Dog Behaviour – About Reinforcement and Correction

In essence, the way a dog learns is not that different from the way we learn ourselves. Of course we can learn more and faster, but the basics are the same, the learning principles are identical. What are those “learning principles”? In this blog I will take a closer look at the theory behind reinforcement and correction.

Reinforcement and Correction: The Learning Principles

You can learn something in four different ways.

The first is called Positive Reinforcement

This principle assumes that if you do something and get something in return that you like, you will do what you did again next time. An example: you ask the dog to sit, the dog sits, and you give the dog a treat that he likes. There is a good chance that he will sit nicely next time you ask, because you have positively reinforced the behavior.

The second is called Negative Reinforcement

This is about doing a behaviour, after which something that you experience as aversive or unpleasant disappears from your life and you feel better as a result. There is a good chance that you will perform the behavior again next time. An example: the dog finds the postman very scary, and starts barking every time he walks onto the garden path. The postman also leaves every time, of course, so the barking is negatively reinforced.

The third is called Positive Correction

Here, something you find aversive follows the performed behavior, after which there is a good chance that you will not perform the behavior next time. An example: your dog pulls on the leash, and you give a hard tug on the leash every time, after which the dog pulls less or no longer. The behavior is then positively corrected.

Finally, there is the Negative Correction

Hereby something nice disappears from your life after the behavior has been performed, which also reduces the chance that you will perform the behavior again next time. An example: your dog pulls on the leash, and every time he does, you stop walking. You don’t say anything else and don’t tug on the leash, you only deprive the dog of the chance to quickly go where he wants to go. Chances are if you do this consistently when the dog pulls, he will pull less. The behavior is then negatively corrected.

To summarize

So in summary, there are four ways to learn something, based on rewards and punishments:

• Positive reinforcement, something nice is added, after which the behavior is increased/repeated
• Negative reinforcement, something unpleasant is removed, after which the behavior is increased/repeated
• Positive correction, something bad is added, after which the behavior decreases/stops
• Negative correction, something nice is taken away, after which the behavior decreases/stops

Why do we prefer not to use positive corrections?

In the first place because research has shown that physical corrections and voice corrections give a greater risk of fear and aggression, and therefore also a greater chance of problem behavior. You may have stopped the behavior you wanted to stop at that moment, but in the long term all kinds of new behavior can arise, behavior that we like to see even less. For example, a dog that snaps at everything he meets on the street, because he has constantly made negative associations with the environment and everything in it, due to the owner constantly tugging on the leash. Or a dog that no longer dares to urinate near people after being ‘dragged through his own pee’ in the house.

In addition, an anxious and stressed dog learns less than a relaxed dog who enjoys training (and let’s face it: how much sense is training if nothing sticks with your dog?), and it can affect the bond between dog and owner. Not to mention the pain a physical correction can cause.

Finally; research has shown that as soon as one stops correcting the behavior, the previously displayed unwanted behavior simply returns. After all, the dog has not learned what was the desired appropriate behaviour (and that desired behavior has therefore not been reinforced). It therefore makes much more sense during training to focus mainly on teaching desired behavior through positive reinforcement.

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Do we have to keep walking around with treats forever and keep giving food for everything your dog does? No. We mainly use the principle of positive reinforcement during the learning phase, and we will gradually reduce the use of food (and other reinforcers, this doesn’t necessarily have to be food). But at the same time, reinforcing behavior with a treat is always allowed with an adult dog! I will continue to “pay” my girls for their work throughout their lives. I like to reward them, and they like to receive a reward. Everyone happy!