Why not take a look at CK9 Training’s doggy lifeskills classes and workshops? They are especially designed to prevent those awkward situations where you want to say no to your dog, but know it really won’t help the situation.
Here’s Bibi who isn’t comfortable with strangers and will lunge and bark at them. In this video he’s learning a better way to behave
But what about the word “no”? It’s not a thing, it’s not a place, it’s not an activity and it’s not a cue for any specific behaviour. So what does “no” mean to a dog?
To a human, “no” is a negative. It means you can’t do/have what you want. When we say “no” to a toddler or a dog, it usually means “stop what you’re doing right now” but a dog doesn’t know that. It knows you’re not happy – your body language and tone of voice will convey that. But as far as we know, it doesn’t realise why and it certainly doesn’t know how to respond. The word “no” only causes confusion.
Have you ever watched a pre-school teacher at work? Trust me, there are a lot of similarities between pre-schoolers and dogs. The toddlers can speak a little but their brains are not mature enough to use words effectively. Neither is the child able to tell what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour. Yet they are curious little souls, who learn by touching, tasting, climbing and exploring with no regard to personal safety, etiquette or the feelings of others. Ditto for dogs. They want to explore and learn. They learn pretty quickly that pleasing you will make them happy but they don’t automatically understand the rules for living with humans.
Is Punishment an Efficient Dog Training Method?
Before we start analyzing the effectiveness of different training methods, we should understand what punishment, by definition, means. The term often implies a discipline method that is based on physical harm, like spanking or hitting your dog.
However, there are actually both positive and negative forms of punishment, and they belong to two different categories:
Punishment as an aversive method includes discipline that causes pain to your dog. Not only are these practices cruel and harsh, they are also completely ineffective.
On the other hand, knowing how to punish a dog in a humane way is much more productive. Using positive reinforcements to train your dog, rather than resorting to force, is the best method to discipline your dog.
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When done properly, punishment doesn’t have to be negative. Constructive punishment helps your dog learn through conditioning, and quickly understand what’s allowed and what’s not. Disciplinary methods that are considered to be positive and beneficial are:
All the tips mentioned above are both humane and highly efficient at the same time. Your dog won’t feel scared or wary of you, but they will understand that what they did won’t be tolerated.
Using hitting or spanking as a method of punishment can severely damage the relationship you have with your dog. If you start using force to discipline them, your dog can develop various behavioral issues. Some typical problems that hitting your dog will cause are:
If youre beating your dog, you’re not addressing the problem, you’re teaching them to see you as a source of pain. Whether the reason for punishment is excessive barking, peeing in the house or snatching food off your counter, punishment in the form of spanking is only going to make matters worse.
Your dog won’t be disciplined if they’re punished with force. In the majority of cases, physical punishment only makes dogs scared and confused. Why? Because you’re conditioning your dog to expect pain from you, without them being able to understand the reason for it.
Same as it is with humans, its easier for dogs to get the hang of things while they are young. However, this doesn’t mean that the process will be easier.
Puppies are full of energy and still at a stage of development when they need to learn everything from scratch. A puppy doesn’t understand it’s wrong to chew shoes, poop in the living room or bite your toes.
So, how do you raise a puppy to become a well-socialized, well-behaved dog?
If you’re unsure how to punish a puppy, use the same positive reinforcement principles you would with adult dogs. It might seem that using rewards as a way to discipline a dog is counterproductive, but it’s actually a powerful training method.
By learning that certain types of behavior result in affection and prizes, they’ll quickly realize they need to continue that practice. Similarly, when something of value is withheld or taken away, it teaches them to avoid actions that lead to this.
Fortunately, dog owners have the ability to watch dogs, even remotely. If you have a pup that misbehaves when you are out of the room, you can discover when and how that behavior happened with the use of a remote pet camera, like Petcube.
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A well-trained puppy is the dream of every new pet parent, but theres no need for it to be just a dream. Proper training and supportive encouragement are the best ways to help a dog understand good behavior from bad. Of course, there will be mistakes as your dog learns, but if you know how to discipline a dog and redirect him, youll have the best behaved pup on your street.
The good news is that dogs tend to be fast learners. If you can work with him on obedience training, disciplining a dog should be reasonably simple in the immediate moment and for the rest of his life! Before you begin, its important to learn the dos and donts of how to discipline a dog. You want to make sure the punishment matches the action and you dont do anything to harm the bond youre currently building with your pet. Here are some tips to get you started on the right foot … or shall we say, paw.