Compulsion dog training refers to a method of teaching dogs by using Positive Punishment along with Negative Reinforcement. Using devices like prong collars as well as punishment-based methods like yelling, striking, or withholding food or affection, the goal is to modify the dog’s behavior through physical or emotional discomfort.

This strategy has been used for a long time; however, it is currently more controversial since many experts prefer techniques for rewarding desired behavior. Compulsion training is still supported by certain trainers, who think it can be successful, especially with difficult dogs.

How do dogs learn?

Although animals don’t speak human languages, most mammals, especially dogs can listen and memorize the sound patterns associated with actions or behaviors.

Every dog has an inborn ability to learn, but some breeds and working lines exhibit additional ease to the training process as they love to impress their humans and get rewards in return. 

When it comes to dog training all it boils down to how dogs understand what to do, what not to do, when to do and when not to do. That is why Operant Conditioning is important to understand. In this theory there are four quadrants to consider. They are, 

• Positive Punishment
• Positive Reinforcement
• Negative Punishment
• Negative Reinforcement

First of all, before we dive into more details, I’d like to give you a quick disclaimer! Do not feel bad about the words used and most probable meanings are way more different than you think!

Detailed Explanation on Operant Conditioning

In Operant Conditioning “Positive” means Giving something to the dog as the consequence of its action or behavior. For a desirable behavior this “something” can be a treat, a physical phrase like a head rub (some physical touch that dog loves to get), a toy or a couple of “Good boy/Good girl/ Yes in a happy and consistent tone.

But for an undesirable behavior “Positive” will mean giving a particular sensation or a firm voice pattern which is unpleasant for the dog. This can be slight tightening of the prong collar, sensation from the e-collar, a firm “No” or a jerking of the dog’s leash (leash correction). In a nutshell “Positive” means you are pro-actively giving something to the dog according to the behavior. 

“Negative” means the right opposite of the above description. Taking something from the dog can be categorized under “Negative”. This can be taking away the most preferred toy from the dog to punish the dog or releasing the existing pressure from the dog to reinforce the good behavior. 

There are different approaches for dog training. Some use all four quadrants in dog training while some use only two or three quadrants to get the job done.

Most of the time the Compulsion dog training uses Positive Punishment and Negative Reinforcement as the base of their training methods.

Methods of dog training

There are several approaches which are popular among the modern dog training world. Some of them are,

• Positive only dog training 
• Compulsion dog training 
• Balanced dog training 

Also, if your dog is very aggressive and uncontrollable, I might recommend for you to first go through the complete guide on Bubble Theory for Dog Training which is specifically developed for reactive dog breeds.

What is compulsion dog training?

This time around we are going to dig deep into what is compulsion dog training and how it differs from the other approaches. 

As we learn early Compulsion dog training mostly about Positive Punishment along with Negative Reinforcement. That means when the dog exhibits an undesirable behavior, the trainer pro-actively corrects it by giving the dog a rough sensation as humanly as possible (Positive Punishment).

In some difficult cases trainers use prong collars and e-collars tight/on for some time; if the dog behaves desirably immediately the collars will loosen or off. That is called Negative Reinforcement. 

By this method Dogs get clear messages on what not to do and when not to do certain behaviors.

Is compulsion dog training better than other training methods?

Positive only dog training utilizes only Positive reinforcement. As much as it seems like the most ethical way to train dogs, most of the time you may find it difficult to correct the dog when he or she misbehaves.

That is just because, by only using positive reinforcement you will not have a way to communicate the consequences of a bad or wrong behavior to your dog.

Now if you consider the Balanced dog training approach there you can see, we use every quadrant of the operant conditioning depending on the dog and the environment by overlooking the situation with a loving and caring perspective. Here’s all the quadrants we used in Balance Dog training and a brief introduction on what they do!

When it comes to compulsive dog training though the dog clearly gets what not to do, but at the same time it misses the reinforcement part for the desirable behavior.

Because of that in some cases this can make a fearful or a confused dog which does not know what to do for sure in order to be confident about itself and acclimate to different spaces. 

So, we at Pooch Theory advocate balanced training methods in most of the cases rather than wasting the resources and making badly scared dogs in the making of an obedient dog. Of course, there are exceptions such as dogs working in the military. 

We hope now you can make an informed and wise decision on what root you should choose for your furry friend.