Answer:
Dogs and cats learn from immediate consequences. Positive reinforcement means something pleasurable (e.g. food treat) comes from doing something right. Negative reinforcement means something unpleasant (e.g. collar choke) stops when you do the thing right.

Reward-based training is based on positive reinforcement. A reward can be anything the pet desires such as food, praise, touch, toys, playtime, indoor or outdoor access. Reward- based training teaches the pet that you are the provider and controller of everything good, builds trust and keeps the pet eager to learn.

When teaching a new behavior, it’s important to offer what your pet likes the best. After the new behavior is learned, it can be reinforced with intermittent rewards of lesser value. Always praise desired behaviors. Once the pet knows a behavior, you can withhold the reward for an incorrect response. “You don’t want to sit? No dinner now. I’ll be back in ten minutes and try again.”

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