Punishment suppresses behaviors best when it occurs as the response is being made,
or immediately afterward (timing), and when it is given each time a response occurs
(consistency). Thus_ a dog that has developed a habit of constantly barking can be effectively
(and humanely) punished if water is sprayed on its nose each time it barks. Ten to fifteen
such treatments are usually enough to greatly reduce barking. This would not be the case if
punishment were applied occasionally or long after the barking stopped. If you discover that
your dog dug up your Hower bed while you were gone, it will do little good to punish him
hours later. Likewise the commonly heard childhood threat, " Wait till your father comes
home then you- 11 be sorry,- does more to make lather an ogre than it does to effectively
punish undesirable response.