Extra Credit
Why is this important?
To be real, you do not need to have this memorized. What I want to be clear is that punishment is something that decreases behavior and reinforcement is something that increases behavior.
Your dog chooses what is reinforcement and what is punishment based on if there is increase or decrease in the targeted behavior So if your puppy is jumping on you and biting you and you are pushing them off of you but they continue to do it, than the act of pushing them is either being seen as neutral or as reinforcement to them. You turning your back to them may be a more valuable form of negative punishment (removing something they like in order to decrease behavior) or maybe positive punishment (adding something they don’t like in order to reduce a behaviors) may be more valuable, like stepping on the leash so every time they jump up they feel leash pressure back down.
My main point is punishment is not a bad word. It can mean something as simple as saying ‘ahah’ or using leash pressure when you dog jumps on you.
Positive Reinforcement (R+)
Something the dog likes is added after a behavior, which makes it more likely they’ll do that behavior again.
Example: The dog sits, and you add a food reward. That extra good thing makes sitting worth repeating.
Positive Punishment (P+)
Something unpleasant is added after a behavior, which makes it less likely the dog will do that behavior again.
Example: The dog jumps on a guest, and the handler adds leash pressure. The added consequence makes jumping less less likely in the future.
Negative Reinforcement (R-)
Something unpleasant is taken away after a behavior, which makes it more likely the dog will do that behavior again.
Example: You apply leash pressure, and when the dog sits, the pressure is released. The removal of that pressure makes sitting the better choice next time.
Negative Punishment (P-)
Something the dog wants is taken away, which makes it less likely they’ll try that behavior again.
Example: A guest turns their back and removes attention when the dog jumps up. The dog was looking for interaction, but instead, the attention disappears. Over time, jumping is less rewarding, so it starts to fade out.
