An extremely controversial issue in recent times is undoubtedly the two aspects that prevail in the world of dog training; the so-called “positive” training and “traditional” training.
There are many articles that can be found on the Internet talking about these two types of training and, generally, the only thing they try to achieve is to sell their method by demagogically criticizing professionals who use the opposite. This less than honest attitude can lead to misunderstandings among readers, especially those who are more profane in the matter Dog trainer spring Texas.
From Los Guardianes we want to present our point of view on the subject in a humble and objective way, without intending to criticize and offend other professionals and colleagues in this beautiful canine world. To do this, it is necessary to briefly explain some of the knowledge in conditioning and ethology:
Classical or Pavlovian Conditioning
Classical conditioning is based on the association of stimuli. The example used to explain it is Ivan Pavlov’s demonstration: that of the dog that salivates when it hears a bell.
The sound of said bell is a neutral stimulus that will be conditioned. With repetitions, Pavlov associated the sound of the bell with food, which is an unconditioned stimulus, which in turn provokes an unconditioned response in the dog; salivation. Once associated, the dog, upon hearing the bell, began to salivate in anticipation of what he knew would come, the food. Salivating before food is presented is the conditioned response.
EC -> Bell (neutral)
EI -> Food (biological stimulus that causes a reflex response)
RI -> Salivation (reflex response)
EC + EI -> RC -> Salivation without food present
Another example is the dog’s nervousness when we pick up the keys or put on our jacket to leave home. The keys or the jacket are completely neutral stimuli that by themselves do not provoke any response in the dog. On the other hand, the fact of leaving induces the dog into a state of nervousness, what we call an unconditioned response. But after several repetitions of doing the “ritual” of taking the keys and leaving, the dog comes to anticipate knowing that whenever we take the keys, we leave. Therefore, there comes a time when hearing the sound of the keys and seeing that we take them, before we even go out, the dog already shows that nervous behavior, which would be the conditioned response.
When loading the clicker, a device that when you press a metal lever emits a sound, and used by many trainers who work in positive, we do it through classical conditioning, since we will associate the sound with something pleasant for the dog, food. This way, every time the dog hears the clicker sound he will know that there will immediately be a reward.
Operant or Instrumental Conditioning
Operant conditioning is based on the dog learning through the consequences caused by its responses. Basically, within operant conditioning we find four consequences known as:
1. Positive reinforcement, if the consequence of the response the dog gives us is to give it something pleasant, whether it is trophic, playful or social reinforcement.
2. Negative reinforcement, if as a consequence of the response the dog gives us we take away something unpleasant.
3. Positive punishment, the consequence of the response the dog gives us is to apply an unpleasant stimulus.
4. Negative punishment, if the consequence of the response the dog gives us is to take away something pleasant or avoid giving it something pleasant.
It is worth highlighting the famous Thorndike’s Law: the consequences that imply something unpleasant for the dog tend to be extinguished while those that imply something positive and pleasant for him tend to repeat themselves.