Punishing a dog often doesn’t work or can
even make a behavior problem worse. Three important rules must be met for
punishment to be effective.
1. The
punishment must occur every time the
unwanted behavior occurs.
2. The
punishment must be administered within a second or two of the inappropriate
behavior.
3. The
punishment must be aversive enough to stop the dog
from repeating the unwanted behavior in the future but not be so aversive as to frighten the dog.
As seen in the two
examples below, meeting all three of these criteria can be difficult. That’s
why punishment often fails to solve behavior problems and should not be the
first training method of choice. Positive reinforcement training, in which
animals are rewarded for appropriate behaviors, is safer and more effective.
Punishment teaches an
animal what you don’t want it to do but fails to teach it what you expect of
it.
EXAMPLE A
Problem behavior: A
dog gets on the furniture.
Owner’s response: Every
time the owner sees the dog on the furniture, she yells at it and threatens it
with a rolled up newspaper. When she does this, the dog slinks off the
furniture.
Result: The dog continues to get on
the furniture, although it is less likely to do so in the owner’s presence. Because
the dog still gets on the furniture when the owner is away, it is being
rewarded part of the time for the unwanted behavior, and the first rule above
is not being met. So the punishment does not solve the problem. If the owner
gets increasingly frustrated with the dog, she may increase the severity of the
punishment, and depending on the dog’s temperament, it may respond by becoming
fearful of the owner and avoiding her. Some dogs might even begin growling and
snapping when the owner approaches.
Suggestion: Success will be more likely
if the owner blocks the dog’s access to the furniture whenever she can’t be
around (e.g. confine the dog to a crate or a different room in the
house). Or the owner can make the furniture less appealing by covering it with
plastic. Commercially available devices for keeping animals off surfaces such
as electric mats, plastic mats with rigid points (or plastic carpet protector
material laid upside down) can also be used. A comfortable bed should also be
made available to the dog in the vicinity of the favored furniture, and the dog
should be rewarded every time it is caught sleeping on the bed.
Punishment teaches an animal what you don’t want it to do, but fails
to teach it what you expect of it.
EXAMPLE B
Problem behavior: A
dog greets people by jumping on them.
Owners’ response: Whenever
the dog jumps on its owners, they knee it in the chest or kick it.
Result: The dog avoids the husband
(the largest man in the household; he has kicked the dog hard enough that it is
now afraid of him) but continues to jump on everyone else. Many dogs are highly
motivated to greet people by getting close to their faces. In most cases, kneeing
or kicking such a dog is less powerful than the dog’s desire to greet people by
jumping on them. In addition, since not all people the dog meets will knee it
or kick it, the punishment doesn’t meet the first rule. The third rule is also
not met because the dog doesn’t always perceive the kneeing as punishment and,
in fact, is reinforced for jumping because it’s getting attention.
Suggestion: Rather than trying to punish
the dog for jumping, the owners should use positive reinforcement to teach the
dog to sit to greet everyone. Sitting is an alternative behavior that can be
rewarded with petting or a food treat.
APPROPRIATE
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
These examples
highlight the fact that when the three punishment criteria are not met,
behavior problems can worsen, and the bond between the pet and the owner can be
damaged beyond repair. When punishment is used incorrectly, it will appear
unpredictable and confusing, so many pets become anxious or fearful around the
owner that administers the punishment. When punishment is used in an attempt to
train an animal that is already afraid or anxious, its fear and anxiety are likely to worsen and may lead to aggression.
If your dog is exhibiting inappropriate
behavior, consult your veterinarian. He or she will help you develop an appropriate
behavior modification program that focuses on using positive reinforcement or
will refer you to someone with extensive experience in developing such behavior
modification programs.
The information
for this handout was provided by Valarie V. Tynes, DVM , DACVB, P.O. Box 1040, Fort Worth, TX 76101.