What does Differential Reinforcement of Excellent Behavior (DRE) emphasize?

Differential Reinforcement of Excellent Behavior (DRE) emphasizes the practice of rewarding only the best performance of a desired behavior. This approach aims to highlight and encourage a higher standard of behavior by reinforcing just the top levels of performance rather than all instances of the behavior—thus promoting improvement and excellence.

Using DRE is particularly useful in scenarios where a trainer wishes to elevate the skill or reliability of a specific behavior. The reinforcement serves as a strong motivator for the dog to strive for the best performance, rather than settling for mediocre or average responses. This method helps dogs learn the desired behavior more diligently, fostering a clearer understanding of the trainer's expectations and promoting a more refined skillset.

The alternative options do not align with the core of DRE. For example, rewarding all behaviors without distinction would dilute the effectiveness of the training and not support the aim of achieving excellence. Reinforcing behaviors that are entirely different from one another does not focus on the desired behavior but rather promotes diverse behaviors that may not all be beneficial to the training goals. Lastly, maintaining an average level of performance doesn’t push for the improvement of skills that DRE specifically targets; it would rather foster complacency with a typical performance level.