Understanding Dog Training: A Guide for Dog Owners in Bristol
- May 20
- 6 min read
If you’ve watched any social media dog trainer, you’ve likely encountered an absolute onslaught of information. “Do this,” “do that,” “use this tool,” “never touch that.” You might have even stumbled into the ugly side of TikTok and Instagram, where everyone is out to discredit everyone else.
It’s really hard to pick through what works and what doesn’t, what is good advice and what isn’t. Most dog owners are thinking, “I just want my dog to stop jumping up or pulling on the lead!”
So, let’s get nerdy about it and look at the science behind dog training. But don’t worry, I’m not going too hard on you. Let’s keep it simple.
What is Operant Conditioning?
We’re going to look at how to train your dog using psychology by diving into Operant Conditioning (oh, I’ve scared you, come back!). This is one that even a lot of dog trainers get wrong, and it can be a little confusing. But understanding this can make training your dog so much easier and help you understand why they are (or aren’t) doing the behaviour you want.
In simple terms, Operant Conditioning is just learning by consequence. If it works and something good happens, I’ll do it again. If it didn’t work for me, or something bad happened, I won’t do it again.
Think of a dog that jumps up to the kitchen counter. If they find something good (like a crumb), they’ll try it again. But if they didn’t find anything, it’s not worth the bother. That’s really it! Good outcome = repeat the behaviour more. Bad outcome = repeat the behaviour less.
However, we can break that down a little more by looking at the four quadrants. This is where people start to get a little confused, even the trainers.
What are the Four Quadrants?
The Four Quadrants are:
Positive Reinforcement
Positive Punishment
Negative Reinforcement
Negative Punishment
This is where language gets muddled, as it differs slightly from our everyday conversations. For example, "positive" doesn’t mean “nice” or “good” as it would in conversation. Instead, these terms mean:
Positive = Add something
Negative = Remove something
Punishment = Decreases the behaviour
Reinforcement = Increases behaviour
Ok, not too bad? Let’s look at them one by one. I’ll use some human examples and dog training examples.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive = Add.
Reinforcement = Increase behaviour.
Let’s add something (usually nice, like a treat or praise) to increase the behaviour. We want the dog to want to repeat it again as the outcome was good.
Human: Go to a coffee shop - get a free snack with coffee = more likely to repeat behaviour (visit again).
Dog: Ask dog to sit - Dog sits - Gets treat = more likely to repeat behaviour (sit).
Positive Punishment
Positive = Add.
Punishment = Decrease behaviour.
Let’s add something (usually bad, like pain or something scary) to decrease the behaviour. We want the dog to stop the behaviour as the outcome was bad.
Human: Go to a coffee shop - get shouted at when buying coffee = less likely to repeat behaviour (less likely to visit again).
Dog: Ask dog to sit - Dog sits - Sits on a thorn = less likely to repeat behaviour (sit).
Negative Reinforcement
Negative = Remove.
Reinforcement = Increase behaviour.
Let’s remove something (usually unpleasant, like a constant pain that won’t go away) to increase the behaviour. We want the dog to repeat it again as the outcome was good.
Human: Go to a coffee shop - get stuck in a long noisy queue, then staff open a new till for you to reduce wait time = more likely to repeat behaviour (visit again).
Dog: Ask dog to sit, while pressing on dog’s bum with hand - Dog sits – uncomfortable pressure removed from pressing bum = more likely to repeat behaviour (sit).
Negative Punishment
Negative = Remove.
Punishment = Decrease behaviour.
Let’s remove something (usually good, like your attention or access to something) to decrease the behaviour. We want the dog to want to stop the behaviour as the outcome was bad.
Human: Go to a coffee shop - they remove your favourite order from the menu when buying coffee = less likely to repeat behaviour (less likely to visit again).
Dog: Ask dog to sit - Dog sits - Take toy away = less likely to repeat behaviour (sit).
Still with me? Good! You absolutely don’t have to memorise the above, but a basic understanding is helpful.
So Which Method Should You Use?
The next step is to understand what works and which quadrant is best to use. Honestly, all four quadrants work. All animals (and humans) learn from consequences, whether those consequences are kind or unpleasant. It’s why we can “accidentally” teach our dog to do something, and how our dogs pick up “naughty” habits so easily; they learned from consequence.
The Importance of Ethical Training
So, what now? Now I want you to put your critical thinking hat on because we’re going to think about what is ethical. The real question isn’t just “does it work?” It’s “what kind of relationship do I want with my dog while teaching it?” Whether you choose to train your dog at home, watch online videos for tips, buy a new piece of training equipment, or hire a trainer, it’s important to make choices that strengthen your bond rather than damage it. We want our dogs to enjoy training and spending time with us, so they are happy to listen and respond to what we ask them to do.
Why Ethics Matter in Training
By using fear, pain, and unpleasant training tools to train our dogs, we can easily damage our relationship with them. We have dogs to enjoy life with them, for them to be part of our families, to take on outings, and to snuggle on the sofa. By using tools and techniques that harm them, we risk losing that bond and making our dogs more fearful of trying new things. This is why we don’t recommend using training tools like slip leads, prong collars, or e-collars, or anything else that causes pain!
When picking a training technique, think about these things:
Will this improve my relationship with my dog?
Does this rely on fear or pain?
Is there a kinder alternative?
What is my gut telling me?
What Force-Free Training Means to Us
The trainers here at The Dog Coaches are what is known as “positive force-free trainers,” but what does that even mean? It means we use:
Positive Reinforcement - We add something (usually nice) to increase the behaviour. We use toys, treats, and games to reinforce behaviours through communication and bonding with our dogs.
Negative Punishment - We remove something (usually good) to decrease the behaviour. We remove our attention from the dog or the dog’s access to something they want (like stopping on a walk so they can’t get nearer the park until they listen!).
The force-free bit means we don’t use tools that hurt or harm, and we don’t push, pull, or manipulate our dogs. We don’t use positive punishment or negative reinforcement in our training (no pain or fear).
Do we sometimes get frustrated with our dogs and shout at them? Of course, we do! We are human! BUT we recognise that when we do that, it’s a FAILURE in our training ethos and technique; it is NOT our default method. We will always choose to be kind and encourage our dogs to get the best of them. We will never rely on fear or pain to train our dogs, or yours.
Final Thoughts
The main thing I want you to take away from this is that you don't have to memorise the four quadrants or even remember the term operant conditioning. But what I do want you to remember is that dogs repeat things that they like and enjoy. So, when you are problem-solving a tricky training scenario, think to yourself, “how can I get my dog to enjoy this and want to do it more?” That might be walking nicely by your side, coming back when called, or sitting calmly in a café. And if a training technique feels wrong in your gut, don't do it. Focus on building trust and communication, and a well-behaved dog will follow.
If your training goals and ethos match ours at The Dog Coaches, feel free to get in touch. We offer one-to-one sessions and group courses to help you build a calm, confident, well-trained dog.
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