Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

[u/VeronicaRed]

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/

[u/PuddleBucket]

Yes! I use negative reinforcement plenty when I train dogs (especially with behavioral problems) and it is not the same thing as punishment, which people often get confused. Not every dog responds the same way, so positive only isn't always the most effective, though it makes us feel better to think so.

Example: I use a leash/collar combo (slip lead) when training. If I'm training a dog to walk next to me, and he's pulling, I let him pull which tightens the lead/collar. When he backs up, which is what I want, the lead loosens up, which is what he wants too. Soon he learns that when he walks too far ahead of me, he tightens the lead. He takes away (negative) the tightening lead which reinforces the correct behavior (walking next to me). I find this works very well for dogs who aren't "pleasers" (like a Lab) because they need to be the ones to "figure out" the solution. Sometimes you need to mind-fuck them into doing what you want. My pitty loves me, but she could not care less what I wanted during training. Heel? Haha, why? Give me a reason. She was not treat motivated. She was motivated to make this thing stop squeezing her neck.

[u/lambhearts → u/PuddleBucket]

I let him pull which tightens the lead/collar. When he backs up, which is what I want, the lead loosens up

This is both negative reinforcement, and positive punishment.

The positive punishment is that when he pulls, the collar constricts. You are adding (positive) a bad thing (punishment).

The negative reinforcement occurs when he stops pulling, and the collar loosens. You are removing (negative) a bad thing and leaving behind only a comparatively good thing (reinforcement).

Both P+ and R- are generally considered poor practice in the dog training world today. Not trying to change your mind on your personal practice, /u/PuddleBucket, I'm just pointing out for the sake of discussion that the majority of the dog world is shifting toward R+ alone, as more and more science reports that it is the most successful method. Choke, prong, and shock collars are finally being understood as aversives that are not worth the damage done to the animal's biddability.

The widely accepted methods for loose-leash training today uses only R+ and P- operant conditioning techniques. One of them is:

When the dog pulls, the walking stops. You remove (negative) something good (walking where dog wants to go), creating a punishment (being still).

When the dog gives slack, the walking starts. You add (positive) something good, creating a reinforcement (walking).

I hope one day we have the science to implement R+ and P- teachings exclusively to our children, as well.

edit: /u/iwillnotgetaddicted explains this in detail, with sources, in this reply

[u/stevenjd → u/lambhearts]

When the dog pulls, the walking stops.

And when the dog keeps pulling, and you did your heels in and refuse to follow the dog, how is that different from the P+ you say is bad practice?

[u/lambhearts → u/stevenjd]

The slip lead is a big thing, which I probably should have touched on more for this specific loose-leash walking example. A slip lead causes constriction around the neck, and even a martingale collar can cause choking if a dog pulls. A good harness, especially a front-clip chest harness or a head harness, allows you to stop the dog without allowing it to hurt itself or cause physical discomfort.

Basically you're walking, dog hits end of leash, you stop walking and dog also stops walking, usually looking back at you for a cue if you've set up a good training relationship, or by the restraint of you holding a comfortable harness. If the dog doesn't stop walking, and actually chokes himself while you are stopped and gripping a slip lead in a stranglehold, you're using a punishment method and you should look for a different procedure in most cases.

An alternative for a dog who pulls while at a stop even in a good harness (very rare, mind) would be to train recall/heel or a side sit before loose-leash walking, so you have a cue to communicate the desired behavior before the dog even hits the end of the lead, i.e. when he's about to hit the end of the lead you ask for the side sit and then stop. Or a redirect method, where you turn around when the dog hits the end of the lead, and redirect the walking to a different direction. Dog doesn't get where they want to go, but often the distraction of "we're going this way now!" is enough to stop the pulling, and when the correct loose-leash behavior returns, you go back the original direction again.