Michael Baugh CDBC
I’ll start with a bold statement of my opinion. It is normal for us humans to feel compelled to punish our dogs when they do something we don’t like. Normal. Punishment, by definition, makes the behavior stop, even if only for a short while. When our dog’s annoying or upsetting behavior stops, that reinforces our behavior. “Effective punishment reinforces the punisher, who is therefore more likely to punish again in the future, even when antecedent arrangements and positive reinforcement would be equally, or more, effective.” (Friedman, 2010).
We punish, or attempt to punish, all the time. And we aim our vitriol all over the place, not just at our dogs. A guy tries to cut us off in traffic, and we honk, or we flip him off, or both. If he stops, that’s reinforcing. Our dog barks; we yell; he stops. Our behavior is reinforced. Dog pulls; yank the leash; he slows. You see where this is going.
We get hooked on punishment’s reinforcement. Sometimes, we can’t even think about how to influence behavior any other way. And as Dr. Susan Friedman notes, punishment doesn’t help us teach our dog what we want him to do. Stop barking. Stop pulling. Okay, but now what? What do we want the dog to do?
Add to that, our actions may only punish the dog’s misbehavior at the moment or in a certain context. The effect is fleeting. The dog may stop pulling for a moment or two and then resume (same with barking or other doggy crimes). That often leads to chronic yelling, leash-yanking, or worse. Our attempts to punish increase in frequency and intensity, a true testament that they are not having any lasting effect.
And there are other problems, especially with how fear and pain in the name of training can affect our dogs. Studies dating back decades point to the emotional damage fear and pain have on the dog being punished. The data is clear not only as it relates to dogs but also to other species, including humans.
Using physical violence as a means of training correlates with anxiety-related behavior in dogs (Hiby et al., 2004). Specifically, there is a relationship between physical punishment and aggression in dogs (Hsu and Sun, 2010). Many times, using confrontational training techniques can elicit an immediate aggressive response from the dog, putting the human in danger (Herron, Shofer, Riesner, 2009).
So what are we, the punishment addicts, to do? Admit to the problem? Make amends? Begin behaving differently? I’m not being cheeky. The answer to all is, “yes.”
The science of behavior change is unambiguous. It points us clearly toward positive reinforcement training. Positive reinforcement is the communication tool we are looking for to teach our dogs what we want them to do. There are no unanswered questions. Instead of barking, come here, lie down, and relax. Instead of pulling, walk here and keep an eye on me. And the side effects? They are nothing short of delightful—joy, enthusiasm, and an eagerness in our dogs for learning.
It’s up to us. We can learn. We can get hooked on today’s training methods and leave yesterday’s in the dust. We can take on the burden, a light one at that, of learning some new skills. We can take the burden off our dogs. The allure of positive reinforcement training: seeing our dogs behave better, thrive, and succeed. That, too, can be very reinforcing.
Michael is a dog trainer and behavior consultant. He specializes in aggressive dog training in Sedona, AZ