Those who apply traditional dog training methods often object that through positive training it is not possible to achieve reliable results. They indicate that this is why police dogs, mondioring dogs and even schutzhund dogs are not trained using this technique. However, although it is true that traditional and mixed methods predominate in the dog training of these speci alties that we have named, there are positively trained police dogs, mondioring dogs and schutzhund dogs.
That is, it is possible to train dogs to very high reliability levels using positive methods. Keep reading this article on our site to find out if Positive dog training is possible.
Positive professionals exist
Guy Williams, police dog trainer and one of the main promoters of positive training for working dogs, explains in a blog entry of his "Can you train a police dog using only positive reinforcement ?" that high levels of reliability can be achieved without resorting to violence, physical manipulation, yelling, hitting or other types of physical punishment, that is, eliminating positive punishment altogether(the appearance of a negative consequence after a behavior, for example hitting the dog after barking) and negative reinforcement (the withdrawal of a negative consequence to a behavior that is considered appropriate, for example the mechanism of an anti-bark collar).
This professional applies only positive reinforcement (a reward after a behavior that is considered appropriate, for example, congratulating the dog for not barking in a situation where it would) and negative punishment (the end of a positive experience as a result of misbehavior, for example ending a game session, something he loves, after barking at another dog), the accepted techniques in positive training.
However, it is important to point out that this training method cannot be applied to dogs that have not been properly socialized and/or educated or that suffer from any type of behavior problem. The selection of dogs for police functions is, in any case, extremely careful, adding the supervision and work of dog trainers experienced in the technique.
Is positive training really effective?
For many canine sports practitioners of protection dogs, as well as for police dog trainers, this may seem strange and even cause mistrust, but for those who use positive techniques in their training, it is nothing novelty. Positive training has been shown to be as effective as any other training style, and more. Proof of this is the fruit of ethology, the technique that studies human and animal behavior through scientific studies
For those of us who work on positive training, it is not surprising that a dog immediately stops playing and comes when called, stops immediately on command when chasing a cat, or has aexceptional level of self-control , things that are difficult to achieve with other training styles.
Of course, to achieve those levels you have to train consistently, advancing step by step, strictly and being very patient. Good results are not achieved overnight.
As happens in many other fields, science helps to evolve the techniques of professionals, in this case dog trainers, thanks to the training offered by ethology.
