It is not OK to punish your puppy. The most important thing is to teach him that you are his friend. Your puppy likely has no idea why you are punishing him. Instead, use positive reinforcement to train puppies gently and effectively. Never physically discipline or yell at your puppy, as that teaches biting gets a response. Teach no biting gets no response. Use distraction instead. Remove a favorite toy. Use time-outs. Interrupt negative behavior with a vocal interrupter. Influencing behavior without force is key.
To identify a German shepherd puppy, get acquainted with the breed’s characteristics.
Punishing a puppy for unwanted behavior is not recommended. Instead, it is advisable to use positive reinforcement to train and educate puppies in a gentle, humane, and effective way.
Did you recently add a puppy to your family and now he is driving you sheer crazy? Whenever I teach local classes on how to puppy train, I get asked about discipline. And can you teach everything your puppy needs to know through positive reinforcement? Let’s dive into the topic of puppy discipline!
The short answer is: no. It is not OK to punish your puppy.
The puppy must learn the boundaries of what is permitted. And if he crossed them, then the punishment should be immediate.
Studies have shown that physically punishing your puppy (like hitting, kicking, growling, or staring down) actually increases aggression in your puppy.
Yelling at or physically punishing your puppy, as strange as it sounds, is also a type of reward. It teaches them that biting gets some kind of response from you, which is known as positive punishment. This can also make them fearful of being handled.