The question should not be whether negative punishment (ot positive, for that matter) works, but whether it was an EFFECTIVE punishment. All punishment, by definition, is aversive. Strictly speaking punishment is anything that happens to, or around a dog, that makes his behaviour less likely to be repeated. Literally anything. It could be a deliberate thing, such as a reprimand from his owner, or an accidental thing, such as a puppy toppling off a driveway edge. It could be another dog instigating a fight or a thunder storm etc. The crucial factor is: did the dog find this event unpleasant? If he did, then the ‘unpleasantness’ of the event will ‘punish’ his behaviour (make it less likely to be repeated). An effective "Punishment", regardless of which quadrant it comes from (P+ or P-), is still an effective punishment.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 01:30:32 +0000