20d • Trusty Tidbits
Does Punishment Build Integrity
There is a reason the term “obedience” has a negative connotation to it. Typically, in the human to human world, when one says they “expect obedience” or “instilled obedience” from either their children or employees it is pictured that the individuals are waiting for their next “command” and there is no room for individual sovereignty to make the correct choice. This approach to “teaching” leaves little room for the possible intended learning therefore the individual does not understand why just that it is.
For those of us who do not want to teach our dogs in an authoritarian manner may still use the word “obedience” by default. I know with me I may say it but the thought of not teaching my dog the why and how of a behavior I want just does not cross my mind. Sure, there are moments where, especially younger dogs or dogs that maybe never had training, our dogs are misbehaving in an embarrassing way and we just want them to stop! And yes allowing our dogs to jump on people or to bumrush another dog is definitely not what we want and allowing our dogs to complete that desire is self-rewarding to them. So some, especially those new to dog training, may resort to a punishment based approach to get their dogs to stop and it just might! Now that this instant gratification (to the human) has happened the human has now been self-rewarded to do that approach again.
What actually happened here though? The human and the dog essentially learned nothing. The dog did not learn that the behavior they displayed was wrong and what to do instead and the human did not learn what went wrong and how to prevent and instill desired behavior instead. This approach also puts a negative spin on the relationship between human and dog. After some time, with this being the training method, the dog will no longer view going on walks as something positive but as something to be on edge for and anything is potentially something to receive punishment for. This paints the human in a negative light to the dog and will have a difficult time feeling relaxed around the human.
A dog that has received punishment based training has not learned why certain behaviors are undesirable just that if they did something wrong (and often times they aren’t really sure what that is) that their human will punish them. If this tool for punishment were to go away (ex. e-collar, prong collar, choke collar) then the external pressure to “behave” has also gone away and the dog, over time, will revert to the undesirable behaviors.
This is where integrity comes in. Teaching a dog how to behave in place of what you perceive as an undesired behavior will more than likely take longer but will yield much further and long lasting results. Not only this but the human will be exercising the learning and management lobes of the dog’s mind which in turn will optimize the dog being able to better emotionally regulate, have better separation skills and be able to not be on edge about “silly things” especially when they are older (senior/geriatric).
Reward based learning has been shown to have longer retention on preferred behaviors, happier and mentally healthier dogs, reduces stress, improves relationships and coping skills. A dog that has received reward based learning actually wants to do the “right thing” and gets a dopamine spike for it instead of a cortisol spike.
This approach is all internal learning versus external with punishment based training. It allows the dog to make the correct decision and be rewarded for it, it exercises the brain and encourages problem solving skills which is beneficial for cognition, it improves the bond between human and dog, it encourages relaxation and confidence in the dog. It also improves trust between human and dog especially if there is a new and scary situation. The dog will turn to the human for guidance instead of being worried they will do the wrong thing in this new stressful moment.
This is just the tip of the iceberg on the difference between punishment and reward based training. Please feel free to share any thoughts, concerns or questions on the matter.
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Does Punishment Build Integrity
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