Positive reinforcement puppy training isn’t just a catchy phrase we like to use. It really is the most up to date and ethical way of training dogs! Truly the golden ticket to success. We at Zigzag have come a long way in the fields of dog cognition and understanding how they feel, and have adapted our methods to train them accordingly.
In this article, we’re going to go deep into what is positive reinforcement training, why Zigzag follows positive reinforcement training, how to train your dog with positive reinforcement, tips for getting started with positive training and what to do when your training doesn’t work like it should. Sometimes things won’t go right…that’s something no one can avoid, not even with positive reinforcement training.
Download the Zigzag puppy training app, to start your puppy’s journey with positive reinforcement training today. With our team of professional dog trainers, you’ll have all your questions answered and hand held 24/7 via our in-app chat. Just give ‘em a ring when things go south – they’ll help turn you around.
What is positive reinforcement training?
Positive reinforcement training is one part of operant conditioning, developed by the father of behaviorism, psychologist B.F Skinner. You might remember a Skinner box from your high school books?
Here’s how it works: You reward behaviors that you want to see to increase the likelihood of them happening again. Okay – let’s break it down even more:
You ask a dog to sit – dog sits – dog receives treat – chances of dog wanting to sit again are highly likely.
Get it?
In the Zigzag app, we teach you to train using reward based training throughout your entire puppy training journey, breaking each exercise down into bite-sized pieces. That way, we make sure your dog learns new things effectively, and you don’t feel overwhelmed while you’re at it. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Why do we follow positive reinforcement principles?
It’s actually about ethics. We follow the science that says dogs are sentient beings, and that they are able to feel a whole range of emotions. Therefore, treating them with pain or aversive methods isn’t a thing anymore. Modern thinking means that positive reinforcement training is the most ethical way to train.
Check out our guiding principles to learn more about why we developed our app with ethics, modern science and how dogs think and feel as a way of learning.
How to train your dog with positive reinforcement?
Training with positive reinforcement follows a step-by-step process, but at its core, it’s training with some kind of reward to increase behavior.
Decide what you want to train your dog to do
Think about your dog’s current skill level, and how much they have been taught to learn already. If they are squeaky new to training, start off with something easy!
Choose your reinforcer based on what your dog likes
As the saying goes: ‘The dog decides what they find reinforcing, not us’. It basically means your dog will choose what they find motivating to work for. Some will have a soft spot for treats, while others will go insane for a squeaky toy.
Here’s a list of reinforcers you maybe hadn’t thought about already:
- Food – high value rewards tend to be chicken, hot dog, cheese.
- Toys – some dogs just love the chance to fetch a toy, a ball, or play tug.
- Chase – Being chased, or chasing! This type of play can be a huge treat for many dogs.
- Time for playing and interacting with other dogs
- Praise – because every dog is a ‘good dog’
- Strokes and pets – a little cuddle can make some dogs go all ditzy
- Chances to hunt (a toy please, let’s leave our forest friends alone), swim, or dig
We’ve got plenty more ideas for you to check out in our treats and rewards article.
Choose a marker
A marker can be a word like ‘yes’ or ‘good’, a mouth click, a clicker noise, a whistle…lots of different things. But whatever you choose, the most important thing is that your dog understands that when they hear that marker, they did the right thing and food or another reward is coming.
Learn more in our article on clicker training.
Timing is everything
When your pup performs the correct behavior, we want to use that marker at exactly the time when they do that particular action. Then, give them their reward. This way, they understand what they are being rewarded for, and it’s very clear to them. This will help them learn quickly.
Train your dog in an environment they can learn effectively
Starting training a new behavior in a low-stress environment. The place where you and your dog spend most of your time will work best – like your living room – so that they aren’t distracted with fluttering butterflies or anything more interesting than you might be.
Keep sessions short
Let’s be real – training for long sessions can get tiring and a bit boring. Keep your positive reinforcement sessions short to prevent your puppy’s attention from glitching!
Have fun!
Positive reinforcement training should be fun for your dog, but also fun for you! If you’re not having a good time, finding it stressful or you feel your dog isn’t picking things up fast enough, don’t panic, take a break and come back to it later..
Tips for getting started with positive reinforcement
It doesn’t take a lot to get started with positive reinforcement training. First, get yourself a treat pouch, and just start rewarding your dog when they do things you like. Simple as that.
You can also look at the SMART 50 system of rewarding behaviors that we talk about in our article 50+ training games. Lots of cool things to see there.
How to act when your dog isn’t behaving as you’d like
Dogs do what they find rewarding, simply because they don’t know what else to do. If your dog isn’t doing what you want, then try to reframe it. Think about it like this: If you show them what you want them to do instead, it means they CAN’T do the thing you don’t want them to do.
An example of this is a dog who jumps up when you come home. Instead of allowing this to happen, train them to sit when they see you or visitors. Over time, sitting is going to be much more rewarding to them than jumping up.
Another thing worth mentioning is management. Management is a huge part of training a dog – we need to help them make the right choices by managing their environment so that the outcome is more likely to be behavior we want.
If the idea of management still doesn’t sound too clear, you should check out our article on management here.
To get started training your dog the right way, with positive reinforcement training, download the Zigzag app. Our training programs are personalized based on the breed and age of your dog. Doesn’t matter if they’re a young pup or older dog, a rescue or a breeder dog, a Yorkie or a Great Dane. We’ve got you covered.
And when you need extra moral support and advice, our team of professional dog trainers are only a text away, available to talk 24/7 via our in-app chat. Oh, and for those who are more into robots, you might enjoy talking to Ziggy, our AI chat.
FAQs:
What is considered negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement is removing something that the dog finds unpleasant in order to increase the likelihood for a behavior. An example of this could be using a prong or choke collar for leash walking, depending on the way you use it, as it can also be used as a punisher. Just no.
How do I remain consistent with positive reinforcement training?
Train your dog lots of tricks – they are easy for dogs to learn, and super fun for us. Don’t hesitate to use a treat pouch, with strong-smelling treats. The stinkier, the better. You can also pair training by getting into a dog sport – bet you hadn’t thought about that.
How do you discipline a dog with positive reinforcement?
Go back to basics, breathe, and try to understand your dog is just an animal acting on natural instincts. Problematic behaviors can usually be modified with the right training! No need to panic.
