Negative Reinforcement Dog Training

The debate over negative reinforcement dog training versus positive reinforcement dog training is one that has been raging forever and shows no signs of abating. The conflicting views and heated arguments that take root from the varying beliefs of dog owners the world over can be quite confusing and distracting to a new dog owner who needs to come up with a dog training plan.

Although there are various differing techniques that different owners use to train their dogs, most of these techniques fall squarely into two categories – negative and positive dog training. Positive reinforcement dog training is the more recent development, prior to which most training techniques revolved around negative reinforcement. Methods of negative reinforcement training have been harshly criticized as being cruel, draconian, and ineffective by proponents of the positive reinforcement training. Although there is some truth in these claims, negative reinforcement dog training is not really the evil it is often portrayed as being. There is however a time and a place for it, and its effectiveness and necessity are limited to certain situations. This said, the perfect dog training routine would be one that uses a combination of both negative and positive reinforcement dog training techniques.

Proponents of positive dog training may still dispute this, but there is no denying that some extent of negative reinforcement training is necessary. It does help to create an aversion to certain behaviors in the dog that could create a problem for not just humans but for the dog as well. For example, if your dog has a habit of chewing on wires, posing a risk of electrocution and fire, you could use negative reinforcement techniques to train your dog against this. This works like conditioning, wherein you can coat the wires with a bitter unpleasant tasting substance like apple cider vinegar. The dog will develop an aversion to chewing on wires, solving the problem.

Negative reinforcement dog training typically involves punishing a dog for any action or behavior that is deemed inappropriate, and could involve techniques varying from yelling at the dog, an electric shock, or even choke collars. Confinement is also a kind of negative reinforcement. This treatment of dogs has quite naturally attracted criticism for valid reason. Animal behaviorists and trainers have found that most animals don’t learn to well from negative reinforcement. For example training a dog to come when it is called and punishing it if it does not respond does not help at all and will only make the dog fearful. On the other hand giving the dog a treat and some fussing when it responds to the training can work wonders. The main criticism of negative reinforcement dog training is that it can create potentially negative emotions in the animal, such as anger, aggression, and fear. These emotions are in turn responsible for most behavioral problems, spawning a vicious cycle.