100% Positive Reinforcement training, does it really work?

I would be interested to hear how people on here train their dogs.

Do you use 100% positive methods or a mix of positive reinforcement and aversive correction?

I personally use a mixture of positive reinforcement with some aversives (usually just a sterner tone is enough) to shape the behaviour I want from my dogs. I have to use aversion less and less as the dogs become older and more fully trained.

Does anyone really only use positive reinforcement with no aversions whatsoever? If so, do they end up with a reliable, obedient dog?

Just curious. Thanks.

I'm like you, Moobli; using a combination of both. My own personal experience is that it really depends on the dog. I have few doubts that positive only can work, but I'd be willing to bet that it takes one hell of a lot longer, particularly in some dogs.

I have no problem telling Lennon to "wait" and to "leave it" in a nice loud grumpy voice. I guess that means I use both eh?

I use a combination of both too. Clicker training worked wonders when Roxy was a puppy as she is very food orientated. However as she is now getting bigger, stronger and wiser she does have to be disciplined every now and again, either though tone of voice or a correction with her lead. (Jumping up, pulling on lead etc)

For tricks and agility though she still learns off of treat/positive training and this is the way to 'lure' her into the wanted behaviour.

I agree with GSD though that it does depend on the breed.

Same here.. positive as much as possible.. but a nice sharp "No" where necessary seems to do the trick

Thanks for your input everyone

hehe Don't know about Dobies, but good luck to anyone trying to train an adult GSD with positive only training. By the time you do, the dog will be too old to utilise any of what it's learned.

I find it very difficult to believe that there is such an animal as 'purely, 100% positive training'. Just saying 'ah-ah' to a dog means that you are not training in a purely positive manner.

I personally don't use any form of physical aversion (choke chains, e-collars, nose tapping or basically any hands-on, or sound aversion), but I do train in the 'ah-ah' as a non-reward marker so cannot be considered a 'purely positive' trainer.

Having deaf dogs for whom no amount of verbal` correction` or any other vocal or sound usage is applicable, and being one who wont hit, jerk, or use any negatively physical directions on them, [ ie nothing frightening / painful / mentally worrisome to my dogs ], I would say thats as positive as it gets personally speaking.

I can use expressions or signals indicating ` dont do that `, however to a deaf dog those things are simply signals no more and no less negative than any of their other cues because force or fear is not involved in their usage [ not by me anyway ].

As for taking longer to train that way, no not at all in my experience, quite the opposite.

Because of my deaf dogs and their willingness to learn this way, I use a lot of their stuff with my hearing dogs also and it does make a difference.

I feel particularly motivated to work this way generally because of so much involvement with severely abused dogs for which quite often even a negative facial expression, [ whether a dog can hear or not ], can turn them to a quivering wreck.

The use of a simple `aha`, while it certainly can be used in a harsh or even panicky way, that does not mean it `needs` or `has` to be used harshly but simply as a diversion in which case I don`t consider that as negative or a punishment when done in a positive manner, but simply a precursor to redirection, [ simply saying no or aha or whatever without redirecting a dog to a prefered behaviour of some kind, even if its just sit, can lead to mixed signals whereby a dog might learn not to do something in front of a handler but has no way to know it doesnt mean something is then ok when unattended if you see what I mean ].


I know one lady who uses the word `wrong` in a perfectly happy tone and that is enough for her dogs to know she would rather they not do this or that, or to do something differently when teaching her dogs anything, and she always then guides them to a prefered behaviour or application.
Her dogs are among the nicest most well trained dogs I know in terms of basic training, [ and some very advanced elements ], and I can honestly say I have never once seen them look concerned in her presence at any time.

My own methods which have had great successes includes dogs of all sorts of dispositions from very timid to aggressive to bolshy etc.

If you consider the dogs doing HTM, [ many clicker trained ] and agility, [ play orientated training ], its worth considering why those dogs can do so well and learn very intricate things yet someone repeatedly jerking a dogs lead for basic lead walking considers their dog ` thick` or `stupid` or `dominant` when the handler does`nt get what they want from the dog....

In other words, I have personally found that dogs treated kindly during training respond far more easily and quickly with more concentration and absorbtion of what they are required to learn if not bullied, hurt, intimidated or frightened in to compliance so I actively avoid doing anything the individual *dog* may regard as negative :smt001

Shame you never met my Alsatian :smt049
He alone would have persuaded you to re-evaluate that line of thinking