What is positive punishment in dog training?

• A. The use of unpleasant stimulus like collar corrections to discourage or weaken behavior.
• B. The strengthening of behavior by withholding unpleasant events like corrections.
• C. The weakening or discouragement of behavior by withholding pleasant events like praise.
• D. The use of rewards to reinforce desired behavior.

Answer: (A)

Positive punishment in dog training means adding an unpleasant consequence immediately after an undesired behavior to make that behavior less likely to occur. The dog learns to associate the misbehavior with something uncomfortable, so it’s discouraged from repeating it. An example is a collar correction or a sharp verbal cue given after the unwanted action. This is different from negative punishment, which reduces behavior by removing something desirable; from positive reinforcement, which increases a desired behavior by adding a reward; and from negative reinforcement, which increases behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus after the desired behavior. The other descriptions fit those other learning principles, not the addition of an aversive after the misbehavior.