Positive Punishment

I just got around to reading some old emails and this stuck a chord in me.  I am guilty of telling my dog no or uh uh.  Guess I have some work to do.  For those of you who don't know who Susan Garrett is, she is an agility trainer which means she doesn't have a leash attached to her dog to give corrections when the dog does something wrong.  Leslie Nelson said if you want to see what kind of trainer you are, take the leash off.  I definitely have work to do.

Positive Punishment:
If you are still using positive punishment (physical or verbal corrections) in your dog training please know they are not only unnecessary but they are taking you a step away from where you really want to be; one of harmonious teamwork with your dog. Because I do believe our dogs are a reflection of our abilities as a dog trainer, when I see someone trying to teach something like  a sit stay and they come out with "errrrrr" or "noooooo!!" or "aaah aaah" when their dog moves I immediately think, two things.
My first thought is, wow, that dog is being blamed because his owner did not do a good enough job teaching him sit means "don't move . . . no matter what."
My second thought is that you are drawing attention to yourself, just as if you were clearing your throat to make a big announcement to a crowded room . . .
"Aaaah aaaah, excuse me everyone, if you can hear me I would like to draw your attention to the absolute crap job I did of training my my dog's sit stay, you will notice he did move toward the distraction  . . . thank you, thank you for this acknowledgment."
I know sometimes it is frustrating because we believe the dog "should know better" but the solution to your frustration does not lie in physical pain or intimidation. The answer lies in a better manipulation of the reinforcement your dog is seeking.~~Susan Garrett