Where abouts on a “scale of punishment” are you happy with?

If the most aversive form of punishment you could give your dog was to kick & punch them for getting something wrong during training and the least aversive form of punishment was to say “no” or to tap them on the nose then where would you draw the line on that scale?

There would be a whole load of other punishments in between; Maybe a little slap on the butt? Maybe you’d shout loudly? How about squirting them with a water bottle or rattling a can of pebbles at them? Pushing them off of you if they jumped up? Yanking them back on the lead for pulling?

These are all forms of punishment – it’s just that some are more severe than others.

You may be comfortable using some milder punishments but where would you draw the line?

Here’s the thing ….

The trouble with using ANY form of punishment means that you have identified that your dog does something that you don’t like.

You now have two choices.

1) You allow that behaviour to continue and every time your dog gets it wrong you punish them (using whichever form of punishment you are comfortable with on that scale) The behaviour is unlikely to ever go away because you are now stuck on a Merry-go-Round …. Undesirable behaviour occurs / human punishes dog …. Over & over ….. The dog doesn’t actually learn what he SHOULD be doing instead. He just knows that he’s doing something wrong but no one has taught him what he CAN do.

2) You identify the behaviour that you’d like to change and you actually train your dog to do a better, more desirable behaviour instead. You reward your dog every time he gets its right and, through enough repetitions, your dog learns how you’d like him to behave in different situations.

We’ve not had to use any form of punishments using option 2.

As dog owners, many humans choose option 1 even though they’d prefer option 2.

Option 1 is often a “quick fix” ….

Dog barks: Gets water squirted in face to stop it (maybe you only have to show your dog the bottle of water and he stops barking now but still, you’re allowing the undesirable behaviour to happen just so that you can punish it rather than actually teaching a more desirable behaviour)

Dog pulls: Gets yanked back on lead.

Dog jumps up: Gets pushed down.

Dog steals food off the kitchen worktop: Gets shouted at.

Option 2 requires actual training. And time. And dedication. And commitment. And patience.

And …. Well …. You really shouldn’t have a dog unless you are prepared to provide all of the above 

Dog barks: At what? When? Where? What would you like your dog to do instead in that situation? Can your dog achieve that behaviour at other times?

Dog pulls: Reinforce him for being in the correct position. A lot.

Dog jumps up: At who / what? When? What would you like your dog to do instead in that situation?

Dog steals food off the kitchen worktop: How would you like your dog to behave in the kitchen? Where should he be? What should he be doing – Laying down on his bed? Teach him that. And stop leaving food out on the side ….

At HAIRY POPPINS we do not use ANY form of punishments during our Training.

We actually teach owners how to train their dogs to do better, more desirable behaviours.

We will never tell you to shout at your dog or to squirt them with water. We will never ask you to tap their nose or to smack their butt. We will spend time to show you how you can actually achieve the behaviours you want from your dog and how we can positively reinforce those behaviours so that they are repeated in the future.

Choose your Trainer wisely. Research the methods they will use and make an informed decision. Just because Joe Bloggs over the road used a Trainer that was “good” doesn’t necessarily mean that the Trainer will meet your ethics regarding dog training. Just because a Trainer is cheaper shouldn’t be reason enough for you to hire them if you’re not happy with the methods they’d use.

Do your research. Your dog is relying on you.