So, owners may be reinforcing their dog one minute then punishing them the next. In a few cases, NRMs might actually be information that speeds up the dog’s chances of getting to the reinforcer, however, NRMs are typically used as a punisher. Whether NRMs are perceived as -P or +P to your dog will depend on a number of factors how these have been taught, the animal’s character, and how NRMs are being used. This might then lead to other behaviours, such as barking and lunging, which are directed towards unfamiliar dogs when on a lead.
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT EXAMPLES IN DOG TRAINING PLUS
Depending on the intensity of the “no”, the yank, timing of when the NRM and yank was used plus context etc., the owner may unwittingly pair punishment to the appearance of other dogs. Overtime, “no” will become a conditioned positive punishment marker. In some cases, owners may use the word “no” as a positive punisher (+P) either knowingly or not! Take this example the owner is looking to teach their dog to walk on a loose lead, the dog pulls on the lead to get closer to another dog to investigate, the owner says “no”, yanking the dog away. Consequently, you end up with a general suppression of behaviour because the animal cannot identify exactly what behaviour is resulting in the punisher. Hence, NRMs can lead to frustration and confusion because the dog may not be able to clearly identify what behaviour you’re actually after. This means you’re telling the dog “I’m taking the food away from you” because the dog didn’t perform the behaviour you were after. Punishment – By contrast, NRMs are the opposite of a clicker, whistle or a marker word essentially, NRMs are a conditioned negative punisher (-P). And, with a continuous schedule of positive reinforcement for the specific behaviour we’re after, we maximise the opportunities to create a positive conditioned emotional response (+CER) to that behaviour (for example, creating a solid recall). If the clicker, whistle or marker word has been appropriately applied from the start, that sound signifies to the dog something great will immediately follow, such as food, touch, the opportunity to play etc (a primary reinforcer). In PRT, the clicker, whistle or words such as “yes”, are used as a means to indicate to the dog that they’ve performed a behaviour we’re after (a secondary reinforcer). Positive reinforcement – Positive reinforcement training (PRT) prompts hormonal responses which play a key role in positive associative learning, memory, reward and motivation ( Zellner et al., 2009 Affenzeller et al., 2016). Generally, there are four possible consequences in operant conditioning: 1) positive reinforcement – a behaviour is strengthened by the presentation of a stimulus (what the animal wants), 2) negative reinforcement – a behaviour is strengthened by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus that the animal wants to avoid, 3) positive punishment – presenting an unpleasant stimulus that causes a reduction in the strength of a behaviour, and 4) negative punishment – the removal of a stimulus that the animal seeks out, which causes a reduction in the strength of a behaviour ( Chance, 2003). Operant conditioning is a procedure in which a behaviour becomes stronger or weaker depending on its consequences. So, here’s a brief overview of the four possible consequences in operant conditioning and where NRMs sit within this… In my experience, these words are bounded around at high frequency with owners sounding like Jim Trott from The Vicar of Dibley, yet there is little understanding of their impact. Often used to inform the dog it’s got something wrong, in the training world these are referred to as ‘non-reward markers’ (NRMs). Just as the sound of fingernails running down a blackboard sends tingles down my spine and raises the hair on the back of my head, the words “no” or “ah-ah” during training have a similar effect.
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