The Value of a Reward is Related to its Scarcity

I always cringe when I hear “If you can train a zoo animal to cooperate for veterinary procedures only using positive reinforcement then you can train a dog with only positive reinforcement too.”

The statement shows a very surface level understanding of the 4 quadrants of Operant Conditioning: Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Positive Punishment, and Negative Punishment.

A combination of Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement motivates zoo animals to cooperate with handlers, not just Positive Reinforcement .

A zoo animal, no matter how well taken care of, is deprived of a biologically fulfilling lifestyle. They are bored, SO bored. Most mammals and birds have complex brains with communication systems, long term memory, a wide range of problem solving skills, and emotions.  Their need for mental and physical stimulation is HUGE and it's typically not being met in a zoo environment, resulting in an animal who will do pretty much anything to not be bored. 

Many times animals at zoos have to cooperate with their handlers in order to access food. If the handler asks for the animal to cooperate in exchange for food and the animal refuses, they then try again later when the animal is more hungry, more willing to work for food. 

Hunger and boredom are two forms of psychological pressure that can be alleviated by eating or mental/physical stimulation. Using these forms of psychological pressure to motivate an animal to cooperate for veterinary procedures is an example of using Negative Reinforcement. The hunger or boredom is alleviated if they cooperate and do these unnatural behaviors. A behavior as unnatural and unpleasant as getting veterinary care is going to need a lot of psychological pressure to motivate a wild animal to willingly participate.

The value of a reward is related to its scarcity. Without hunger why would we work for money to buy food? Without boredom why would we be passionate about sports and hobbies? Dogs are the same, and a tactful manipulation of these two forms of pressure can be a real game changer in modifying your dog's engagement, cooperation, and motivation for specific rewards. Using food rewards cannot exist without hunger. Using play and activities as rewards cannot exist without boredom. To pretend the pressures that make rewards valuable do not exist in an attempt to sugar coat the training process does a disservice to those who are trying to learn and better the lives of their dogs.