You can make "Good dog" positive through classical conditioning.
And more generally, the problem is you can talk about what other people do in terms of reinforcement and punishment and operant conditioning and classical conditioning.
The findings of classical conditioning have been extended and replicated in all sorts of animals including crabs, fish, cockroaches and so on.
Since the connection with the poker chips is established through classical conditioning, sooner or later by that logic the poker chips would lose their power to serve as reinforcers.
