When a dog is performing an undesirable act, for example, pulling on the leash, barking, biting children, etc., our instant assumption is to issue a correction to prevent the dog from performing that behavior.
Correction in conduct circles, this is known as positive punishment. That is, something is given (positive) in case the behavior decreases (punishment). This is by far the easiest way that we as humans know how to stop dog problems, but it is by far the least effective.
However, for it to be effective, you must do 4 things when giving that correction or punishment, or it won’t be effective or lasting.
1. It must be immediate. You have a 1-2 second window to use the solution. Anytime after that, it is wasted and the dog now has an idea what the punishment is for. So don’t even think about punishing the dog if you come home and find the shoe bitten, they will have no idea why they are punishing him.
2. It must be big. Rain of fire and brimstone. If a correction is to be effective, it must be given in a way that is very uncomfortable for the dog. If the correction is trite, it will not avers the dog in any way and you will be wasting your time.
3. Must be given every time. If you are not consistent in giving this correction every time the dog does the behavior, then you will probably extinguish the behavior. The dog should have no choice but to think that if he does this behavior he will be corrected. If the behavior is strong and well-reinforced (because that’s why they’re doing it in the first place), he’ll test whether he thinks he can get away with it.
4. It must be associated with the unwanted behavior. Don’t use correction on everything the dog does. If you hand out corrections indiscriminately, you will confuse the dog and it will all be a waste of time.
When using punishment in dog training, there are some side effects that you need to be aware of.
a) There will be association with the person giving the punishment and in turn it may affect his relationship with the dog, i.e. he wants to go to someone who always hurts him.
b) The dog may begin to inhibit many positive behaviors when you are around and this will make any type of training difficult.
c) The possibility of aggression to the punisher. Like anything in life, if he feels threatened enough, your dog may retaliate with aggression, so he’s got another pot of fish on his hands.
I use positive corrections or punishments in dog training, but try to quickly use positive reinforcement to channel the behaviors to another outlet.
This is just one article I have covered on how to overcome behavior problems in dogs. I have many more on my website, as well as many interesting police dog stories.