The Pitfalls of Punishment

What lures us into using punishment to get our dogs to stop doing things? Often it's out first instinct - we're mad because Bailey just chewed our shoe up, when we're mad we like to use force. Physical punishment is often rewarding because it releases the anger and makes us feel better, if for only a few seconds.

First of all, what is punishment exactly? When we refer to punishment in psychology or when is has to do with learning, punishment is defined as "the reduction of a behavior via a stimulus which is applied (positive punishment) or removed (negative punishment)." Negative punishment is the removal of a pleasing stimulus in order to reduce behaviour. The 'time out' is a perfect example of negative punishment; something fun stops when your dog does something inappropriate. Removing your attention and praise when your dog jumps up is also negative punishment.

Positive punishment, on the other hand, decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future by the presentation of an aversive stimulus. An aversive stimulus can be defined as anything your dog does not like; an electric shock, a tug on a choke chain, hitting or yelling at your dog. For example, delivering a shock to a dog when he barks is positive punishment, yelling at a dog when they chew something is positive punishment. Positive punishment is what this article will be discussing.

Besides the obvious ethical reasons not to use punishment, there are many other, more technical reasons why punishment does not work to train a dog:

Timing

The timing of punishment is crucial. You must catch the dog in the act every single time they perform the behaviour. If you're going to use punishment you have to be in arms reach of your dog every second of the day. If you deliver the punishment more than 3 seconds after the behaviour has stopped you are not punishing the behaviour you intended to.

Intensity

You must know the perfect punishment intensity level; just how loud to yell, how hard to jerk on the choke chain, etc. Too little intensity and your dog will not respond and will become desensitized to increasing levels of punishment, until the only punishment the dog responds to is extremely severe. Starting with too high a level of intensity could harm your dog both mentally and physically to the point where the dog shuts down or becomes aggressive. How do you know what the right intensity for your dog is? You don't. Every dog is different and responds to different levels of punishment in a unique way.

The Development of 'Owner Absent' Behaviors

Punishment will reliably teach your dog one thing: to refrain from the behaviour around you! Dogs do not know Right from Wrong, they know Safe versus Dangerous. When a dog is punished for peeing on the rug they have learned it is dangerous to pee on the rug when their owner in around, and safe to pee on the rug when their owner is absent.

YOU have become the predictor of punishment, not the behaviour you are punishing!

A Damaged Relationship

Punishment damages the relationship between you and your dog. Punishment creates a loss of trust and an increase in fear of you, and all other people. Fear is the number one cause of aggression in dogs. Why would your risk ruining the loving and trusting relationship you have worked so hard at building with your dog?

Aggression Breeds Aggression

If you show aggression towards your dog there is a good chance that the dog will feel the need to defend itself, and it will become aggressive towards you. This aggression will also generalize to other people in your family, and strangers.

Punishment Won't Work for All Owners

For a training technique to be effective it must be able to be carried out by all members of a dog's family; from you to your grandmother to your child. If you train your dog using force you must be strong. A small child would not be able to use the force needed to deliver punishment to a dog. If not everyone can use, it is not effective.

The Quick Fix

Pet owners and even some trainers still use punishment is because it provides a 'quick fix' to the problem. Often trainers will use it simply for that reason - it looks as though they have worked magic on a client's pet. However, there are no quick fixes in dog training. The problem has not been solved and the unwanted behaviour will resurface.

A quick fix in dog training is like reattaching your car door with duct tape - it may hold for a few rides but its going to fall off soon and may do serious damage when it does.

Punishment Doesn't Teach

When you punish you are trying to tell your dog what not to do. Punishment does not teach your dog what to do instead. How will your dog learn appropriate alternatives to unwanted behaviours if you never show them what you want? Genetically driven behaviours like chewing, barking, digging, and chasing will not just go away - they need safe outlets. You need to teach your dog the safe alternative. For example, don't knee your dog in the chest when they jump up, teach them to sit for greetings instead! When you yell at your dog for chewing your shoe show them what they should be chewing instead: grab one of their toys and give it to them. Then praise your dog to let them know this is what you want them to chew!

Punishment Doesn't Last

Once the incident of the punishment has faded from the dog's memory they are likely to re-engage in the activity they were punished for. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, builds good habits that last the rest of your dog's life.

If Unsure, Do Nothing

If you are unsure as to how to go about fixing a problem, do nothing and seek the help of a qualified trainer. It is better to do nothing instead of doing the wrong thing and exacerbating the problem.