When a dog jumps up, it’s best to not let him get his paws on you at all, as this contact serves as a reward for him.

      These examples are all primary reinforcers. A primary reinforcer is a reward that the receiver doesn’t have to learn to like. There are also secondary reinforcers. These are actions that the receiver does have to learn to like. Examples are:

      • Releasing a tight leash when the dog stops pulling;

      • A child is no longer yelled at when his room has been cleaned;

      • A cow is no longer shocked (with an electric cattle prod) as long as it keeps moving forward.

      Both primary and secondary reinforcers are utilized in animal training as well as in our own everyday lives.

      A term with which you should be familiar is “schedules of reinforcement.” There are several types of schedules of reinforcement:

      • A fixed interval: a reward will be given after a fixed amount of time; for example, every two minutes or every ten minutes;

      • A variable interval: a reward will be given but the receiver has no control over when;

      • A fixed ratio: a reward will be given after a specific number of correct responses;

      • A variable ratio: a reward is given when the greater number of correct responses occurs within a specific set of stimuli;

      • A random interval: there is no correlation between the number of correct responses and the receipt of the reward.

      Another term with which you should familiarize yourself is “extinction.” This is when a behavior has not been reinforced, thereby fading from the repertoire. This is a good means of getting rid of a behavior without having to use punishment, which in itself might encourage a behavior if it is the only means of obtaining attention. An example of this is yelling at a dog for barking, which encourages the behavior by the owner’s taking part in the “game.” Another example is pushing at the dog for jumping up. The dog is being touched, thereby receiving reinforcement. To extinguish these behaviors (barking and jumping up), they would need to be ignored. Granted, it’s difficult to ignore either of them, but the dog’s learning that the behaviors no longer bring him pleasure of any kind will eventually extinguish the behaviors.

      Skinner defined four possible ways to modify a behavior: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. Reinforcement is the use or removal of a stimulus to increase the occurrence of a behavior. Punishment is the use or removal of a stimulus to decrease the occurrence of a behavior.

      Your reaction to a behavior will tell the dog whether or not to continue the behavior. Let’s say that your dog is digging in the trash. To him, the reward is getting something to eat, so he will repeat the behavior whenever he gets the chance. However, you can do one of two things to get rid of the behavior: you can either remove the trash can and place it somewhere that Buster can’t access it, or you can punish him for the behavior by introducing something aversive, such as a “scat mat.” A scat mat has electrical stimulation that will cause the dog’s toes to tingle when he steps on it; hence, he’ll quickly learn to avoid the scat mat and the trash can.

      Removing the trash can is considered negative punishment. This is when something that had been rewarding to the dog is taken away, which will reduce the occurrence of the behavior. The scat mat is considered positive punishment. This is when something aversive is introduced during the behavior that creates enough distress to stop the dog from performing the behavior.

       A secondary reinforcer would be the release of the pressure of the leash when the dog stops pulling.

       The positive-reinforcement way to stop a dog from digging in the trash is to divert his attention, have him sit and then click/reward.

      There are other ways to handle the trash-digging pup, and that is through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. If you were to divert the dog’s attention from the trash can, have him sit instead and then give him a treat, you’d be offering positive reinforcement. If you were to have a leash on your dog and gave it a yank when he went near the trash can, this would be considered negative reinforcement. There are two types of negative reinforcement: avoidance and escape. In avoidance, the dog would steer clear of the trash can when walking in the same room due to the threat of being yanked. In escape, he would run from the room when he even sees the trash can.

      Which do you think would be most effective in teaching Buster to stay out of the trash? Actually, it’s a combination. Using just one method might cause the dog to get the wrong idea or to become overly frightened of you. The type of conditioner you use depends largely on the dog’s personality, the situation in which the behavior is performed and what your ultimate goals are for your pet.

      There are several things to consider when using operant conditioning to train your pet. First of all, you have to make certain that you reward the behavior that you want. For example, if your dog is growling at someone due to fear, the last thing you should do is pick him up and speak in a soothing tone of voice. This reinforces the growling behavior by positive reinforcement and encourages the dog to continue. Instead, negative punishment would be more effective. Using this method, he does not receive attention for his growling; instead, he is not allowed to be with you. Positive punishment might also be more effective. Let’s say that when he growled, you squirted him with water. Buster learns that growling earns him a squirt in the face instead of the rewards of being picked up and spoken to in pleasant tones. This will extinguish the behavior.

      Another thing you must be aware of when using positive reinforcement is timing. Timing is everything. If you reward your pet at the wrong moment, you will be reinforcing the wrong behavior. For example, you ask your dog to sit. He sits, then gets up. You have not yet taught him to stay and you haven’t rewarded him for doing what you asked. He’s not sure what to do to earn his reward. If your timing were correct, he would’ve been bridged (signaled at the moment he sat) and given the reward before he got up. This way, he would correlate the sit action with his reward and the behavior would be repeated. Otherwise, he would correlate the action of getting up with his reward and you’d have a dog who has learned to not sit. The bridge and following reward need to be done at the very second that the dog does what you’ve asked of him.

       It’s the rare dog who is not motivated by food, although it does happen. Most dogs have a good food drive and will perform for a tasty reward.

      Another factor to consider is the value of the reward. Dogs differ in the values they have regarding what motivates them. Some are happy with a touch or kind words, while others need pieces of hot dog or liver.

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