Why We Choose Balanced Training

Every time I hear someone talk about "Positive Only" dog training, I can't help but shake my head.

First to better understand both types of training, we must look at the 4 quadrants of operation:

Positive Reinforcement* - adding a reward to reinforce a behavior

Negative Reinforcement - removing an unpleasant stimulus

Positive Punishment - adding an undesirable consequence to increase desirable behavior

Negative Punishment* - removing a pleasant stimulus to discourage undesirable behavior

What is Positive Only Training*?

Positive Only training only uses Positive reinforcement & negative punishment. This type of training is a reward-based dog training method where training uses rewards to strengthen desirable behaviors.

Positive dog trainers delight themselves in promoting all-positive training methods to teach behaviors. If your dog does something right, they give them rewards. And if your pet does otherwise, they withhold rewards without any punishment.

However, if you take a second look at it, it’s actually punishing dogs through negative punishment. Withholding rewards, which your dog likes, falls on the fourth quadrant. But of course, it’s not what some people mean when they say “no punishment.” They refer to training tools that they regard as “physically painful,” “terrifying,” and “inhumane” to dogs.

Positive reinforcement means saying “Yes!” every time your dog behaves correctly, but not saying “No!” when they misbehave. Why? In positive training, you don’t correct the undesirable behavior but only ignore it when this happens.

What is Balanced Training?

As the name implies, balanced dog training means a balanced approach to training your dog, especially in modifying behaviors. This type of dog training employs all four quadrants of operant learning theory. This means positive reinforcement is also an essential component of this training technique. So, if your dog does something good, they get a reward by giving something they like or removing something they dislike. But if your dog does something undesirable, they get a correction, or something pleasant is removed.

While it is true that balanced training uses punishment aside from reinforcement, this does not mean pain or suffering. This only instills in your dog that there is a cause-and-effect interplay between their good and undesirable behaviors.

Bear in mind, correction and punishment are in no way similar. A balanced approach in training does not punish but only corrects your dog’s negative behavior. It’s like saying to a kid, “Don’t do that,” when they’re about to knock on another kid’s head with their toys. This method basically says to your dog, “Yes!” when they do something good, and “No!” when they do something undesirable. Balance.

So, Does a Correction Hurt your Dog?

A correction is administered not to punish your dog. It is used to get your dog’s attention and change their behavior. Any training tool used in this approach is carefully considered to serve its purpose while not harming your dog in the process. Balanced dog trainers must only ensure that dogs learn that exerting pressure or discomfort is pretty much up to them based on their behavior.

In my years of training the biggest issue I see with positive only training is the fact that most dogs plateau and aggression/behavioral issues get worse. As explained positive only reward the good and ignore bad behavior. And in some cases (unbeknownst to the owner) they are rewarding bad behavior.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not against positive training…however, I am against positive only training because, that is not how dogs operate in a pack. The purely positive crowd will tell you that when a dog is with people, it’s no longer a pack thing, but how can they take that out of the dogs DNA?? They are born with it and dogs operate more efficiently in a pack rather than by themselves. Why? Because in a pack there is balance, rules and boundaries and, the majority of dogs are followers, not leaders.

That’s why in every pack, you only have ONE alpha! Balanced training, where positive and negative reinforcement are used is closest to how dogs operate in a pack! In a pack, good behavior is left ignored, or there is some play or, the members just peacefully lay around coexisting and enjoying each others company. Negative behavior is corrected by one or more in the pack. Correction does not mean its always aversive! “No!” is a simple correction!

The purely positive crowd like to criticize tools used by balanced trainers when they have never even used them. Or, if they have used them they were used improperly. Slip leads, martingales, the prong collar, gentle nose leads and the e-Collar are used the exact same way. Pressure on, pressure off. That’s pressure, not pain…the same concept that is used when riding a horse. To put it simply, pressure is applied when giving a verbal cue and it is released when the dog commits or completes. The e-Collar is introduced after the dog understands the pressure. When you look at the prong collar, the reason why it is designed or engineered the way it is, is when you apply pressure, it closes and applies focused pressure evenly 360 degrees around the neck. The pressure the e-Collar delivers is low level muscle stimulation, simulating pressure. Our goal is to find the dog’s lowest working level. The e-Collar and the prong collar are used the exact same way. The level most dogs are on that come through here is a level that most humans can’t even feel. ( including my self. I personally test all our ecollar, if they are safe for a lady with a pacemaker, they are safe for a dog!)

Once a dog is off leash reliable on the e-Collar, the freedom it experiences is freedom like never experienced before. Yet, you have the control over the dog if need be. Before, because of so many types of behavioral problems the owner was experiencing with the dog meant the dog always had to be leashed or confined. So many times you can see an amazing change the very first day a dog is here when the rules, boundaries and leadership are clearly established and the light bulb goes on! JUST LIKE IN A PACK. So much of what I have seen from the critics who are purely positive and how they say we should do our jobs – is trying to make a dog what it isn’t – many times, a human. The majority of what humans project onto a dog are things that humans need…we need to feel all warm and fuzzy. We need to constantly talk to something. This is a dog’s worst enemy – when a person tries to humanize them. I am not saying don’t give affection to your dog. What I am saying is have them earn it through the jobs you give them to do! So, next time someone sees you walking your dog on a prong or off leash on an e-Collar and they say something (while their dog is lunging and pulling), smile and ignore them. Then look at your awesome off leash awesomeness on four legs and realize you have changed you and your dogs lives forever!

-Kristina Reed

Dog Trainer

Owner of Reeds K9 Training