Leerburg / Dog Training Articles / Obedience & Marker Training / In Reward-Based Training, is it Aversive to say 'NO' to a Dog?

In Reward-Based Training, is it Aversive to say 'NO' to a Dog?

By Ed Frawley

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Customer Question:

I saw an article (not a Leerburg article) recently on the subject of marker training, specifically the use of a no reward marker (NRP) or negative marker.

The article argues that the use of NRMs, while it may not seem like it, is actually "aversive" to the dog and that using a NRM does not help tell the dog that they did not succeed or that they did something wrong.

They said that dogs learn faster if just encouraged through what they do correctly.

This is the first I had ever heard of that idea. I know you have a lot of experience so I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

Our Answer:

There are a couple of excellent points made here.

First of all, in a sense, the way we use a NRM (which I will talk about in a minute) can be an aversive to some dogs. It really depends on the dog.

When we use our NRM (we say NO or NOPE) and we withhold our food reward. If the dog is a high drive dog, and it thinks it deserved the reward that you withhold, this may be some level of aversive.

When done correctly, and we say NOPE with an encouraging tone of voice, it means, "You didn't do that correctly and if you want your food reward, you need to try again."

With training and repetition, the dog will come to understand that he made a mistake and he will try harder the next time. When that happens, we are actually increasing the drive level in the dog. This work may take hundreds of reps or with some just a few. It is really dog dependent.

The fact is, it is up to the dog to determine what is and is not aversive. Another way to look at it is to admit that an aversive may add some level of acceptable stress to our dog, it makes the dog try harder. It also teaches the dog to learn and think in a stressful situation. That's a good thing.

This is an example of why we say dog training is more of an art than a science.

Now a comment on what this other article you read says about NRM. How they say they only reward positive behavior or positive tries. This is called FREE SHAPING and it works.

Some behaviors don't lend themselves to free shaping. (For example, those behaviors that are done at some distance from the trainer.)

An example would be training behaviors where the dog is a distance from the trainer. So we don't free shape.

So we try to evaluate and do what we think is best for the dog in front of us. Our 4 dogs vary wildly in motivation and desire for traditional rewards like food and toys. It's all about finding what works best for each individual dog.

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About Author

Ed Frawley

Ed Frawley is the founder of Leerburg. He has been training dogs since the 1950s. For 30 years, Ed bred working bloodline German Shepherds and has produced over 350 litters. During this time, Ed began recording dog training videos and soon grew an interest in police service dogs. His narcotic dogs have been involved in over 1,000 narcotics searches resulting in hundreds of arrests in the state of Wisconsin. Ed now solely focuses on producing dog training courses with renowned dog trainers nationwide. If you want to learn more about Ed, read about his history here.