Many dog owners struggle with knowing how to, and when to, discipline a dog, or puppy, Most make mistakes that actually make problems worse. Knowing what not to do, is as important as knowing what to do, when it comes to training, and disciplining a dog.

House Training: How Not to Discipline a Dog and Why

Do not “rub the dogs nose in it”. This is an old age way of thinking. Would you rub a child's nose in a dirty diaper when potty training them? The same thing should apply to a dog or puppy. Rubbing their nose in it confuses them. Rarely it can lead to coprophagia, but mostly if a dog makes a mess in the house it is owner error. The dog was left too long, or not being watched. A mess in the house (particularly by an older dog) may be a health concern – for which rubbing the dogs nose in the mess is unfair.

Do not throw the dog outside after the fact, and leave it. Again – a mess in the house is owner error or a health concern. The dog will not associate being thrown outside with messing in the house – especially if the mess occurred earlier.

Do not spank, or yell, at the dog. For a dog, this can actually be seen as a reward. Again – if it happens after the fact, it means nothing to the dog in relationship to an accident it had earlier.

Do not put the dog in a crate for punishment. While a crate can be used for house training it is never used as punishment. Putting the dog into a crate to punish it is counter productive, and teaches the dog to hate the crate. The dog will very likely continue to have problems on and off and fail to train quickly.

How to Discipline a Dog for House Training Mistakes

First – be sure the problem was not medical. Understand owner error – dogs who are being house trained must be watched when loose in the home (or put in a crate). If a mess occurs, clean it up and move on. If you catch the dog while it is making the mess – quickly take it outside – go with it outside and reward it when it is done. Remember – better food = less poop.

Barking: How Not to Discipline a Dog and Why

Most people yell at a barking dog to “shut up” or “be quiet” the dog hears this as a part of the conversation. The dog thinks it is getting rewarded for barking no matter how harsh your tone.

Do not hit the dog, either with your hand, newspaper, or other object. Again, the dog does not see this as a punishment, some dogs will see it as interaction, a reward – sort of the way you get a rise out of somebody when you tease, or tickle, them and they beg you to stop.

Do not resort to having the dogs vocal cords cut or removed. This is a method some people resort to, and is a way of saying “I cannot be bothered to train my dog not to bark”. It is the result of an owner who is lazy, and perhaps did not pick the right breed of dog for them (some breeds of dogs are notorious for barking)

How to Discipline a Dog for Barking

Through proper training teach the dog to sit and be quiet as a way to get attention. The best discipline for a barking dog is to ignore it.

Digging and Destructive Behavior: How Not to Discipline a Dog and Why

Do not hit the dog. As with barking this is a reward. When done after the fact the dog does not even associate it with the act of digging or destruction.

Do not yell at the dog. Most dogs may not associate being yelled at with what they did, and some of those who do will see it as a reward (they are getting attention – even if it is negative).

How to Discipline a Dog for Digging and Destructive Behavior

Again punishment is not the answer. There are many ways to train dogs to stop these behaviors (this article is on discipline, not training) – mostly a person needs to realize these problems are from owner error – the dog is intelligent, and its mental, or physical, needs are not being met.

Running Away: How Not to Discipline a Dog and Why

Do not punish the dog for returning! This does nothing more than sending conflicting ideas to the dog.

Avoid running after it to catch it. This is tricky, but some dogs learn to play a game of running away and being chanced, the owner effectively trains the dog to run away, because it is the center of attention during a chase.

How to Discipline a Dog for Running Away

You don't. You do your best to prevent it from happening again, being aware that some dogs, such as Huskies, have a natural urge to run. Ideally sit someplace the dog can see you and wait for it to return, but otherwise try to appear as though you are ignoring the dog. Most dogs (with the Husky being a bit different) will look back to see if you are following it and if you are it will continue to run – Huskies will run anyhow!

Jumping Up: How Not to Discipline a Dog and Why

Don't hit the dog or otherwise touch it when it jumps up. Again, this only rewards the dog for bad behavior.

How to Discipline a Dog for Jumping Up

Again discipline takes more the shape of training, and letting the dog realize that when it does something bad it gets no attention. Step back and turn away from the dog until it sits. Its punishment is lack of attention from you.

Remember:  There are no bad dogs - only bad owners - most bad behavior is the result of owner error, failure to train the dog, inconsistent dog training, or the wrong choice of dog.