Why Positive Reinforcement

Animals learn by association; whether it's positive or negative. Positive reinforcement works by building a positive association with a desired behavior. This can be done through rewards, such as treats, or praise and increases the chances that your pet will want to continue that particular behavior. 

Studies show that animals not only learn faster with positive reinforcement but have results that last longer than the use of punishment methods (i.e. prong, choke, shock, etc.). These studies delved into cognitive function and animal welfare and found that animals not only displayed stress signals when used with punishment methods, but their cortisol levels also increased, increasing the conclusion that these methods have negative effects on their welfare. 

Positive reinforcement does not stop there. There are partners in these building blocks of operant conditioning; negative reinforcement and negative punishment. While positive reinforcement works to create a positive association with the behavior, negative punishment works in the opposite way- that the absence of the reward will decrease the unwanted behavior, such as ignoring a jumping dog or hiding a treat in your hand. Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, works by removing an aversive stimulus to gain the desired behavior. 

While these building blocks can interconnect, positive reinforcement is the only block that focuses on strengthening desired behaviors through rewarding interactions. This creates trust, respect, and mutual understanding, the building blocks of TRUE Pet Training.