> >If you hadn't screwed up, maybe on the 30th reprimand, the dog will have learned for life.
>
> How do you know maybe the dog just isn't going to learn because of anything you do?
>
> I agree with nearly everything you've said so far -- but I have to argue this point. I think one of the mistakes parents make is thinking that there's a certain way to treat their child that will make their child behave in desired fashion.

What you say is, I think, more true of kids than dogs, which are trainable within the limits of their mental faculties virtually 100% of the time, assuming sound training techniques.

But, yeah, kids are less predictable, and they're what we're really talking about. What you say is a very very good point to keep in mind -- it's important to remember that kids are independent people with independent minds. I'm glad you mentioned it, because it's a trap I'd be liable to fall into, coming from experience with animals.

That said, it doesn't change the fact that if you, as a parent, do something right, it'll probably work, and if you do something wrong, it's a virtual guarantee that it'll turn out wrong. The unpredictability of kids, therefore, becomes kind of academic -- it doesn't change the necessity of learning and employing sound parenting techniques.