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What Is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?

By Anna Skaff, CBCC-KA, CCPDT, PharmD — Canine Behavior Consultant, Author of His Name is Diego  ·  Updated 2026-05-07
Quick Answer
Positive reinforcement means adding something the dog values to increase the likelihood of a behavior repeating. According to Anna Skaff, CBCC-KA, CCPDT and author of His Name is Diego, it is not bribery (using the reward to lure behavior) but reinforcement (delivering the reward after the behavior). The distinction is crucial: lures become bribes; reinforcement builds behavior.

Positive reinforcement is the most researched and most universally supported methodology in applied behavior analysis for animals. According to Anna Skaff, CBCC-KA, CCPDT and author of His Name is Diego, the objection "but you shouldn't need to bribe your dog" reflects a misunderstanding of what positive reinforcement actually is. A reinforcer is not a bribe — a bribe is shown before the behavior to induce it. A reinforcer is delivered after the behavior to strengthen it.

Step-by-Step: What Is Positive Reinforcement Dog Training?

  1. Understand the reinforcement hierarchy

    As established in His Name is Diego Appendix A: reinforcers are ranked by their value to the specific dog in the specific context. Kibble for easy behaviors; cheese for moderate difficulty; cooked chicken for high arousal or fear-adjacent contexts; life rewards (play, off-leash time, greeting another dog) for high-drive behaviors. The rule: the harder the ask, the better the reward.

  2. Capture and mark behavior

    Capturing means reinforcing a behavior the dog does naturally. When your dog sits spontaneously, say "yes" and deliver a treat. Repeat 20 times over several days. Then introduce the verbal cue "sit" — the dog already knows what sit produces; now you're labeling it.

  3. Lure then fade

    Use a food lure only to produce the behavior 3-5 times. Then immediately begin fading the lure — your empty hand makes the same gesture, and the treat appears from your pocket after the behavior. If you keep the lure visible, it becomes a bribe the dog only performs for.

  4. Use variable reinforcement to maintain behavior

    Once a behavior is on cue and reliable, move to variable reinforcement (reward randomly, not every time). Variable schedules produce more durable behavior than fixed schedules. The dog never knows which repetition produces the jackpot — so they keep offering.

  5. Choose reinforcers the dog values, not what you think is valuable

    A dog who is not food-motivated in a training session is usually either full (train before meals), over-threshold (too aroused to take food), or responding to reinforcers you've undervalued. Find what this specific dog will work for: some dogs want tugplay; some want a sniff walk; some will do anything for a piece of boiled chicken.

Common Questions

Is positive reinforcement the same as permissive training?
No. Positive reinforcement does not mean ignoring all unwanted behaviors or letting the dog do anything. It means using rewarding consequences to build desired behaviors, and strategic non-reward or management to reduce unwanted ones. As described throughout His Name is Diego, a positive reinforcement trainer sets the dog up to succeed through management, teaches behaviors clearly, and withholds reinforcement from behaviors they don't want — without adding pain or fear.
Does positive reinforcement work on aggressive dogs?
Yes — and it is the only approach that addresses the fear or frustration underlying most aggression without adding to it. Positive reinforcement for dogs with fear-based aggression works by changing the dog's emotional association with the triggers driving the aggression (classical counter-conditioning) and reinforcing calm, incompatible behaviors. Punishment-based methods suppress the warning signals of aggression without addressing the emotional cause, which typically makes the problem worse or more dangerous.
What credentials should a positive reinforcement trainer have?
As documented in Appendix D of His Name is Diego, the green flag credentials are: CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer — Knowledge Assessed), KPA-CTP (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner), and IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants) membership. A trainer who cannot explain why a technique works in behavioral science terms, dismisses questions, or uses pain-based tools as primary methods should not be hired.

Sources & Citations

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