Quick Fixes vs Ethical Training: Why Understanding Your Dog Matters
Why punitive training methods may appear to work – but can cost your dog (and your relationship) far more in the long run.
If you’re struggling with your dog’s behaviour, it’s completely understandable to want a solution that works quickly. When behaviours feel overwhelming, embarrassing, or even scary, it can be tempting to turn to training methods or equipment that promise fast results.
And here’s the honest truth: punitive training methods can work.
But working and being ethical, safe, and sustainable are not the same thing.
As an ethical dog behaviourist and trainer, my role isn’t to judge past choices or make anyone feel bad. Most people choose these methods because they love their dog and are desperate for things to improve. My hope with this article is simply to get you thinking, to gently plant a seed about how and why behaviour changes and what that means for your dog’s wellbeing.
What Do We Mean by “Punitive Training”?
Punitive or aversive training methods are those that aim to stop behaviour by adding fear, discomfort, or pain, or by removing something unpleasant when the dog complies.
This can include:
Punishment-based training techniques (verbal reprimands, leash corrections, alpha rolls, physical force)
Aversive equipment (such as choke chains, prong collars, spray collars, slip leads used punitively, or e-collars)
“Quick fix” approaches that suppress behaviour without exploring the cause
These methods often focus on what the behaviour looks like, rather than why it’s happening.
Why Do These Methods Sometimes Seem to Work?
Punitive techniques often produce fast, visible results. A dog may:
Stop barking
Stop lunging
Stop growling
Appear calmer or more “obedient”
But what’s really happening is not working in the way many people think.
Instead, the dog is often learning:
“If I do this, something scary or painful happens.”
“It’s safer to shut down than to react.”
“I can’t communicate how I feel.”
The behaviour may stop – but the emotion driving it does not.
And behaviour is always communication.
Behaviour Is a Symptom – Not the Root Problem
One of the most important things I want guardians to understand is this:
Behaviour is a symptom of how a dog is feeling.
Fear, anxiety, frustration, pain, confusion, overstimulation - these internal states drive behaviour. When we punish the behaviour without addressing the cause, we are simply masking the real issue.
That issue doesn’t disappear.
Instead, it may:
Surface later in a different way
Escalate into aggression
Reappear when the dog feels pushed beyond their coping ability
Sometimes, the behaviour comes back worse than before.
The Risks to Your Dog’s Emotional and Physical Wellbeing
Punitive training methods don’t just affect behaviour – they can affect your dog’s mental and physical health.
Emotional Risks
Dogs trained using fear or pain may become:
Anxious or hypervigilant
Fearful of their environment or people
Shut down and withdrawn
Less resilient to stress
A shut-down dog is often mistaken for a “well-trained” dog, when in reality they have learned that it’s safer not to express themselves at all.
Increased Risk of Aggression in Dogs
When dogs are punished for warning signals (like growling or barking), those warnings can disappear.
The dog may still feel unsafe – but without the ability to communicate. This is one of the reasons punitive methods can increase the risk of sudden, unpredictable aggression.
Health Issues Can Be Missed
Pain and discomfort can be major drivers of behaviour. If a dog is punished instead of investigated, underlying issues such as:
Joint pain
Gastrointestinal discomfort
Dental pain
Hormonal or neurological issues
can go completely unnoticed.
No amount of training can fix health issues.
The Impact on the Dog–Human Relationship
Our dogs learn about the world, and about us, through their experiences.
When fear or pain is part of training, dogs may begin to associate their guardian with:
Unpredictability
Discomfort
Lack of safety
This can damage trust and weaken the bond that most people desperately want with their dog.
Training should build connection, not erode it.
A Different Approach: Kind, Dog-Centred Behaviour Support
As an ethical behaviourist and trainer, my focus is not on controlling dogs, but on understanding them.
This means:
Looking at why the behaviour is happening
Considering how health, pain, and stress affect behaviour
Supporting dogs emotionally, not suppressing them
Helping dogs feel safe enough to learn
When a dog feels safe, understood, and supported, something powerful happens.
They can:
Relax
Build confidence
Learn new coping strategies
Trust their humans
And when that happens, behaviour change becomes lasting and meaningful.
What Happens When Dogs Are Truly Supported?
When we meet a dog’s needs and address the root cause of their behaviour, families often notice:
Improved behaviour without fear or force
A stronger relationship built on trust
A happier, more relaxed dog
Less stress and guilt for the human
It’s not about being “perfect”. It’s about feeling supported, informed, and empowered.
If This Has Got You Thinking…
If you’ve used punitive methods in the past, please know this: you did the best you could with the information you had at the time.
There is always another path forward.
If you’re curious about understanding your dog on a deeper level, exploring what’s driving their behaviour, and supporting them in a way that feels kind and compassionate, I’d love to help.
Sometimes all it takes is a conversation to change everything.
Understanding your dog could be the key to living more harmoniously – together.
If you’d like support tailored to you and your dog, feel free to get in touch and explore how ethical, professional behaviour support can help you both thrive.
Email: roxanne@dogtrainingandbehaviourconsultant.co.uk
or
Book a free 15 minute clarity call here to have a chat about how I can help: Book a call
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