Your Smart Pup

Your Smart Pupwith Amanda Abresch

Reader Submitted Questions

I was looking for a trainer who offers board and train services, and they say they offer all positive reinforcement. They seem friendly, and they use hot dogs as treats, but I have heard a couple of things about bad experiences people have had there. How do I know if a board and train facility is good or not?

Ooh, that is a great question. First, any training facility or boarding facility should be transparent about the methods and tools they use and should happily accommodate you setting up a time to visit, and see how your dog would spend their time at the place. If they are not willing to let you set up a time to visit (appointments may be necessary to ensure there is adequate staff to show you around while other staff are working with dogs; it’s possibily a liability thing), or are not open about all methods and tools they use, it’s probably not the best idea. If you have heard some bad things, I would first try to talk to those people who had firsthand experience. I would also speak to the trainer/owner at the facility. Having frank discussions with all parties involved will get you a better idea of the truth. The thing is, it’s possible there are things both parties will not want to disclose to you, but talking to both will get you an idea of how close to one side or the other or the middle, the truth lies. Now, a couple of things that stand out to me in your description of the place:

—When it comes to training, it seems that those who use those coercion-based techniques and tools have realized that “positive training” or “all positive reinforcement” sounds like the right thing to say. All too often, that’s all it is. It is a nice thing to say, and they don’t follow through with it. First, a quick review of the quadrants of Operant Conditioning; remember that the positive only refers to adding something to the situation, and the negative refers to removing something from the situation. Reinforcement is a reward meant to encourage more of a behavior, whereas punishment is a consequence the dog does not like, which is intended to discourage the behavior:

Positive Punishment: adding something the dog does not like, ranging from a simple, quick “no” up to a shock, collar pop, being pulled up and hung momentarily by their collar (yes, trainers still do this), an alpha roll, or a being hit by the human. This is done in hopes that the dog will not repeat the behavior that earned that consequence.

Negative Punishment: Removal of something the dog likes (treat, toy, attention), hoping that the dog will not repeat that behavior because he lost something he likes as a result.

Positive Reinforcement: Adding something the dog likes ranging from a pat on the head to verbal praise, a toy, a treat, sniffing, literally anything the dog likes can be a reward. The is done in hopes that the dog will offer that behavior again.

Negative Reinforcement: Removal of something the dog does not like (collar pressure, shock, vibration collar, citronella spray) in hopes that the dog will continue offering the desired behavior as a result of avoiding the thing they don’t like.

Most trainers use all four quadrants to some degree, which is fine. You can’t successfully train with just one quadrant. You need to let the dog know when they have done well and when they have made a mistake. The degree to which these are done well and when they have made a mistake.

The degree to which these are done is where we run into trouble. Some trainers will use positive reinforcement, like hot dogs, as rewards for good behavior but then use a harsh correction like a collar shock or physical force as the punishment. Those two extremes can be quite disconcerting to dogs. A person should not have to use harsh physical corrections in the course of routine training. If the dog is struggling, there is something wrong with the situation that the human needs to change.

—They use all hot dogs, which sounds yummy to dogs, but this can indicate that the environment is so stressful (due to out-of-proportion corrections) that the only treats they will eat are the very best ones. When you are stressed from work, you might not be hungry unless the idea of your favorite meal is suggested. It’s the same for dogs. They will eat something yummy even if stressed, but it has to be something special. When you set up that visit to the facility, look at the dogs. Are they wearing prong, choke, pinch, or shock collars? If the dogs are, they are using positive punishment and negative reinforcement with physical corrections. If they use these and claim to be “all positive,” they are either lying to you or simply do not understand behavior. If the trainer/ owner cannot answer those questions or does not have an understanding of the quadrants of Operant Conditioning, you should look elsewhere.

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