A puppy training specialist has urged dog owners to avoid saying 'no' to their puppies during training, arguing that it can lead to 'learned helplessness'. Kim Paciotti from the Empowered Puppy Program, who has over 314,000 Instagram followers, explained that constant reprimands without guidance cause puppies to give up trying altogether.
Instead of shouting 'no', Paciotti recommends using a gentle voice to stop the behaviour and immediately redirecting the puppy's attention to something appropriate, such as a chew toy. She states that puppies need to make mistakes and learn from them, and that punishment-focused methods are less effective than teaching replacement behaviours.
Common scenarios include: for jumping on visitors, train the puppy to sit during greetings; for barking at the door, instruct them to go to their bed; for pulling on the lead, reward them when they walk alongside you. Paciotti concluded that owners should focus on making the right choice obvious and rewarding, rather than simply preventing unwanted actions.
Studies have shown that punishment-based training, including vocal reprimands, is less successful in educating puppies compared to redirecting towards desired behaviours. The approach aims to build confident decision-makers rather than fearful ones.
