Negative punishment is a very effective training method for dogs, but it’s important to understand what it is and how to use it properly. Here’s a quick overview of negative punishment and how to use it when training dogs.
What is Negative Punishment?
Negative punishment involves taking something enjoyable away from the dog in order to decrease a certain unwanted behavior. For example, if the dog jumps up on you for attention and you ignore him by turning away, you’ve removed the rewarding attention he was seeking.
The key things to know about negative punishment are:
- It removes something the dog wants or finds rewarding
- It decreases the likelihood of the unwanted behavior happening again
- It does not use any force, fear, pain or intimidation
Negative punishment is one part of operant conditioning, along with positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and positive punishment. It’s considered by many trainers to be a humane and effective way to train dogs.
Examples of Negative Punishment
Here are some common examples of how negative punishment can be used in dog training:
- Removing attention: If the dog jumps up for attention, the owner turns and ignores him. Attention is removed.
- Taking away a toy: If the dog is chewing a furniture leg, the owner takes away his chew toy. Access to the toy is removed.
- Ending play: If the dog nips while playing, the owner immediately ends playtime. Fun play is removed.
- Leaving the room: If the dog barks for food at the table, the owner leaves the room. Access to the owner’s presence is removed.
In each case, something rewarding or desirable is taken away immediately after the unwanted behavior. This teaches the dog that the behavior makes good things go away.
How to Use Negative Punishment
Here are some tips for using negative punishment effectively and humanely:
- Get your dog’s attention first before removing the reward. Say “ah ah!” or clap your hands.
- Be immediate – you need to remove the reward within 1-2 seconds of the behavior.
- Be consistent so your dog can make the association between the behavior and loss of reward.
- Only remove rewards your dog values – don’t take away something your dog is neutral about.
- Use negative punishment sparingly – most of your training should focus on positive reinforcement.
- Avoid using negative punishment to reduce aggressive, fearful or anxious behaviors. It may worsen them.
Advantages of Using Negative Punishment
When used properly, negative punishment offers some notable benefits:
- Very effective at decreasing unwanted behaviors, especially those motivated by attention or access to rewards.
- Does not use pain, fear or physical punishment that can have detrimental effects.
- Can be used to teach dogs polite manners and etiquette.
- Dogs don’t associate punishment with the trainer since nothing aversive is added.
- Easy to implement – simply requires removing access to rewards.
Risks of Using Negative Punishment
Negative punishment does come with some risks, including:
- Ineffective if timing, consistency or dog motivation isn’t right.
- May lead to unwanted behaviors such as aggression if misapplied.
- Some dogs may become distressed when rewards are removed.
- Needs good understanding of dog behavior and learning theory.
- Owners may find it difficult to remove rewards at precisely the right times.
Negative Punishment vs. Positive Punishment
Negative and positive punishment are often confused but they are very different. This table highlights the differences:
| Negative Punishment | Positive Punishment |
|---|---|
| Removes something rewarding | Adds something aversive or unpleasant |
| Example: Taking away a treat | Example: Using a leash jerk correction |
| Decreases unwanted behavior | Decreases unwanted behavior |
| Non-aversive method | Physical aversive method |
As you can see, only positive punishment adds something unpleasant like physical force or intimidation. Negative punishment simply removes a reward.
Conclusion
Negative punishment can be an effective training tool for dogs when used correctly. By removing access to rewards and attention, you can decrease unwanted behaviors without any fear, pain or intimidation. However, it does require excellent timing skills and an understanding of how to motivate your dog properly.
Most experts recommend making negative punishment just one part of a comprehensive training program based on positive reinforcement. Used occasionally and appropriately, negative punishment allows you to fine-tune behaviors by taking away rewards dogs don’t deserve. But it should never involve anything aversive or frightening.