Ask Dr. Caryn - Dog Behavior & Training

by Caryn Self-Sullivan, PhD

Send your Questions to AskDrCaryn@gmail.com

Q:  Why NOT use correction, dominance, and punishment to train my dog?  How else will she know when she does something wrong?

A:   In training, the term "punishment" can be either positive or negative--in the mathematical sense.  When we ADD something to punish our dog after undesired behavior occurs, it's called Positive Punishment.  When we SUBTRACT something to punish our dog after undesired behavior occurs, it's called Negative Punishment.  When I say we don’t use punishment, I mean we don’t use Positive Punishment.  In other words we don’t ADD anything to the situation.  Positive Punishment covers a wide range of corrective and aversive methods.  Humans often classify Positive Punishment into two categories:  correction and aversives.  Positive Punishment is most often used by trainers who base their training methods in Dominance Theory.  Unfortunately, Dominance Theory and the terms “dominance” and “alpha” are consistently misused in the dog world—click on the link for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Dominance. 

Corrections include behaviors that humans DO NOT necessarily perceive as punishment.  I’ve often heard people say, “I would never punish my dog!” and then, without hesitation say “NO!” or “OFF!” when their dog jumps on someone or something.  Or push their dog’s butt down to get him to SIT.  Or pull up on their dog’s collar with the leash to get her to HEEL.  Or scold their dog when he finally comes after being called multiple times.

Aversives include behaviors that humans generally DO perceive as punishment.  Examples include:  physically dominating their dog such as alpha rolling, pinning, scruff shaking, and ear pinching; attempting to distract their dog with shake cans and water spray bottles; and using spray, vibration, shock or choke collars. 

In lay terms, punishment is anything that your dog doesn’t like!  In scientific terms, punishment is anything that causes the immediately preceding behavior to diminish in frequency.  Whether in the form of a correction or an aversive, positive punishment results in submission, fear or pain.  Modern scientific research tells us that positive punishment methods should NOT be used in dog training—or in any kind of animal training for that matter.   

Why?

Punishment is Outdated:  Using correction and punishment as primary methods of training is like using a paddle or ruler on kids in school.  Positive reinforcement is the cutting-edge, progressive, and fastest way to train a dog – period.  See the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Punishment.

Punishment is Unnecessary:  Everything you could ever possibly want or need to teach your dog, from house-training to a reliable recall, from sitting instead of jumping to walking on loose leash, you can teach more quickly with positive reinforcement training techniques.  Punishment only gives the dog information about what you DO NOT want him to do.  This leaves a training void that may be filled with other undesirable behaviors.  Positive reinforcement training teaches your dog what you DO want her to do and eliminates the need for punishment.  That being the case, why choose anything else?

Punishment is Counterproductive:  Punishment comes with unintended and hard-to-control side effects.  For example, your dog growls at another dog.  You jerk the leash and say “NO!” in a stern voice.  But your dog growled because he was uncomfortable.  He’s a dog; he doesn’t know it’s rude, he just shows how he feels.  Now the next time he sees another dog, he’ll still be uncomfortable—more so, in fact, because he now associates seeing other dogs with your anger.  So he hides his discomfort—thereby turning off his early warning signals.  The next time he feels stressed, he may bite without warning!  You both need and want your dog to tell you how she feels about people and other dogs. That’s the only way you can change negative feelings into positive feelings.  

Punishment is Unfair:  Dogs are not people.  They are amoral and opportunistic—they are dogs.  They don’t know our rules or understand English.  They exhibit dog behavior for dog reasons.  They jump up to greet us—not to annoy use.  They pee on the carpet because it’s absorbent—not for revenge.  They pull on the leash because they like to go places fast—not because they are hardheaded.  Punishing them for being dogs is unfair, especially when they can be positively trained to do everything we want.

So, if Positive Punishment, Correction, and Dominance are out…what's in?

Positive reinforcement training methods based in the behavioral science of how animals learn.

Training tools include Positive Reinforcement of desired behaviors with rewards that motivate your dog, such as food treats, toys, praise, and functional rewards.  Functional rewards are things like getting to go out the door, getting to get up on the sofa, getting to chase a ball, getting to meet the other dog, getting to move forward, getting to turn and go away, getting the scary person or dog to go away.  In the Positive Dog Training world, punishment comes in only one form, which we call Negative Punishment.  We use the term negative in the mathematical sense of taking something away.  When the dog performs a behavior we don’t want to reinforce, we SUBTRACT something from the situation—such as our attention by ignoring the behavior. 

Positive training is fast, effective, and fun for both you and your dog!  Positive training methods are recommended by every reputable, professional organization and expert in the field of animal training and behavior from The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior to Association of Pet Dog Trainers to Operation Socialization to the International Marine Animal Trainers Association; and from the most well know animal trainers in the world, today, including Dr. Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor, Victoria Stillwell, and Ken Ramirez.

About the Author:  Caryn Self-Sullivan teaches people to train pets and people using Clicker Training & TAGteach.  She is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, a Level 1 Certified TAGteacher, an Operation Socialization Certified Trainer, and a member of APDT and other professional organizations related to her expertise.  Dr. Caryn holds a PhD in animal behavior from Texas A&M University.  Contact her at 540.287.8207 or cselfsullivan@gmail.com.