Positive Reinforcement vs. Negative Reinforcement

Before volunteering for Susquehanna Service Dogs, I had never considered the difference between positive and negative reinforcement. It was something that never really came up in conversation. I was always passionate about positive reinforcement for humans, but I had never considered either side for animal training. Then, I started volunteering for Susquehanna Service Dogs. They started by teaching us about associating positive behaviors with positive emotions or food. This of course would work differently based on the subject, but for the labs, it works. As they handed me this (not actually) small bundle of joy, I started to use clicker-based training and regular dog food to show him that certain behaviors were preferred. Whenever he did something that was not appropriate, I would redirect his attention with a sharp distracting noise, another command, or a toy, depending on the situation. 

Now is this just for service dogs? And my answer is no. When I picked Cash up, he rarely looked at people in the eyes and was afraid to make mistakes. His past owners laid the groundwork to his training, but whenever he does something wrong (either on purpose or unintentional), he would back up and look afraid. I knew he had been negatively trained. He was afraid of humans hurting him and he wasn't sure why he was hurt in the past. 

This is the reason why I am so supportive of clicker training. The purpose of clicker training is to associate specific behaviors with a positive memory--thus encouraging the behavior. Ignoring other behavior and encouraging the positive behavior. For Cash, I would have him on a leash and I'd talk to him and he'd look up at me (not fully at first, but I gradually increased my standards) and I'd click and treat. He started associating our interactions with a positive feeling. When he had an accident (with his body formerly in starvation mode, it happened a few times), I lowered my voice and pet him. I gave him a treat. I made sure he knew he was not in trouble. 

For cash, his behaviors that I'm trying to discourage are mostly just distraction and marking his territory. I distract him marking his territory and am working in the bathroom cue (I'm considering the bells), and I make a loud disturbance noise and keep walking when he tries to mark items. He's starting to get better with that and I am quite pleased. 

So does this mean that clicker training is the only type of training that should be used? I have no idea. I am not an expert, but the idea that a simple click whenever the dog does something correct and it's associated with a positive action. Relatively until the positive action is not needed... That means there's something there. 

If you think your shock collar works better, think again. Fear creates servitude, but no loyalty. Maybe not every dog is fearful, but if I escaped from someone that shocked me when I had no idea what I was doing wrong... I'd run like hell. It's the association and consistency that negative reinforcement is lacking. 

I recommend reading:

It not only will make you think about training dogs, but also how you interact with people. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.