Dog Training Education Month: Positive Reinforcement Tips

You brought a new dog home, gave it two days to settle in, and found out it has opinions about your couch and your slippers. February is a good month to do something about that. It is Dog Training Education Month, a month for learning how dogs learn.

The month runs every February, from the 1st to the last day. It appears on pet holiday calendars, but we could not find any organization that claims it. Its better-documented cousin is January's National Train Your Dog Month, run by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). Whichever month gets you started, the advice is the same: train with rewards, skip punishment, and know when a problem needs a vet rather than a trainer.

When is Dog Training Education Month?

Dog Training Education Month covers all of February, and National Train Your Dog Month covers all of January. Here are both for the next two years:

The APDT uses January to share free resources for owners on training methods, dominance myths and finding the right trainer. February's month has no official sponsor, so treat it as a second nudge. If you missed January, start now.

Why training is worth the effort

Training gives your dog a way to understand what you want. That means fewer chewed shoes, a dog who comes back when it matters, and easier vet visits, grooming and boarding.

It also keeps dogs in their homes. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), a group of veterinarians and researchers who study animal behavior, calls behavior problems the number one cause of dogs being given up to shelters.

Start early: puppy classes and socialization

The first three months of a puppy's life are the main window for socialization, according to AVSAB's puppy socialization position statement. Puppies who safely meet new people, animals, sounds and places during this window, without being overwhelmed, are less likely to grow up fearful, avoidant or aggressive.

A good puppy class does a lot of that work in a controlled setting. Puppies practice cues like sit, down and come, learn to play gently, and get used to being handled. Owners learn how to time rewards, which is half the battle.

AVSAB says puppies can start classes as early as 7 to 8 weeks of age. They should have had at least one set of vaccines at least 7 days before the first class, plus a first deworming, and they should stay up to date on vaccines during the course. Your veterinarian knows the disease risks in your area, so ask before you sign up. Our guide to the DHPP vaccine explains the core puppy shots.

Older dogs learn too. An adult rescue may need more patience with new places or people, and reward-based training works for them as well.

How reward-based training works

Reward-based training, often called positive reinforcement, means you add something your dog likes right after the behavior you want. Your puppy sits, you give a treat. Sitting now pays, so your puppy sits more often.

What makes it work:

• Reward the moment the behavior happens. A clicker or a short word like "yes" marks that exact moment, which the Merck Veterinary Manual notes makes it easier to shape a behavior step by step.
• Use what your dog actually wants: small soft treats, a toy, play, praise.
• Teach one cue at a time. Get "sit" solid before you add "stay".
• Keep sessions short and stop while your dog is still keen.
• Practice in new places. A dog that sits in the kitchen may not sit at the park yet.
• Teach what to do instead. Rather than scolding a dog for jumping on guests, reward four paws on the floor or a sit at the door.

The training terms, in plain English

Trainers borrow four terms from learning science. "Positive" means something is added and "negative" means something is taken away. "Reinforcement" makes a behavior more likely and "punishment" makes it less likely.

• Positive reinforcement: add something good, like a treat for a sit. This is the core of reward-based training.
• Negative punishment: take away something good. Merck's example: when a puppy gets mouthy in play, stop the game right away, then redirect the puppy to a toy or a better game so it does not get frustrated.
• Positive punishment: add something unpleasant, like a leash jerk or a scolding.
• Negative reinforcement: take away something unpleasant when the dog does what you want, such as leash pressure that stops when the dog moves. It only works if something unpleasant is applied first.

The Merck Veterinary Manual tells owners to avoid positive punishment. For easily overexcited dogs it adds negative reinforcement to that list, since both can lead to fear and anxiety.

One more term you will hear is classical conditioning: pairing something with something your dog enjoys until its feelings about it change. A dog who is nervous about nail clippers can learn to feel better about them if the clippers reliably predict a favorite treat. Merck describes this approach, along with very gradual exposure, for treating fears.

Why punishment backfires

AVSAB's position statement on humane dog training says the evidence supports reward-based methods for all dog training and that there is no evidence aversive training is necessary. Aversive methods are those that rely on force, pain, or emotional or physical discomfort.

The research it summarizes:

• During training, dogs trained with aversive methods showed more stress signals: a tense body, lower posture, lip licking, a lowered tail, yawning, yelping.
• Surveys link aversive training to later problems, including aggression and anxiety. Surveys can show a link but cannot prove cause.
• In one study, obedience was highest in dogs trained only with rewards and lowest in dogs trained only with aversives. Dogs trained with a mix of the two, often sold as "balanced" training, landed in between.

Merck, written for veterinarians, says the same from the clinical side. Techniques that cause pain or fear can lead to lasting fear, anxiety and aggression. Positive punishment can make a dog afraid of its owner, and scolding or pushing a puppy away to stop rough play can lead to fear of the owner and defensive aggression.

Punishment also fails at housetraining. Punishing a dog after you find a mess does not work, because the dog will not connect it to having eliminated earlier. Punishing a dog caught in the act can make it afraid to eliminate in front of you.

What about "being the alpha"? AVSAB's statement on dominance theory explains that most problem behaviors, like jumping up or ignoring a recall, are not about rank. They happen because the behavior got rewarded somewhere and nobody taught a better option.

Reward-based doesn't mean rule-free. AVSAB says dogs still need structure and routine; you just teach the boundaries without fear, intimidation or pain.

Dog training do's and don'ts

Do

• Learn your dog's body language so you spot stress early.
• Get everyone in the house to use the same cue words and rules.
• Manage the environment while you train: put the slippers away and use baby gates so the wrong behavior does not keep getting practiced.
• Keep sessions upbeat. AVSAB says effective training should be enjoyable for dogs and people.

Don't

• Don't hit, jerk, pin or "alpha roll" your dog, and skip prong, choke and shock collars, squirt bottles and shaker cans.
• Don't reward your dog before it does the task, or in the middle of misbehaving.

Trainer, vet, or veterinary behaviorist?

"Dog training" can mean three different jobs: managing the environment so problems do not happen, teaching skills like sit and stay, and behavior modification for deeper problems such as fear, anxiety or aggression. Lump them together and it is easy to hire the wrong kind of help.

• Manners, puppy skills, leash walking, everyday barking: a reward-based trainer or class.
• A sudden change in behavior, such as a calm dog that starts growling, hiding or having accidents: see your veterinarian first. Merck says medical causes must be ruled out first, and it names pain as an important risk factor for behavior problems.
• Fear, anxiety, aggression, separation anxiety, or a problem a trainer has not been able to fix: ask your veterinarian about a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.

A veterinary behaviorist is a licensed veterinarian with advanced specialty training in behavior. They can diagnose medical problems that affect behavior and build a treatment plan that may include behavior modification, changes at home and, when appropriate, medication. Trainers do valuable work, but as the San Francisco SPCA points out, the field is not regulated, and trainers cannot diagnose or treat medical or behavioral disorders.

How to choose a dog trainer

Anyone can call themselves a dog trainer, so do a little homework. AVSAB's How to Choose a Trainer guide breaks it into a few checks.

Look at their education. AVSAB names science-based programs and groups such as the Karen Pryor Academy, the Academy for Dog Trainers, the Victoria Stilwell Academy, the Pet Professional Guild, the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and Fear Free. Credentials alone do not guarantee quality, but trainers with these backgrounds are more likely to use positive reinforcement. (Thinking about the career yourself? Here is how to become a dog trainer.)

Read their website and social posts. Green flags: treats, toys and praise, clicker training, "force free", teaching a replacement behavior, an upbeat tone of voice. Red flags: prong or shock collars, leash jerks, rolling a dog onto its back, water spray bottles, rattle cans, "alpha", "pack leader", "dominant", "obey", "balanced training", yelling.

Watch a class before you sign up. Ask yourself:

• Do the dogs look relaxed and interested, or tense and shut down?
• Can family members take part?
• Does the trainer explain how to practice at home?
• Does anyone hit, jerk or pin a dog? If so, leave.

If you don't feel heard, or your dog looks stressed, AVSAB says to choose a different trainer.

Ways to celebrate Dog Training Education Month

• Sign up for a reward-based puppy or manners class.
• Teach one new cue or trick this month and practice it in three different places.
• Practice "happy handling": touch paws, ears and mouth, then reward, so vet visits and nail trims get easier. Merck calls this cooperative care.
• Share your dog's progress (and the bloopers) with other dog people online. Someone else's struggle might look a lot like yours.

Sources

• AVSAB: Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
• AVSAB: Position Statement on Puppy Socialization
• AVSAB: Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals
• AVSAB: How to Choose a Trainer
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Behavior Problems of Dogs
• San Francisco SPCA: What's the difference between a dog trainer and a veterinary behaviorist?
• APDT: January Is National Train Your Dog Month
• National Today: Dog Training Education Month

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.