[zoe_bear1210]

I've seen my sister train her Papillon and she used treats and kennel punishment. Should I do the same thing? My dog is a Yo-Chon (Bichon Frise and Yorkie mix). I am confused, because I was watching animal planet yesterday and the lady on the show only gave the dog treats when it did something good. If the dog did something bad, she didn't give the dog anything. That is logical. The confusing part (to me) was, should I punish the dog if she does something bad? That's what I've been told to do, but I am somewhat confused. How did you train your puppy? She's about to be four months old, by the way.

 

[Marsh Muppet]

"Kennel punishment" is at best, pointless. At worst, it is counterproductive. I never want my dog to view entering his crate or kennel as a punishment.

If your pup jumps up on the counter, and you place him in his crate, he's not going to have a clue what you are trying to communicate. Bad deal all around.

 

[Trainer]

If by "kennel punishment" you mean timeouts in the crate, they are a wonderful teaching tool when used appropriately. Its very effective for stopping things like jumping up on anything including people when used properly. If you don't know how to properly use timeouts the yes, you are wasting your time.

I always use positive reinforcement training like Victoria Stilwell that you saw on Animal Planet. It is very effective. The absolute worst punishment I ever use is a 2 minute timeout in the crate. I never jerk, pull, yank, yell, scream, hit, kick, shake, pinch, punch or use any other aversive abuses on a puppy or dog I am training. I don't use choke chains, pinch collars, shock collars or any other medieval devices. I rarely use a leash, particularly with a small puppy.

When you train a puppy by using only positive reinforcement, you are creating a bond that you won't believe.

 

[baorb]

Discipline, never punishment.