Training Myth #7: Dogs need to be punished when they misbehave

Despite our feelings about them, dogs simply aren’t human. They don’t understand the difference between a suitable chew toy and the corner of your leather sofa – until they’ve been taught. Many pet owners make the mistake of punishing a dog, either by yelling, using an aversive training tool like a choke chain, or even by hitting when their dog has done something undesirable, but fail to teach the dog a more appropriate behavior instead. Over time, this type of training might save the corner of your sofa, but the result is often a dog that’s confused, insecure, and fearful rather than one that’s confident and understands what’s expected of him. Instead of punishing bad behavior, teach your dog that behaving appropriately is more rewarding for her. Reward the good behavior and ignore the bad.