Conditioned & Unconditioned Reinforcement

Another important thing you must understand in order to effectively train your dog is conditioned and unconditioned reinforcement.

An unconditioned reinforcement would be for example to give food or water to your dog, because these are basic needs that need to be satisfied and should be given to your dog with no special conditions required . This kind of reinforces may vary depending on your dog’s preferences. For example some dogs may prefer food over playing, while others would enjoy playing and do not need any special conditions under which this reinforcement will take place. You should know your dog very well in order to understand what should be given for free.

A conditioned reinforcement would be for example a positive word like Good or Bravo when your dog does something you want her to repeat. Then the dog will associate the appraisal with a certain doing that you want. You can use an additional reinforcer like a treat or patting along with the verbal appraisal in order to enhance a behavior.