Balanced Training vs. Positive Reinforcement Training  by John Van Olden, President
Canine Trade Group
As someone who collects old dog training books and manuals, I can tell you that the debate over dog training methods has been going on for decades. Over the past 15 years, however, it has really heated up.
This is mainly because of two nearly simultaneous events. 1. The rise in popularity of the Internet. 2. The founding of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Contrary to what is now published on their website which anoints one person as its original founder, the APDT was originally conceived by a group of trainers who met after a seminar in San Mateo, CA around 1993. It was originally founded as an educational organization, welcoming to all training ideas, but has since been hijacked by zealots of the "Purely Positive" dog training movement, and is now identified as the "Positive Reinforcement Group".
Many of the trainers who were present at that original meeting, have been ostracized from the group, and some have gone on to found another group, the International Association of Canine Professionals, which tries to keep with the original idea of education for trainers, but which is much more tolerant and embracing of all (humane) training methods. Among dog trainers, and now the public, the IACP is identified as the "Balanced Group".
So now the debate rages between the "Balanced" group and the "Positive Reinforcement" group. The issue, however, is that both of these polarizing terms are extremely misleading, especially to those who aren't dog trainers, but are simply surfing the web looking for dog training advise, or for a dog trainer to help them with their dog. The Internet has fueled this debate by giving both of these groups a seemingly authoritative forum to publish their positions to the generally naive public.
"Positive Reinforcement" trainers are typically trainers who claim to not use punishment in their dog training protocols. In dog training circles, these trainers are often known as "2 Quadrant Trainers" because they claim to only employ 2 of the 4 quadrants of operant conditioning. (It would take me more words than I'm allowed to describe the 4 quadrants of operant conditioning, but for a great diagram, click here.) These trainers claim to reject the use of punishment in dog training.
In almost every case, however, this is a fallacy. Punishment (in dog training) is simply defined as adding a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the dog repeating the undesired behavior. Since these trainers routinely recommend the use of so called "gentle" leaders, which causes discomfort to a dog when they pull, or various startle devices like "shake cans" which is a can filled with pennies or something else, that is shaken to disrupt a dog's bad behavior like chewing on something. While neither is applying a collar correction, both would be considered punishment in my book.
By labeling themselves "Positive Reinforcement Trainers" their implication is that other trainers must not use positive reinforcement when they train. This is also a fallacy. Just because a trainer is willing to employ positive punishment techniques as part of their training protocol does not in any way mean that that trainer doesn't also use rewards and positive reinforcement (defined as adding something good when a desired behavior is performed) to motivate a dog.
While forced to use it myself, I'm not a fan of the term "balanced" training either. This implies that a trainer uses equal amounts of punishment and reward to train a dog. The reality, however, is that the majority of "balanced" trainers I've encountered use far more positive reinforcement in their training than punishment.
The reality is that a "balanced" trainer is much more likely to use all of the training techniques available to him or her, and not try to fit square pegs into round holes. Closing the door on a widely accepted, humane training method is the most unfair thing I think a trainer can do for a dog.
The author, John Van Olden is the owner of Canine Trade Group .
Canine Trade Group offers a comprehensive Professional Dog Trainer's Course taught by John , who has over two decades of successful dog training and business experience. | 
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