Some day, while working with a k9 student of mine and his owners, we came across another couple being advised for their dog by a man that looked like a professional. I won’t lie and say the way of training is was using then is not efficient. Still, I disapprove it. When you end up training a dog that way, it means you wore off every other possibilities first ; at least, that’s how I see it...
What was he doing ?
To get the dog attention back, once he had briefly greeted my student, he recalled the owner to jerk with the leash.
Later on, before crossing across the street, I saw him speak to the owner just before this one shocked his dog with the leash to get him sit ; as he did not work, the man lifted the leash straight up high enough so the dog’s front paw were off the floor and so he felt he needed to sit.
What happened according to the dog ?
In the first context, when he politely greeted an other dog and could still see him, he was jerked. Knowing that dogs learn by association as well, saying hi to another dog therefore causes unpleasant jerks in the collar.
In the second context, he was calmly waiting looking straight ahead before crossing the street, but would not sit down. Because he was not obeying on the spot, he is brought into this position by some pain on the verge of strangling. Thus, he will prefer to sit down in the future to dodge that kind of pain from happening as a consequence.
What is punishment for dogs ?
From a behavioral point of view, punishment is used to stop a behavior. It motivates the dog not to reproduce the behavior (s)he just did. That's it ; there is no associated value. The value of the punishment depends on the dog's perception (for example, the dogs who can't stand being touched will perceive the petting as punishment) ; and how it is used is determined by the human’s ethics. Removing your attention, stopping playing, strangling a dog with his/her collar, giving him/her electric shocks, all of this can be part of the punishments, but only if the dogs stops behaving as it is expected.
For a punishment to be understood, it needs being proportionate, coherent (that the same behavior is not accepted and punished at any time), immediate (if (s)he receives the punishment while (s)he just did something else, for him/her, you just punished him/her for this other thing), that the context does not risk that the dog will make an unfortunate association ((s)he is jerked, because you find that (s)he puts too much time to come back, but when (s)he gets them (s)he is watching children playing). The human being does not determine what is pleasurable and aversive, the dog does ; for that, it implies knowing him/her. That being, there are many techniques and tools that are meant to bring about intimidation, fear, pain.
What does the dog learn from punishment ?
I'll be clear : just to stop behaviors. Does this teach him/her to behave better ? If you don't teach him/her any alternatives, (s)he will continue with his/her canine behaviors. If on top of that this is inherent breed behaviors (for example, sniffing the ground for a beagle or digging for a terrier), you have ceased not a behavior but a need.
Moreover, considering the ethics, is it fair to scold a dog for not taking it in what was not taught the way (s)he does understand ?
How about K9 Voice ?
At first I mean to teach, to make the dog feel safe, to get that the humans around him/her fill him/her with trust, that (s)he wants to exchange and not to submit. I try to get actions with the dog's cooperation, not against him/her. Moreover, if the dog manages to show or develop undesirable behaviors, it is because flaws showed up in my training plan : I skipped steps, misread his/her emotional state, lacked overall information… I want the consequence of their behavior to remain physical, emotional and psychological well-being ; and I want his/her humans to feel that well-being as well.
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