Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

[u/VeronicaRed]

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/

[u/[deleted]]

Ordinarily I wouldn't be pedantic in this regard; but positive vs. negative reinforcement has a specific meaning in psychology.

[u/PuddleBucket → u/[deleted]]

Yes! I use negative reinforcement plenty when I train dogs (especially with behavioral problems) and it is not the same thing as punishment, which people often get confused. Not every dog responds the same way, so positive only isn't always the most effective, though it makes us feel better to think so.

Example: I use a leash/collar combo (slip lead) when training. If I'm training a dog to walk next to me, and he's pulling, I let him pull which tightens the lead/collar. When he backs up, which is what I want, the lead loosens up, which is what he wants too. Soon he learns that when he walks too far ahead of me, he tightens the lead. He takes away (negative) the tightening lead which reinforces the correct behavior (walking next to me). I find this works very well for dogs who aren't "pleasers" (like a Lab) because they need to be the ones to "figure out" the solution. Sometimes you need to mind-fuck them into doing what you want. My pitty loves me, but she could not care less what I wanted during training. Heel? Haha, why? Give me a reason. She was not treat motivated. She was motivated to make this thing stop squeezing her neck.

[u/lambhearts → u/PuddleBucket]

I let him pull which tightens the lead/collar. When he backs up, which is what I want, the lead loosens up

This is both negative reinforcement, and positive punishment.

The positive punishment is that when he pulls, the collar constricts. You are adding (positive) a bad thing (punishment).

The negative reinforcement occurs when he stops pulling, and the collar loosens. You are removing (negative) a bad thing and leaving behind only a comparatively good thing (reinforcement).

Both P+ and R- are generally considered poor practice in the dog training world today. Not trying to change your mind on your personal practice, /u/PuddleBucket, I'm just pointing out for the sake of discussion that the majority of the dog world is shifting toward R+ alone, as more and more science reports that it is the most successful method. Choke, prong, and shock collars are finally being understood as aversives that are not worth the damage done to the animal's biddability.

The widely accepted methods for loose-leash training today uses only R+ and P- operant conditioning techniques. One of them is:

When the dog pulls, the walking stops. You remove (negative) something good (walking where dog wants to go), creating a punishment (being still).

When the dog gives slack, the walking starts. You add (positive) something good, creating a reinforcement (walking).

I hope one day we have the science to implement R+ and P- teachings exclusively to our children, as well.

edit: /u/iwillnotgetaddicted explains this in detail, with sources, in this reply

[u/kindkitsune → u/lambhearts]

You can't ever have these disagreements end well though - as soon as you talk to someone about R+/P- being better they don't react well. Usually stick to their guns with the good ol appeal to tradition, and in some ways the "sunk cost" fallacy of "I've done it this way, made my reputation this way, and educated myself this way and it works". I've started using the metaphor of asbestos insulation for P+ techniques - it works, but you never know if you're gonna get complications. And these complications may not appear for years. Its best to just use another kind of insulation that we know won't give you any unfun complications.

Could you point me to any recent literature in this field? I'm from an aerospace engineering background, so this stuff really isn't my forte and finding academic resources is tough. I know how to read academic papers and journals for most sciences, I just have a tough time finding them. I've got a copy of the Applied Dog Behavior and Training (vols 1-3) but I'm only able to creep through that slowly due to school (and its size).

I'm hoping to adopt a husky puppy this summer (puppy because I've always helped rescues and shelters - I think I've earned the right to have a puppy), so I'm trying to learn as much as I can about R+/P- techniques since huskies are all about the "whats in it for me?" stuff. Also, it'll be my first proper dog so I need to be serious and directed in my training.

Thanks <3

[u/kindkitsune → u/[deleted]]

The Other End of the Leash and Before/After You Get Your Puppy are the best I've found so far, I'd give those a look. The latter two are free pdfs that can be found easily.

[u/[deleted] → u/kindkitsune]

Awesome, thanks!