Sure, I caned them as well, when that was appropriate. Boys need different things at different times. A boy who is distressed because he injured himself, is quite a different matter from a boy you’ve just discovered lying to you about his homework, and very different from the boy who you’ve just found out has been bullying younger students.
It could be the same boy, at different times.
Yes, if I’d caught a boy running on the stairs, there’d be a fair chance I’d have caned him. But if he’d fallen over and hurt himself, I wouldn’t have. He’s already learned his lesson, if he’s going to learn it. And now he needs something else.