how you disipline?!?!

It seems to me that all of you are right.  Puppies can't learn the right way, if they are only punished for doing something we don't like.  They are getting half of the picture; what not to do, but not what they are supposed to do.  I think 90% of the responsibility for potty training a pup (for example) falls on the shoulders of the owners.  It is our job to take the pup out after every meal, to take the pup out every time s/he wakes up, and to take the pup out frequently in between.  The pup really shouldn't have a chance to screw up.  When the pup goes out, s/he should be praised as if they solved the problem of global warming by going potty.  I also don't think it's wrong to firmly but fairly correct a behavior you don't like. 
Someone said something about positive/negative punishment, and I haven't heard those terms specifically related to animal training.  I know in behavioral psychology, negative reinforcement is the removal of an undesireable thing.  Like, if the dog hates being sent to a 'time out place', then it would be 'negative reinforcement' to release the dog from that position.  Positive reinforcement means giving a reward for desired behavior, like giving a treat or a pat on the head for the right behavior.   I think most dogs can be trained very effectively by using positive and negative reinforcement, with the very occasional punishment thrown in. 
Keep in mind that in a dog pack, the Alpha dogs will correct unwanted behavior much more harshly than most benevolent dog owners would ever dream of doing.  Which is good, because the last time I bit my dog I got fur in my teeth (that was a joke, I never ever bite my poor dear poochy). 
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