Tired Of The Positive Reinforcement Arguments?

How many boring and harmful trolling posts do we need to see, from internet warrior dog experts, proclaiming to the world that the only necessary tool for training dogs is positive reinforcement? The Breland and Breland study (1961) on raccoons proved the invalidity of these of these claims about training animals. It is like they can’t see or do or accept what the Kwisatz Haderachs, the high-level real-world dog trainers, are doing every day. (If you haven’t read “Dune” by Herbert, then you won’t understand this reference.)

They have no clue about dog behavior. More is going on when working with a dog than what was written about in the positive reinforcement experiments on rats and pigeons in cages and boxes, pushing or pecking on levers. No one puts a rat or pigeon in the same kinds of social and physical situations and dangers as we do with our dogs. Dogs are not rats or pigeons, so they train differently, as well. They are also moved by forces that have nothing to do with positive reinforcement. 

The trolls are novices, stirring up dust clouds to gain your attention and make money, regardless of the effects on dogs and owners. Novices shouldn’t be teaching others. White belts don’t teach the black belts. 

The trolls are still clinging onto the 4 Quadrants terminology (1. positive reinforcement; 2. negative reinforcement, 3. positive punishment, 4. negative punishment) with their cold dead fingers. They are stuck there. Despite ample proof to the contrary, the 4 Quadrants were never proven to be a tool, as claimed by others, to control human society or the “be all and end all” for training dogs. In fact, the raccoon experiments proved that.

I’m not ranting here against positive reinforcement. I heavily use it every day with every dog. 

That’s not the point. I’m talking about the indispensable understanding of the mechanisms of behavior that make a dog a dog. Dogs are complex, higher order mammals. It’s better to not be about 65 years out of date.

Riddle Me This Batman: What are the mechanisms of training dogs other than the 4 Quadrants?

Figure that out. Stop following novices.

Plan accordingly.