Punishment has been a big part of dog training for a long time, but more recently dog trainers from around the world are shifting away from encouraging “active” punishment, such as shouting, or using physical force to get your way. Nowadays, most dog trainers recommend their clients remain calm in the face of undesirable behaviour from their dogs, and then reinforcing good behaviour.

There are plenty of reasons why dog trainers have moved away from active punishment as a means of training, and these reasons are often well-supported by research into the subject. Because, while punishing dogs for bad behaviour is often very effective in the short-term, its ability to redefine their behaviour, and the state of mind that causes them to behave in that way, seems very limited. Playing the role of “alpha” can be very effective, but there is often very little opportunity for you to relax as a result, because all you’ve achieved is making your dog afraid and anxious about upsetting you, you’ve not taught them good behaviour.

Here are a few of the consequences of punishing dogs, instead of reinforcing them, that have been borne out by research:

• The bond of trust between your and your pet will be damaged.
• Can cause physical harm. Most cases of abuse to dogs aren’t intentional, they happen because the owner doesn’t understand how to treat their animals and they go overboard as a consequence.
• It can elicit a response of fear and anxiety.
• It reduces your dog’s ability to learn.

None of this is to suggest that punishment as whole shouldn’t ever be applicable, or that rules should not be enforced on your pet, but likewise with the restrictions you place on your dog, you should try to restrict the ways in which you punish them to ways that aren’t in trouble of being abusive. It is important that you understand that positive reinforcement of good behaviour can work a lot better to reform behaviour in the long term, and flipping out, or losing your composure, is unlikely to ever be very effective.