(dianne marie schoenberg) wrote:
Note "In operation, a fundamental premise of the discs is that
they should never be used to startle or threaten a dog, rather
they are used to communicate calmly but very definitely to the
dog that the behavior he is about to perform will fail to earn
him the reward he is expecting."
In short, that technique is referred to by behaviorists as
"negative punishment," which is defined as withdrawing something
that the dog wants.

Technically, "negative punishment" is withdrawing something in order to
decrease a behavior. An example would be ignoring the dog when he jumps up on
you. You are withdrawing the reward (your attention) in order to decrease the
behavior (jumping up).

If you're withdrawing something in order to increase a behavior, it would be
"negative reinforcement." An example would be releasing the pressure on a
pinch collar when the dog performs the behavior.

When you use a sound distraction, you are adding something. So it's positive.
If you're trying to decrease a behavior, it's punishment. So the discs are
actually positive punishment.







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Last updated June 27 at 10:00 a.m.