Dog training glossary
Positive Reinforcement
Quick answer
Adding something the dog wants immediately after a behavior to increase the odds it happens again.
Written by the TailorPup team, updated September 2026. See our editorial approach.
What it means
Positive reinforcement is the core mechanism behind reward-based training: a treat, praise, play, or anything else the dog values, delivered right after the desired behavior, makes that behavior more likely in the future. Timing matters enormously, a reward delivered even a couple of seconds late risks reinforcing whatever the dog is doing at that later moment instead.
A real example
A dog gets a treat the instant all four paws are on the floor instead of jumping on a guest, making calm greetings more likely to happen again.
Common mistake
Rewarding too late, or too inconsistently, for the training effect to reliably build.
Related terms
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