One of the most useful things you can understand as a dog owner is the 4 quadrants of operant conditioning. Don’t let the technical name scare you — it’s actually pretty straightforward once you break it down. Positive means adding something to the equation. Negative means removing something. It has nothing to do with “good” or “bad.” Positive Reinforcement = Adding something to increase a behavior (example: giving a treat or praise after your dog sits so they’re more likely