When we decide to adopt a puppy or an adult dog, it becomes a member of the family and it is our responsibility to provide it with a good education, as well as to cover all its needs and guarantee an optimal quality of life, free from suffering, fear and stress. However, many guardians consider that the best way to teach their dogs how to behave is through punishment, scolding them every time they carry out undesirable behaviors. Phrases like "my dog knows he has done it wrong" reinforce the belief that yelling, hitting or intimidating dogs is something useful and necessary to educate them, when this is not the case.
Traditional training, based on correcting behaviors through punishment tools and threats, generates, among many other negative consequences, a state of permanent anxiety in dogs , who, in many cases, inhibit their behavior for the simple reason that they are afraid of their guardians. This, in the long term, can cause he alth problems and serious behavioral changes for the animal. To avoid this, from our site we tell you everything you need to know about punishment and how it can affect the process of educating your furry. Discover how to punish a dog without causing him suffering or a negative experience, don't miss it!
What is dog punishment?
In the field of dog behaviorism and education, punishment is considered to be any action with the potential to cause a reduction in the frequency, duration or intensity of a behavior when applied after the appearance of said behavior. In other words, punishing a dog does not only imply hitting it or causing it physical harm, many other actions such as yelling at it, immobilizing it, ignoring it, preventing it from accessing a place or scaring it can also be punishments in certain contexts.
In turn, punishments are divided, like reinforcements, into two types: positive and negative. Although both have the same objective, their application and consequences are somewhat different, as we will see below.
Application of positive punishment in dogs
Positive punishment consists of adding an aversive stimulus to the animal's environment at the moment it performs some undesirable behavior, for example push him, jerk him on the leash, yell at him, or activate a shock collar. The guardians carry out this type of punishment with the aim that the dog stops performing the action in question, but most of them are not aware of the physical and emotional implications that being subjected to this type can entail for the dog. of practices.
On a large number of occasions, the dog does not eliminate or reduce its behavior after receiving the punishment, which is a clear indication that this is not useful, because the dog is not understanding what our intentions are and, therefore, it is not learning anything that we intend to teach it. A very simple example of this is the case of the dog that barks every time the doorbell rings and, even if he is scolded for doing so, barks again the next time someone calls.
Why is this happening? First of all, because in this case the tutor focuses on trying to inhibit the behavior instead of wondering why the dog barks when there is a knock on the door and working on the cause of the behavior. In addition, it is trying to eliminate a behavior that is completely natural in the canine species (something like if we were scolded for speaking), which is frustrating and makes it even more difficult for the dog to understand what we ask of it. Finally, keep in mind that by yelling or hitting the dog, the tutor is adding more tension to a moment that is already exciting, which will make the animal even more upsetand may react explosively or even dangerously.
On other occasions, positive punishment does cause a rapid reduction in the frequency or duration of some behaviors, which makes the tutors think that their methodology has been the most successful. However, although for the human part the result has been satisfactory, for the dog it will always entail negative consequences to a greater or lesser degree If you want to know what they are, We recommend you read our other article "Consequences of punishing a dog".
When to apply positive punishment to dogs?
When the opportunity arises to perform some desired behavior and knowing that it will be punished for it, the animal enters a conflict situation, which generates a lot of stress, which can become chronic Depending on the character of the dog, his experience and the conditions of his environment, it is most likely that this conflict situation will be resolved in one of the following ways:
- The dog learns to inhibit certain behaviors in the presence of his guardians for fear of punishment, but performs them when they are not present
- The dog completely inhibits certain behaviors for fear of punishment, but looks for other alternative behaviors in order to satisfy his needs, express his frustration or try to calm his anxiety, which can be even more problematic or more harmful.
- The dog completely inhibits almost all its behaviors for fear of punishment, entering a state of lethargy and apathy similar to depression, known as learned helplessness.
In all these contexts the predominant emotion is always fear, which leads us to the conclusion that the systematic application of punishment positive causes emotional damage in animals and is in no way recommended
Application of negative punishment in dogs
Negative punishment consists of removing a stimulus from the animal's environment that it finds pleasant after the animal performs the undesirable behavior. Some examples of negative punishment could be withdrawing attention from the dog, stopping playing with him, or denying him a treat.
Negative punishment has always had a better reputation than positive punishment, since it is true that it allows certain behaviors to be eliminated or reduced without the need to intimidate or attack the animal, simply based on the idea of letting a behavior die out by withdrawing the reinforcement. However, negative punishment has a problem and that is that, on many occasions, it is difficult to apply it correctly and requires some experience on the part of the tutor. On the one hand, the tutor must make sure that, at the moment of applying the negative punishment, there is something in the environment that can be removed and that said stimulus is really positive and has a reinforcing role for the animal, otherwise,, its withdrawal will have no effect. On the other hand, negative punishment is not effective in eliminating any behavior, since those that are self-reinforcing will not be easily extinguished through this practice.
When and how to apply negative punishment to dogs?
When we talk about eliminating operant behaviors, that is, those that the dog has learned to do and repeats because it has associated them with a reinforcement (for example, barking so that the tutor throws the ball), negative punishment can be useful and, obviously, it is less harmful than positive punishment. In this specific case, the punishment would consist of stopping the game completely at the moment the dog starts barking, keeping the ball. When the barking stops or the animal performs a more appropriate behavior, the game continues. In this way, when the dog does not get what it expects, the association between the behavior and the reinforcer is weakened and the former ends up being extinguished.
Myths about punishing a dog
Now that we know the different ways to punish a dog and how we should not do it, we are going to review some of the most widespread myths to finish understanding these concepts in a more practical way:
My dog knows he did it wrong
This is one of the most frequently heard phrases among tutors, especially when they get home and find that his hairy one approaches them with his head down after having done some damage in his absence of the. When punishing him, the dog hides his tail between his legs, licks his lips or lies on the ground, which is often mistakenly interpreted as an apology when acknowledging that he has misbehaved.
The reality is that these body postures and facial expressions are, simply, the way that dogs have to "appease" another individual when they notice him upset or feel that they are in danger, in no case is it an admission of guilt or an apology. Furthermore, and this is very important to bear in mind, dogs can only associate the punishment with the event that occurred immediately before or during its application. Therefore, if you scold your dog when you get home, the dog will never understand the reason for the punishment, since it is likely that hours have passed since it chewed on the sofa or peed on the carpet.
My dog misbehaves out of revenge, because I have punished him
Many guardians associate certain undesirable behaviors of their dogs with a feeling of resentment or with a desire of their furry ones to "annoy" them. The truth is that emotions such as hatred, the desire for revenge or remorse are subjective and exclusively human, so you dog will not feel them
If, after scolding him, he does the unwanted behavior again, it is probably because the punishment has not been applied effectively or because there is not good communication between the dog and the tutor.
Punishment tools don't hurt the dog
Another statement that is heard a lot, especially among defenders of traditional training, is the one that ensures that tools such as choke, spiked or electric collars are not painful for the dog if they are used correctly. However, there is evidence of different types of injuries that these instruments have caused in dogs, from burns to tracheal collapse or suffocation.
No matter how much experience you have in their use or how much professional advice you have, these collars always imply a certain risk for the animal, both physically and, of course, emotionally and psychologically.
How to correct a dog?
Training a dog without punishing it is possible using respectful, empathetic work methodologies based on positive reinforcement Today many schools of canine education, trainers and professional ethologists use behavioral modification techniques and exercises adapted to the specific case of each dog, putting their integral well-being first and understanding what their needs and normal behaviors are as a species while helping the guardians to create a he althy bond with their dogs. furry.
It is essential to evaluate very well the methodology used by a professional and, if possible, ask for references about his or her work or have a previous interview with him or her before putting in your hands the education of our furry.
Now then, if what you want is to learn yourself to correct your dog when he does something wrong without using a punishment, the use of positive reinforcement is also the best option. Positive reinforcement consists of reinforcing desired behaviors and ignoring unwanted ones. In this way, the dog understands what we like and what we don't, while we reinforce the bond by rewarding "good behavior". Likewise, in those cases in which ignoring the behavior does not work because it is self-reinforcing, we can include alternatives that we do consider appropriate A clear example of this is found in the puppies when they are in the stage of biting everything they find. Instead of punishing the dog or ignoring him, we will offer him a chew toy and reward him when he starts playing with it. In the following articles we talk more in depth about the education of puppies and adult dogs:
- How to train a puppy?
- How to train a dog?
Having said that, let's see below some of the most common situations as an example:
How to punish a dog when he urinates?
Dogs may urinate in the house for a variety of reasons, including separation anxiety, Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, or feeling scared or overly excited. In the case of puppies, it is very common for them to urinate inside the home, as they still do not have full control of their sphincter and need to relieve themselves more frequently.
Regardless of the reason, a dog should not be punished for urinating in the house, as this is not an effective method and In addition, it can cause fear in the animal, which will probably begin to hide to pee without being seen. The ideal in this case is to keep a control of the frequency with which the dog urinates at home and be very aware of the context in which it does so in order to identify the cause. Once this is done, introduce more walks into your furry's routine, take him through large and quiet areas and reinforce him with his favorite food or toy every time he urinates in the street. If it's a puppy that can't go outside yet, don't miss this article: "How to teach a puppy to relieve himself in the underpad?".
How to punish a dog that bites?
Bitting is a natural behavior in dogs and is part of their normal way of playing, both with us and with other animals. If we punish a puppy or an adult dog for being too rough when playing, we can create some frustration for him, which he will probably unload by nibbling other objects that are within his reach or being annoyed with us. The best option in these cases is to teach your furry from a young age to inhibit their bite, that is, to avoid using their mouths too intensely when they play with us and, for this, it is essential that you always offer him an alternative that he can chew, like a toy, and reinforce him every time he uses it.
On the other hand, if your dog behaves aggressively or violently towards other animals or tries to bite a member of the family, punishment is completely contraindicated, as it can add more tension to the situation, that for the dog is already uncomfortable, and increase the probability of an attack. To work on this problem, it is convenient to have the help of a professionalwho advises you and helps you understand what your furry feels and wants to express with the behavior of she.
How to punish a dog that breaks things?
Bitting and breaking objects is fantastic entertainment for dogs, especially for the youngest and most mischievous ones and, although it is annoying to us, for them destroying toys, slippers or furniture is a completely natural behavior, so no point in punishing them for itShowing them the destruction, yelling at them or hitting them on the snout with what they have broken will not be useful in any case, even less so if some time has passed between the dog's behavior and the arrival of the punishment.
Puppies and dogs that tend to get bored when they are left home alone or suffer from separation anxiety are the most likely to smash objects, either for fun or to reduce their stress levels. In these cases, we must always avoid leaving valuables within their reach or that can be swallowed, bearing in mind that those things that smell the most of us (our clothes, the TV remote, a blanket, etc.) are the ones that most often bite. Once you have created a space free of danger, offer your furry interactive toys that stimulate him and keep him distracted. Fillable toys, scent mats, lickimats or natural snacks are fantastic options to satisfy your dog's needs and relax him. Of course, if you give him a toy or snack that can splinter or that contains small pieces that the animal can break or swallow, always do so under your supervision.
As you can see, punishing your dog is not recommended due to the consequences it can have on him. Only negative punishment can be applied in very specific cases and always under professional advice. The ideal, always, is to use alternative methods that maintain the well-being of the animal and, in addition, reinforce your bond. In this video we show some games that will help you prevent your dog from breaking everything.
