Creating Kinder, Gentler Experiences for Pets
 
       
Pet Perception Management

Rewards and Punishment

Why hitting pets for biting backfires

Although hitting may be a common response to a pet biting, both have several potential pitfalls. What the pet parent is attempting to do is to punish the pet for biting. By definition, punishment is a stimulus that, when delivered correctly decreases the chance a behavior will recur. Correct use of punishment (correct in this instance meaning there is a good chance of success) requires three important elements. First, the punishing stimulus must be delivered within a second of the behavior you wish to decrease. Second, the punishment must be applied every time the behavior occurs. Third, it must be strong enough to be effective without causing fear or harm to the pet .1

Since most people can't meet all of these three requirements, it's likely the pet will learn to fear a person's hands. Thus pet parents (although unaware) may be increasing the chance the pet will bite again. In fact, punishment has been shown to be associated with four detrimental side effects2:

  • Increased aggression
  • Generalized fear
  • Apathy
  • Escape-avoidance behaviors

    Teaching pets what to do

    Another potential pitfall of punishment is that the pet parent is failing to teach the pet what to do, which is easily done by using positive reinforcement—a stimulus that increases the chance a behavior will recur. Teaching the pet what to do instead of punishing it for what you don't want it to do is usually the safer and more effective solution. More sadly, punishment can damage the human-pet  bond and lead to a pet that is fearful and anxious around its family as well as others.

    Remember, "If the behavior didn't matter to the pet it wouldn't keep doing it."3 Approach all problem behaviors by trying to understand how the behavior is reinforcing to the pet. If a pet's underlying motivation can be found, the pet parent can look for a more desirable behavior the pet can learn to do in place of the unwanted behavior. For example, if this pet bites only when the pet parent walks by a certain place in the home, such as a window or door, or when the pet parent raises his voice and talks in an excited manner with someone, then the pet  may be biting out of fear.

    Accidental learning

    When the pet parent then throws the pet to the floor, the pet has succeeded in escaping the scary stimulus. So the pet has learned that biting is an effective means of escape, and its behavior has actually been reinforced instead of punished. Determine why an pet does something and how that behavior may be being reinforced, and then identify an appropriate behavior the pet parent can reinforce.

    Replacing unwanted behaviors with new desirable behaviors

    Continuing with this example, where fear is the root of the problem, the pet parent should consider teaching the pet words that mean "back off" or "sit" or some other behavior that can be rewarded instead of punishing the biting. These behaviors should be rewarded with tiny tasty treats, such as small pieces of hot dog or bread. Eventually, the biting behavior will be extinguished. However, it is critical that the pet parent observe the pet and learn to recognize the signs of fear and the stimuli that cause it. A program of desensitization and counterconditioning could then be used to decrease the pet 's fear of these particular stimuli.

    Once an pet learns that one behavior is regularly followed by a positive reinforcement, it will usually choose that behavior more than the behavior that is not being reinforced. Reinforcing appropriate behaviors should always be tried first. Punishment should never be the first choice and can only be recommended after all other safer, more humane methods have been tried. If punishment is to be used, it must be used carefully, according to the rules described above and abandoned when it does not appear to be working, as in the case described here.

    Obviously, understanding how pets learn and how to safely change behavior can be a complicated subject. If you feel unprepared to manage a particular behavior problem, seek professional help from dacvb.org or other qualified behaviorist.

    1. Schwartz B, Wasserman EA, Robbins SJ. Operant conditioning: Basic phenomena. In: Psychology of learning and behavior. 5th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001;132-164.

    2. Azrin NH, Holz WC. Punishment. In: Honig WK, ed. Operant behavior: Areas of research and application. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts,1966.

    3. Friedman SG, Haug L. From parrots to pigs to pythons: Universal principles and procedures of learning. In: Tynes VV, ed. The Behavior of Exotic Pets. Blackwell Publishing, in press.

    • ...::::::: Adapted from DVM360.com :::::::...