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WHY PUNISHMENT IS NOT BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
Recently,
there has been a resurgence in the use of punishment and so-called "dominance" based training techniques, in part due to the
popular media and Hollywood selling the illusion that problems can be solved in 30-60 minutes. Punishment, or the threat
of punishment, is excused as a way of being the "leader" of the so-called "pack." Never mind that they lead by intimidation
and that, ethologically, a family and its pets are nowhere near what a "pack" of dogs is like.
Punishment will sometimes
stop a behavior, but what is often swept under the rug is what punishment does to the relationship between the punisher and
the one punished and how other normal behaviors are affected.
Whether physical or verbal, punishment focuses on temporary
cessation and does not address the reason why the unwanted behavior happens. It doesn't teach the behavior you want from your
pet. Very often, it perpetuates an ugly cycle of violence and abuse. It gets passed from generation to generation, and it
makes us callous to the suffering and feeling of fear in others.
It is very difficult to punish correctly (meaning,
without creating unintended harm and secondary unwanted effects) whereas reinforcing the desirable behaviors (and only those
behaviors) is much easier to learn. The harm done by punishment can be very, very hard to reverse, and regaining trust can
be even harder. Animals may give us unconditional love, even in the face of abuse, but trust is a process that develops from
the INTERACTIONS between 2 individuals. Your pet may do things for you because he or she fears you, but you will NEVER get
the deep relationship that trust creates.
To punish correctly your timing must be impeccable; you must be able to
gauge, for each individual and for each specific situation, exactly what kind of punishment to use and at what intensity to
apply it and for how long WITHOUT causing harm, physical or mental. Your emotions have no place here; you can't be angry that
you are being 'disobeyed,' that something is broken, that you must clean up, that they didn't understand what you meant or
that the behavior is normal for the animal but inconvenient to you. That's a pretty tall order, even for the most saintly
among us. We tend to overdo everything, punishment included.
For most of my patients, punishment is like stomping
on a leg that is already broken... And if the leg is not broken and you stomp on it, you will make it hurt, if not break it
altogether.
Dr JD
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PUNISHED: Siberan Husky Chewie was beaten by Pam Teck Soon with a broken bamboo pole after it bit the hand of Pam's fiancee.
The dog, which was chained up while it was beaten, suffered a fractured paw and took several months to recover. Neighbours
shouted at Pam to stop after hearing the dog howling in pain.
ZOO ANIMAL TRAINING - ACHIEVED WITHOUT PUNISHMENT
Animal trainer at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo introduce viewers to the Zoo's seals and sea lions, showing us how they
prepare for daily training demonstrations in Northern Trek and how they train for cooperative behaviors which allow them to
care for their animals better.
For a short video of trainers in action
CLICK HERE!
"In Norway, corporal punishment has been illegal since 1987. I hope this will spread.
Children are small humans. Why are they to be treated with less respect?
It is our duty to teach our children the difference between right and wrong. We should not show them that violence is
tolerable.
Children can be taught through communication and understanding - please never try to control your children through fear."
Posted on the internet by Nadiyya
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