So Many Pet Owners Use An Old School Approach to Train Their Pet
Reinforcement strengthens behavior by either a consequence (negative) or a reward (positive).
Now a day's researchers have found positive reinforcement is the most powerful when it comes to behavior modification.
So why do so many pet owners still use the old school approach of negative reinforcement to train their furry family member? I am not an expert but I feel this topic needs to be addressed at least to the point that pet owners will think about my question.
Really, I am just a dog lover who needs to get this short editorial off her chest.
I have recently rescued a very small mixed dog that has spent the last year of her life in constant fear.
It is not that these are bad people, just clueless.
The dog would sit quietly at the door when she had to potty, yet ignored by the owner for so long she couldn't hold it any longer and opps an accident.
Well when this happened guess what she would get a smack to her bottom, rub her nose in it and throw her outside.
I ask, was the accident the dogs fault or the owners? She did signal when she had to go, isn't it the owners' responsibility to acknowledge the signal and act upon it? The end result of this negative reinforcement was that in a years' time the dog never potty trained; in fact she pottyed even more because she was so stressed out all the time that the pee was literally scared out of her.
I ask when we potty train a toddler, do we make them smell their dirty pull up, and smack them on the bottom.
NO! We reassure them, show them what to do, look for signals to acknowledge, and act upon them so it doesn't happen again.
Well people, dogs are no different! When I took the dog I, she was so scared of people she would roll on her side and drag herself across the floor to you in hopes of not being punished.
It took me 3 days to train her with positive reinforcement, I repeat 3 days; what I did in 3 days negative reinforcement couldn't do in a year.
When a rare accident did occur she was so scared it was like a scavenger hunt to find her.
Eventually I would find her and pick her up, reassure her and tell her it was my fault for missing her signal, take her outside and then give her a treat.
Eventually, I learned her signals and she learned how to signal me, all through positive reinforcement.
Now she never goes in the house, and to be honest she so figured out the system that now she knows how to get 2 treats instead of one by doing her business in 2 separate outside excursions, the stinker.
And the ultimate reward from this whole thing is that she is beginning to trust most people again.
So in conclusion, I ask all new and old dog owners out there that you look at your Furry Family member as just that; a family member, just like one of your kids.
If you wouldn't nurture your child that way, DON'T do it to your dog.
If you need help on training or advice seek out a professional trainer or ask your vet.
I guarantee you rubbing the dog's nose in potty is NOT one of the vets techniques.
Now a day's researchers have found positive reinforcement is the most powerful when it comes to behavior modification.
So why do so many pet owners still use the old school approach of negative reinforcement to train their furry family member? I am not an expert but I feel this topic needs to be addressed at least to the point that pet owners will think about my question.
Really, I am just a dog lover who needs to get this short editorial off her chest.
I have recently rescued a very small mixed dog that has spent the last year of her life in constant fear.
It is not that these are bad people, just clueless.
The dog would sit quietly at the door when she had to potty, yet ignored by the owner for so long she couldn't hold it any longer and opps an accident.
Well when this happened guess what she would get a smack to her bottom, rub her nose in it and throw her outside.
I ask, was the accident the dogs fault or the owners? She did signal when she had to go, isn't it the owners' responsibility to acknowledge the signal and act upon it? The end result of this negative reinforcement was that in a years' time the dog never potty trained; in fact she pottyed even more because she was so stressed out all the time that the pee was literally scared out of her.
I ask when we potty train a toddler, do we make them smell their dirty pull up, and smack them on the bottom.
NO! We reassure them, show them what to do, look for signals to acknowledge, and act upon them so it doesn't happen again.
Well people, dogs are no different! When I took the dog I, she was so scared of people she would roll on her side and drag herself across the floor to you in hopes of not being punished.
It took me 3 days to train her with positive reinforcement, I repeat 3 days; what I did in 3 days negative reinforcement couldn't do in a year.
When a rare accident did occur she was so scared it was like a scavenger hunt to find her.
Eventually I would find her and pick her up, reassure her and tell her it was my fault for missing her signal, take her outside and then give her a treat.
Eventually, I learned her signals and she learned how to signal me, all through positive reinforcement.
Now she never goes in the house, and to be honest she so figured out the system that now she knows how to get 2 treats instead of one by doing her business in 2 separate outside excursions, the stinker.
And the ultimate reward from this whole thing is that she is beginning to trust most people again.
So in conclusion, I ask all new and old dog owners out there that you look at your Furry Family member as just that; a family member, just like one of your kids.
If you wouldn't nurture your child that way, DON'T do it to your dog.
If you need help on training or advice seek out a professional trainer or ask your vet.
I guarantee you rubbing the dog's nose in potty is NOT one of the vets techniques.
Source...