Dogs will naturally do things that we don’t want them to do. They will chew anything that they can get their teeth on, they will bark like there is no tomorrow, they will pee and poo where they please, they will dig holes and destroy the backyard, and so on. If we want the dog to behave, we must train him. Dogs do not possess the ability to learn proper behavior on their own.

There are two basic approaches on how to train a dog – positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Today, most experts in the field agree that positive reinforcement should be the main method of training.

How does positive reinforcement works? Positive reinforcement is a method where the trainer reinforces a specific behavior in an effort to increase the probability of that behavior’s occurrence. It works by using rewards or praise when the dog does the right thing. This way the dog associates something positive with a specific behavior which results in a future increase of the frequency of that behavior.

Negative reinforcement, sometimes called a harassment training, is the opposite of positive reinforcement. It uses punishment as its main motivating factor to discourage unwanted behaviors. Punishment is a negative consequence that causes a specific behavior to occur with less frequency.

Most experts agree that dog friendly training based on positive reinforcement is more effective that negative reinforcement. It’s not associated with fear, discomfort, pain, or avoiding something and in general produces better results.

Negative reinforcement has its benefits and it would be quite unrealistic to think that you can properly train a dog using only positive reinforcement. But because it can have serious long-lasting consequences, it has to be used very sparingly and carefully.

I myself always use mainly positive reinforcement techniques to train my dogs and I love training them. This builds a strong relationship and it’s a great way to bond. Always remember, a well behaved dog is a happy dog and a credit to its owner.

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