When it comes to dog training, you will find that there are many ways of doing it. A simple search on the Internet will bring you thousands of results. Some of these dog training methods are safe and effective. However, there are those that involve punishing the dog. It is generally not recommended to use punishment for various reasons.
Punishment can cause your dog to fear you
If you are always punishing your dog, he may become fearful of you. So, instead of having a positive relationship with your dog, you end up with one that dreaded you.
Your dog may not associate the punishment with the undesirable behavior
Dogs are most likely to associate the two when the consequence (reward or punishment) immediately follows the behavior. But, rubbing your dog’s nose in it when he has an accident in the house will not do any good because the punishment often comes long after the behavior was completed.
Your dog could become confused or frustrated
Dogs love to please their owners. And if you do nothing but punish your dog, he may become frustrated. As a result, he could even develop aggressive behaviors.
Yelling at a dog will only make the behavior worse
It may be tempting to yell at your dog to get him to stop barking. But this is only likely to rile him up even more.
Scolding a dog for natural behavior may cause frustration
Certain behaviors, such as barking, chewing and digging, are completely natural for dogs. They may not understand if you punish them for these behaviors. Instead, try redirecting your dog’s attention to a more appropriate outlet, such as a chew toy. This will distract him from the undesirable behavior.
Too much punishment could cause aggression
The more you punish your dog, the more likely he is to become afraid. For many dogs, a natural reaction to fear is to become defensive and aggressive.
Punishment can damage your relationship with your dog
You cannot have a positive relationship with your dog if he does not trust you. If you are constantly punishing your dog, that is not likely to happen.
Punishing a dog does not address the cause of the problem
If you repeatedly punish your dog for a certain behavior, he may learn to stop doing it. But those impulses that cause this behavior could end up manifesting in some other ways.
Positive reinforcement is much more effective
It is definitely more effective to teach your dog what kind of behaviors you DO want rather than punishing him for every negative behavior. Focus on what you want instead of what you do not want.
Punishment could make a nervous dog
If your dog learns to be fearful and nervous around you because of frequent punishments, he is more likely to feel the same way around other people as well.
Punishment is not an effective training method. It is certainly not a good way to foster a healthy relationship with your dog. If you want to train your dog properly, look into training methods involving positive reinforcement techniques.
Click here to learn more from certified dog trainer, Adrienne Farricelli. 
