Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) Practice Exam 2026 - Free Dog Trainer Exam Practice Questions and Study Resources

Negative punishment is removing a reward after a behavior to reduce that behavior. So, describing a reward being subtracted fits this idea perfectly: you take away something the dog wants in response to the unwanted action, making it less likely to occur again. This is different from adding something desirable (positive reinforcement, which strengthens the behavior) or adding something aversive (positive punishment, which discourages the behavior by adding an unpleasant stimulus). Subtracting an aversive would typically relate to negative reinforcement, which aims to increase a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus. So the option that states a reward is subtracted is the correct match.