When discussing any picture from the 1950s or earlier of "well-behaved" children overseen by a stern adult with a long cane, it's likely you'll also hear comments about how much respect they learned while at school. I'm not so sure, however, that many people are not confusing fear and intimidation with respect.
Many will say that they were hit with the cane and they turned out OK.
What many forget is what they felt in that moment while they were being hit with the cane. I would suggest that few children thought the punishment they received was justified. In that moment of being punished, few of these children would have feelings of love and affection for the one dealing out the punishment.
Punishment can inhibit behaviour and provoke strong reactions. Children exposed to too frequent and harsh punishment can show aggression towards punishing figures and learn to act more aggressively.
There is lots of talk on social media on how to make dogs do the things we want them to do. On many of these pages, there are recommendations to punish or "correct" dogs when they do something we don't want them to do and that we must make dogs respect us. Respect comes from developing a relationship through cooperation and connection rather than harsh discipline.
Many view positive reinforcement training as being "cookie pushers", who are lax in discipline and having dogs that run amok everywhere. While positive reinforcement training does often use food or play in training, it looks towards using that reinforcement to teach a dog self-control, connection, confidence and responsibility. This training comprises teaching a dog what is OK and what is not OK through reinforcement of desired behaviours which naturally modifies behaviour.
We cannot prevent all behaviour that we deem inappropriate, but we can reduce a large amount through effective training strategies. These include using measures to help reduce punishment through having respect for your dog as a living being with emotions, and understanding how the world is for them. We can introduce positive reinforcement to motivate dogs to behave in a more acceptable manner.
Using positive reinforcement does not mean there are no rules or boundaries. In fact, providing consistent feedback is one of the best ways to establish to our dogs that actions or inactions have real consequences.
Clear rules and boundaries offer effective discipline and control. These boundaries do not have to be instituted with harsh punishment or any punishment, if they are clearly defined through disciplined training with positive reinforcement.
The goal we generally have in common for our dogs is to build skills for them so they are good canine citizens in this confusing ever-changing human world. We have confirmed that dogs feel emotions, and we need to pay attention to these feelings whilst we are working with our dogs. If they are out of control, they need us.
We also need to forgive our dog and ourselves when we fail. Connecting with our dogs means we have reached a place where we understand where our dogs are coming from. This doesn't mean we always like what they do, but we may need to shift our thinking from "my dog is a problem dog" to "my dog is having a problem". This helps us change our thinking and engage a thinking attitude rather than a reactive attitude.
- Margaret Keast runs Jigsaw Dogs in Newcastle.
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