I don’t want to feel like I am wasting my time trying to convince people that they do not need to cause their dog distress in order to get their dog to behave. It is SO important to me that people understand their dogs and don’t just go with the latest fad because it looks good on TV. There is so much more to it. When you hear hoofbeats, it really isn’t smart to think of Zebras, at least not here in the U.S.
So in the days to come I
will be addressing some of the most important issues with regard to our relationship with the four legged members of our families. Let me start by saying this: You DO NOT HAVE TO USE PUNISHMENT and moreover, you SHOULD NOT use punishment when training your dog! What constitutes punishment? Anything that you add to the equation that the dog finds distasteful.
So why do I keep harping on about punishment? According to the latest and greatest college textbook on general psychology in regards to how we learn there are a number of bad side effects to punishment:
- Passive aggressiveness…
- Avoidance behavior…
- Modeling…
- Learned Helplessness…
- Temporary Suppression…
- Increased Aggression…
Carpenter, Siri (2009-10-12). Visualizing Psychology, 2nd Edition (Page 155). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Is this the relationship you want to have with your dog? An adversarial one? One where, if he behaves, it is because he is afraid of you? I like to think not. So in the next few posts I am going to discuss these side effects and how they will damage the relationship you have with your dog.