Dog training has its own language — and understanding it makes you a dramatically more effective trainer. Here are 50 essential terms, from the most basic to the more advanced concepts used by professional trainers.
Foundational Terms
Positive Reinforcement (R+): Adding something desirable after a behavior, increasing likelihood of repetition. Negative Reinforcement (R-): Removing something unpleasant after a behavior. Positive Punishment (P+): Adding something unpleasant after a behavior. Negative Punishment (P-): Removing something desirable after a behavior. Marker: A precise signal (click or word) that identifies the rewarded behavior. Reinforcer: Anything that increases the probability of a behavior.
Training Mechanics
Luring: Using food to guide the dog into a position. Shaping: Rewarding successive approximations toward a goal behavior. Capturing: Rewarding naturally occurring behaviors. Chaining: Linking behaviors together into a sequence. Fading: Gradually reducing lures or prompts. Jackpot: An unusually large reward for exceptional performance. Variable reinforcement: Rewarding at unpredictable intervals — produces the most durable behaviors. Extinction: Behavior decreases when previously reinforced behavior no longer receives reinforcement.
Behavioral Science
Classical conditioning: Association between two stimuli (Pavlov’s dogs). Operant conditioning: Learning through consequences of behavior (Skinner). Counter-conditioning: Changing emotional response to a stimulus by pairing it with something positive. Desensitization: Gradual exposure to a stimulus at sub-threshold levels. Threshold: The intensity level below which a stimulus doesn’t trigger a fear/reactive response. Flooding: Exposing to full-intensity stimulus without escape — often harmful. Habituation: Reduced response to a stimulus after repeated exposure without consequence.
Advanced Concepts
Latent inhibition: Prior neutral exposure to a stimulus makes it harder to condition later. Overshadowing: A more salient cue prevents association with a less salient one. Blocking: Existing conditioned stimulus prevents conditioning of a new one. Learned helplessness: Animal stops responding after repeated inescapable aversive experiences. Superstition: Accidental reinforcement of an irrelevant behavior. Generalization: Behavior occurring across different contexts/environments. Discrimination: Responding differently to different stimuli.
Understanding these concepts helps you troubleshoot training problems and implement programs like more effectively. See our training methods guide for context.
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