Dog owners around the world agree on one thing - the best dog is a well-behaved dog!
Some folks advocate negative reinforcement for dogs to stop their bad habits. This might include shocking, choking or even hitting the dog when it practices unwelcome behavior.
The majority of dog owners feel such treatment of a canine is reprehensible and should be avoided at all costs.
The alternative to negative reinforcement is simply the opposite - positive reinforcement when a dog practices good behavior.
One of the easiest ways to show a dog he did the right thing is to give him a dog treat right after he performs the accepted action. For instance, when a young dog stands by the door and whines (indicating a need to perform an outdoor bodily function), follow him out into the yard. As soon as he follows the call of nature tell him "Good boy!" and hand him a biscuit or your preferred dog snack. This not only makes your dog happy, but also encourages him to repeat the good behavior so he can receive more tasty rewards.
As your dog becomes accustomed to receiving a dog treat for his actions he may become lazy. Once he seems to be focusing less on doing the right thing and more on waiting for his tasty dog treat it is time for you to start "raising the bar." To do this you switch up what you do for the dog when he performs the desired act. Start giving him dog treats every other time he does it right, and on the snack-less times give him an exclusively verbal reward. after a few days change it to food-based reward every third time. What this does is cause the dog to think harder about what he is doing and try harder in hopes of getting the food each time!