First of all: because it is unethical.
Dogs have not chosen to share their lives with us, it has been our decision: we keep them locked up, living in cities, sometimes they can't even run free. We choose what their life is like, when they eat, when they play, when they pee, almost when they breathe. We often take out our frustrations on them. And yet they offer us unconditional love. At least they deserve to be treated with respect.
Secondly: it is not effective.
Honestly, how many years have you been scolding your dog for that behavior that he still does? Stop wasting your energy. For punishment to be effective, a lot of knowledge about canine behavior would be necessary, and if we have that knowledge, we won't need to use it. For a punishment to work, it has to happen every time, and immediately after the behavior, and achieving these two things at the same time is practically impossible.
Thirdly, even if the punishment were effective, the dog would not learn anything.
He would simply stop performing the behavior in our presence. The behavior is inhibited, but not extinguished, and that is not the solution to the problem.
Fourthly: it is not necessary.
Teaching in a gentle way is the most effective method there is. If a dog is given good things to learn, he will be more willing to behave as we want him to every day, and his training will be a pleasure instead of a torture. In addition, when we make an effort to teach a dog, he learns faster and faster.
Fifth: It causes physical problems.
We still see a lot of injuries in veterinary clinics caused by owners hitting and kicking them. However, we don't have to go to extreme cases to see how our pets suffer. Choke collars, which many people still use, cause serious injuries to the dog's trachea, because the dog gets used to the pain and keeps pulling harder and harder. And as for electric collars... you should try them on your own skin... I can't even talk without getting a knot in my stomach.
Sixth: It causes serious emotional and behavioral problems.
Absolutely all cases of aggression towards people have their initial cause in fear. We cannot teach a dog that people are dangerous, because it will try to defend itself from them. When we begin the education of a puppy by dominating and frightening it, we are teaching it to behave in that way when it is an adult. It seems unbelievable, please, a little common sense: we do things just the opposite.
Seventh, we lose the bond and destroy their relationship with us.
Imagine living with a roommate who brings you breakfast in bed today and tells you how much he loves you, and half an hour later he starts yelling at you without you knowing why. In the afternoon he gives you a present and three days later he yells at you again for what happened on Monday, which you still don't know what it is... That's how we humans are... I think I would consider saving up and moving in alone again.
In this section I have to talk about a specific case, which is much more common than I would like. There are many owners who say they have good, obedient dogs: these dogs are calm, they even stick to their owner without a leash… of course, they usually keep their heads down and their tails between their legs. They don't jump on people, they don't cause damage, they don't do… they don't do practically anything. This is called “learned helplessness”, it is a term used in psychology to define a state in which the subject completely gives up due to the impossibility of controlling the situation. They are apathetic, sad dogs, and either they have completely abandoned themselves or they are a bomb about to explode.
Eighth: We should ask ourselves why we want to have a dog.
I think most people would answer something similar, with the exception of working dogs, which have an added function. Most owners would answer that they have their dog for company, to enjoy and share, and punishment, let's say, doesn't help much with that. Punishing a dog makes us feel terrible.
Ninth: Because we are setting a terrible example to our children, to our families, to our friends, to our neighbors.
And because we are setting a terrible example for ourselves.
And in tenth and last place:
Because if we were able to “self-train” and apply the principles of positive education to our own lives, we would have a better society and we would all be happier.
