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Potential Punishers
There is a difference between a punisher and a potential punisher.
A potential punisher is anything that your dog dislikes so much that he would probably rather avoid it.
In contrast, a punisher is anything that reduces the rate of the target response, if it is consistently presented either during the response, or immediately after the response is made. For example, your dog would probably prefer that you not smack him on the nose so, by definition, nose smacking is a potential punisher. But can we say that nose smacking is an actual punisher for your dog? It depends.
If smacking your dog on the nose every time he barks results in a reduction, and eventually an elimination of his barking, then for your dog, nose smacking is a punisher. If it doesn't reduce the rate of barking then it is not a punisher. It's just a potential punisher.
When it comes to the question of whether a particular potential punisher is, in fact, an actual punisher, the proof is in the pudding. If the presentation of the aversive in question eliminates or reduces the frequency of the problem behavior, then, it is. But if it don't, it ain't.