by hand. If he stands facing the dog when you click,throw the treat on the ground so you distract him. Keep clicking and treating, encourage him to come closer to get the treats, don't talk to him but keep firing the clicks and treats until he stands close to you and looks you in the eye.



5. At this point give him a handful of treats and lots of praise.



6. Mission accomplished, remove him from the situation as quickly as possible without any canine contact or any other confrontations or distractions.



7. One session is enough to start with. The object of the exercise is to show him that displaying desirable behaviour is much more satisfying and rewarding than getting stressed and aggressive.



8. Repeat these sessions on a daily basis and you will desensitise him to other dogs. Sooner or later he'll associate seeing other dogs with treats and praise and he will calm down.



9. Remember, yu have to be consistent. If you allow the association of seeing other dogs and good things to be broken, you will have to go back to the beginning and start over again.

This approach has to be better than zapping an electric shock through the poor dog's neck, mangling him with a stick or dominating him into submission by forcing him to the ground.

I genuinely think that a well trained clicker dog absorbs much more than a traditionally trained dog. Clicker training encourages the dog to be creative and certainly promotes confidence. I see the ability to learn new things far more in clicker trained dogs than in dogs trained by conventional methods. Clickers work with old dogs, young dogs, nervous dogs etc etc. The cicker is not a magic wand and it does require good timing but the more you use it the better you'll become.

I have no doubt that some trainers get results using negative reinforcement and punishment. I've been through the rough stuff and witnessed the fear and uncertainty that it produces first hand and it's not necessary for the average pet owner who wants a happy, confident, obedient pet.

Remember, you have the dog's lifetime to train him. You don't need to train him in 4 weeks. It doesn't matter if he's a slow earner or if you make a mistake and have to go back a few steps. There are no timescales involved in educating a pet dog.

Set him up for success at an early stage and it will last him a lifetime. Let your dog see that there is an alternative to being aggressive and it's beneficial to him.

Give this training exercise a try and let me know how you get on.