Gundog Training Forum

It's been a while since I posted on the "chastisement' issue - just wanted to say thank you for all your replies, I appreciate all the comments and advice and my young dog has done well this season with a few wonderful retrieves and look forward to next season - my dog never ceases to amaze me for all the right reasons

As a matter of interest, after completing a full season, what's your view now on what represents an 'acceptable level of chastisement' - has it changed from your opening post? Was the incident you witnessed an unhappy one-off?

Naj

The minimum amount if negative reinforcement required to get the message across delivered at the right time and place.

How about maximum of positive reinforcement delivered at the right time and place!

Jelinga wrote:How about maximum of positive reinforcement delivered at the right time and place!

That wouldn't be chastisement would it?

I think the OP. Is referring to correction once the dog has gone wrong.

Yes I know, but if positive reinforcement was given in the first place the dog would not have gone wrong - not saying it is magic. The negative reinforcement in that case reported by OP would never teach the dog anything. Non of can learn in a scary situation (teacher with cane, cross gundog trainer etc!), when told we are good, we tend to repeat that action

So am I to understand that a dog that's only ever received positive reinforcement never goes wrong? What do you do when if it does?
Do you ignore the bad and only recognise the good? At what point after the dog has cleared another drive if birds do you start to acknowledge it?

If a dog is going to clear a drive then it shouldn't be taken there in the first place! No point in beating hell out of it when it comes back as if/when a next time, it may well clear the next drive and not come back at all for fear of the beating.

I am not into totally positive training, but if a dog goes very wrong then it is the trainer's fault, not the dog's fault. Train in a calm, positive frame of mind so that the dog can learn.

But even the very best dogs go wrong.
At that point it needs correcting.

Yes, corrected in a way that can then show it what is required, not just chastised and leaving the dog to wonder why it got beaten or yanked.