Balanced Training vs. Positive Reinforcement Dog Training: Which Method is Best for Your Dog?
If you're searching for a dog trainer near you, you've probably come across two common approaches: balanced training and positive reinforcement training. While both aim to teach dogs new skills and address unwanted behaviors, they differ significantly in how they do so, particularly in how each respond when dogs make mistakes.
At Lasata Dog Training, I believe that understanding these differences is essential for making informed decisions about your dog's learning experience, emotional wellbeing, and long-term success.
What Is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?
Positive reinforcement training focuses on teaching dogs what to do, rather than punishing them for behaviors we do not want them to engage in. The goal is to set dogs up for success by making appropriate choices easier, reinforcing desirable behaviors when they occur, and reducing opportunities for unwanted behaviors to be practiced.
With consistent reinforcement, dogs build a strong learning history for desired behaviors. As a result, those behaviors become more likely to occur again in the same or similar situations and any unwanted behaviors become less likely to occur.
In simple terms, positive reinforcement training strengthens the behaviors we want by reinforcing the choices we want the dog to repeat, motivating them to make those choices more often in the future.
Depending on the individual dog and the behavior being trained, reinforcers may include:
Food
Toys
Praise
Play or social interaction
Access to preferred activities or environments, such as going outdoors
Example: Teaching Recall with Positive Reinforcement
Imagine you frequently take your dog to Hammonasset Beach in Madison, CT and want to teach a reliable recall for safety.
First, you would identify what your dog finds especially valuable such as high value food like cooked chicken or a favorite toy.
You would then begin teaching the recall in an easy, low-distraction environment. For example, inside your home when no one else is around.
Each time your dog responds correctly to the “come” cue, you would immediately reinforce the behavior with something your dog values. Once your dog is responding reliably, you would gradually increase the difficulty by practicing in new environments, adding distractions, and increasing the distance from which you call them.
If your dog does not come when called, you would not punish your dog. Instead, the unsuccessful repetition provides information about the training setup. You might consider whether the environment is too distracting, whether your dog is tired or not feeling well, whether the distance is too great, or whether the reward is not valuable enough.
You could then adjust the training plan to make the next repetition easier to increase the likelihood of success before gradually increasing the difficulty again, eventually working up to your end goal of being able to recall your dog at Hammonasset Beach.
Over time, through many successful repetitions and consistent reinforcement, your dog develops a strong history of reinforcement for responding to the recall cue. This makes coming when called more likely to occur in the same or similar situations in the future.
What Is Balanced Dog Training?
Balanced training also uses rewards to reinforce desirable behaviors, while implementing punishment for unwanted behaviors.
In behavioral science, punishment refers to a consequence that decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur again in the future. In order for this to happen, the punishment must be aversive enough for the dog to change it’s behavior to avoid the punishment. The specific techniques and equipment used can vary considerably among trainers who describe their approach as “balanced.”
Depending on the trainer, punishment may include:
Leash corrections, such as an abrupt jerk of the leash that places pressure on the dog's neck
Verbal reprimands, such as yelling or using a harsh tone
Physical handling techniques, such as poking the dog's side or pinching their ears
Prong collars
Electronic (e-) collars, including collars that deliver electric stimulation, vibration, or other forms of stimulation
Choke chains, slip collars, or other equipment designed to tighten around the dog's neck
Startling devices, such as air horns, shake cans, or throw chains
The underlying philosophy of balanced training is that dogs can learn through a combination of reinforcement and punishment (sometimes referred to as “corrections.”). Rewards are used to strengthen desirable behaviors, while aversive consequences are used to discourage behaviors the trainer (or guardian) does not want to see, or when the dog fails to respond as expected.
Example: Teaching Recall with Balanced Training
Using the same recall example, a balanced training approach might also begin by identifying rewards the dog finds valuable and using those rewards to reinforce correct responses. Training would typically begin in a low-distraction environment, with difficulty gradually increasing as the dog's reliability improves.
The key difference occurs when the dog makes a mistake or fails to respond to the recall cue.
Rather than simply treating the unsuccessful response as information that the training environment or criteria need to be adjusted, a balanced approach would introduce an aversive consequence. For example, let’s say you recall your dog with your verbal cue “come” and instead of returning to you, they sniff a bush instead. A balanced trainer would then deliver a punishment, such as an electric shock on an e-collar to reduce the likelihood of your dog sniffing the next time you recall them.
As training progresses, a balanced trainer may continue increasing the level of distraction and distance, using rewards for successful recalls and aversive consequences for failures to respond.
Why the Difference Matters
Both training methods can be effective in changing behavior. However, in the words of Susan Friedman, PhD, we must ask ourselves, “Is it necessary to use punishment?” This is an important question to consider from an ethical standpoint.
For punishment to be effective, it must be aversive enough that the animal is willing to change their behavior to avoid it. But the animal, not us, gets to decide what is aversive.
Just as humans differ in what they find aversive, animals do too. One person may see a spider and simply walk past it, while another may experience enough fear to leave the room and avoid that area altogether. The spider is the same, but the individual’s experience, and the resulting behavior, is different. One person may get a static electricity shock from touching a doorknob and barely notice it, while another might find the sensation unpleasant enough to avoid touching the doorknob again.
We cannot determine how aversive something is simply by how insignificant it may seem to us.
So, if a punishment works, we have to acknowledge that it was aversive enough to that individual animal to influence their behavior. When we describe something as “just” a vibration, “just” a beep, or “just” a mild correction, we are describing the stimulus from our perspective, not the dog’s.
If it changes the dog’s behavior, then it was significant enough to that dog to motivate a change. Conversely, if it is truly mild enough that the dog does not find it aversive, it will not be effective in changing their behavior.
Risks Associated with the Use of Punishment
The importance of the question doesn’t stop there though. There is also significant fallout, as shown in research, with using punishment including:
Escape/avoidance behavior
Aggression
Apathy (overall decreased responding)
Over-generalization of fear to elements in the environment in which the punishment takes place (including the person(s) delivering the punishment).
(Azrin, N.H. & Holz, W.C., 1966)
Ultimately, the question is not simply whether punishment can change behavior. Research is clear that it can. The more important question is whether we need to use punishment (“corrections”) to achieve that change, particularly when effective alternatives are available. If we can teach the same behavior without deliberately causing discomfort, fear, or distress, then we have to ask ourselves: why wouldn’t we choose the option that carries less risk for the animal?
Which Training Approach Should You Choose?
Positive reinforcement is supported by veterinary behaviorists, animal welfare organizations, and many modern behavior consultants and trainers because it allows us to change behavior while minimizing the risks associated with aversive methods. While punishment can be effective, the fact that something works does not necessarily mean it is the only choice, the best choice, or the most ethical choice.
When effective, less-aversive approaches are available, they provide an opportunity to teach dogs what we want them to do while also supporting their well-being and relationship with their caregivers.
My Philosophy at Lasata Dog Training
At Lasata Dog Training, I believe dogs learn best when they feel safe, motivated, and engaged.
My training approach focuses on building skills through positive reinforcement, clear communication, and thoughtful management strategies. Rather than relying on fear, intimidation, or discomfort, I teach dogs new behaviors and skills that create positive habits and help replace unwanted behaviors. This approach supports lasting behavior change while nurturing the trust, confidence, and understanding that are essential to a strong human-canine relationship.
With wags and aloha,
Cori Tufano- CPDT-KA, CSAT, FDM, FFCP
References and Further Reading:
Azrin, N. H., & Holz, W. C. (1966). Punishment. In W. K. Honig (Ed.), Operant Behavior: Areas of Research and Application (pp. 213-270). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
China L, Mills DS and Cooper JJ (2020) Efficacy of Dog Training With and Without Remote Electronic Collars vs. a Focus on Positive Reinforcement. Front. Vet. Sci. 7:508. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00508
https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AVSAB-Humane-Dog-Training-Position-Statement-2021.pdf
