What is punishment? why use it? Why not to use it.. alternatives

I am starting this thread after I got some feedback from the February 1, 2021 Newsletter about Functional Assessments and punishment. The tip in the newsletter discussed possible approaches to animals that are "misbehaving" in one way or another at feeding time or when the humans are otherwise in the field. I set the stage this way
Nancy: My sweet adorable "Juniper" who has always been so "friendly" jumped on my husband Bob and knocked him down yesterday.
Pete: Can you tell me more about what happened? Do your best to tell me the exact circumstances before he jumped on your husband and exactly what Juniper did and what your husband did after Juniper jumped on him?
Nancy: Well my husband was feeding the animals and Juniper is always right next to you when you feed. It was the first really cold day of the year and all the animals were very excited when my husband brought the hay out. They crowded around and a number of the animals were jumping around. Juniper hit my husband really hard on the back and he really didn’t see it coming. My husband was too shocked to do anything but yell NO!

You be the trainer, what would you suggest to Nancy and Bob about how to solve the problem of a dangerous feeding time situation. Think about antecedents and consequences for both Bob’s behavior and Juniper’s behavior.

This is the kind of behavior that is unappreciated can be dangerous and that we as humans want to stop. The scientific definition of punishment is a procedure that diminishes the occurrence of a behavior. When used scientifically the word has no value judgement ie. the animal is bad and needs to be punished. Punishment is simply a procedure that diminishes the occurrence of a particular behavior. This is not to say that using punishment doesn't have consequences when it comes to the relationship you as the trainer have with the animal. As an example, if your dog jumps on you and you turn your back on him when he runs towards you and the dog doesn't jump-- then turning your back on the dog is a punisher for that behavior it is as simple as that. This is a very benign punisher and it works probably because the reason for jumping is the desire on the part of the dog to have an interaction with and the attention of, the owner. By turning your back the desired outcome is removed. From the dogs point of view he is using energy and receiving no pay off. When an owner comes to understand that the purpose of the jumping is to get attention, it is clear that pushing, kneeing and yelling might actually be serving the purpose of the behavior--the dog gets the owners attention. Wise owners who use this punisher notice immediately when the dog keeps his feet on the ground and will turn around and provide lots of attention thereby reinforcing the behavior that he or she wants which is the dog keeping his feet on the ground.

I am using the example of a dog but the procedure is no different for a horse, a llama or a cat. This is he beauty of a Functional Assessment. Before you can change behavior you must understand why the animal is engaging in it.

Many trainers myself included make it a priority to sort out ways of avoiding the use of punishers whenever possible and relying on positive reinforcement. For many reasons. Even relatively benign punishers when used often are problematic.

I am posting this thread to hopefully get members involved in the topic so please feel free to ask questions ofer your own experience with punishment and positive reinforcement