Why Do People Say Dont Correct Your Dogs!?!?

Question

okay people if a guy on tv known as Cesar M a dog whisperer corrects his dogs, people are going to correct there dogs, I correct my dogs and they learned not to do what they did again, one correction equals less times they will do it again and they still all love me, I grab them by there scruffs and shake them and say no firmly like the dog whisperer and they still love me, so why shouldnt I correct my dogs, I see no emotional or aggressive behavior coming out of it and they still act the same way and everything and do what I ask quicker and know I am alpha over them, the only person my dogs dont listen to is my husband because he doesnt correct them, so tell me what will I gain out of not correcting my dogs if they are still the same? because it cant be cruel if they have a guy on national tv correcting dogs and showing you how and the results from it, because if it was I am sure he would have been arrested by now.

THANK YOU!!! I cant say how relieved I am that people understand correction like this is needed, the shaking of the scruff doesnt damage anything because I showed and asked my vet if it would do any harm and they said no keep doing what your doing its working wonders on him, I have a mini dachshud who tries to play his daddy like he is sweet as honey when really behind his back hes a monster, he has ruined so many wires and things in my house that I will never get a small dog again after him, I like big dogs but had only a choice to get a small dog at the time and really wanted one and made the biggest mistake in my life!!

but now that I am correcting him and unlike daddy I can get by his pittiful your killing me scream and whine he is understanding he is no longer alpha male in my house but that I am alpha and he better listen or the teeth will come out.

a mother dog grabs and shakes there young by the scruff of the neck to get them to listen so am I, my dog is 7lbs exact and he doesnt get any harm put on him, its not like I pick him up and shake him crazily, I grab his scruff give two firmly shakes and say no and he understands, my friend Rebbeca's dog was trained this way and is so wonderful and devoted to her that I am doing it the way she does everything and getting the same results

all i can say is if you love god in this moment with the kid being brought up is that is says if your son is being cruel or hurtful or disrespectful to anyone in your family then correct him with a switch or something like that in the bible, so if I can do that to my son and daughter then my dogs are the same way as kids then they deserve a correction to. and my vet says its okay to do the scruff thing so I will go with my vet, sorry if that upsets you, cant remember your name who answered with your mums a vet and stuff

also smaller dogs can play more of a child like apperance then a bigger dog, thats why my smaller dog gets corrected this way much more often because he does and trys to be bad in the powering sort of way.

why i got the dog bite thing from someone, I dont understand none of my dogs have bitten or tried to bite anyone I am talking in just being disrespectful to me and my family. my little mini dachshund walks all over my husband because he doesnt correct him and listens to me when I tell him to sit and stay and all that stuff, so I see no problem in how I correct. I just hate how people can clearly tell me from clapping there hands and just saying no to there dog has trained them to be great dogs, I have not seen a great dog yet out of those poor excuse of training habits, because I see a choke collar as worse punishment then my two gentle shakes.

its not even really physical! its not like im kicking or punching my dog , its correction. thats why I hate when people say physical because its like they expect my dog to be dead after I say what i do, believe me I doubt hes going to die from a shake and if he acted scared of me or really upset about it afterwards I would stop but once I let go from correcting him he runs off grabs a toy and runs back to me to play. so he cant be that upset from it.

he is not an adult dog and does just fine with how I correct him, till he whines or shows hate towards what I do, I will keep doing what I do seems to work for me.

Answer 1

Dogs want the correction. Like children we have lost control Ah poor pitiful this or that. Remeber kids didn't kill each other when they got the butt beat. We no longer teach in society for every action there is a reaction. To our children or our pets. you do something bad something bad happens.

Answer 2

Sometimes a correction is needed to help the dog understand. I think some folks are concerned with how the dog is corrected tho. If a dog is nipping, grabbing the scruff, shaking gently and saying "NO" in a growl sounding tone is what our trainer tells us to do. This correction is needed as if not addressed, the dog could end up hurting someone as a result. But other types of corrections are more harsh, like those who think smacking a dog on the nose is acceptable. There are ways to correct without making the dog fear you or your hand, which can result in fear based biting down the line for some dogs. People think rubbing the dogs nose in an accident is okay too, but in reality, if you don't catch them in the act, it does nothing to help. Catch them in the act, make a loud displeasing sounding noise and instruct "outside" and take them out immediately to finish their business. Beating a dog for the accident doesn't get the point across so that the dog understands.

Our trainer teaches based on positive reinforcement mostly, and we've had great success with this. When our puppy jumps up on us, we immediately turn our back on the dog... not knee or knock her down as many say to do. By doing this, we are not reinforcing the jumping behavior. When I am working with my puppy with a dumb bell for obedience, she tends to mouth/chew it, so we are to look away, as looking at her during this act is also a reinforcement of what she's doing.

Correction is acceptable, IMO, if done properly and doing things in a fashion that the dog understands is going to get much better results. I think some people on here are suggesting corrections that are a bit harsh and I personally wouldn't use these methods. Positive reinforcement is always first and only a physical addressing when a potential injury could occur. But many see the harsher suggestions and I can see why they would feel that correcting could be a bad thing.

EDIT: Shaking your dog GENTLY by the scruff is the same way momma dog disciplines her litter. It's a communication a puppy will understand and get the point across.

We have a Doxie too, and he's terribly destructive with any stuffed toys he gets his teeth into. Doxie's have a strong prey drive and is why they behave this way. We have to only give ours tough toys to play with that are virtually indestructable, like kongs.

Answer 3

Some people, particularly those with little dogs, see their dogs as their children and believe that "their child/their dog can do no wrong". So they rationalize the bad behaviors with excuses while the bossy little demon dog rules the house. I've seen people deny that their lilttle darling could bite anyone hard enough to hurt, or say their little darling didnt urinate all over the couch legs even when the couch clearly reeked and was stained with urine, etc. One good rule is that if the behavior is something you wouldn't want out of a 100 pound dog, then don't put up with it from a 3 pound dog. Once you've lived with a well trained dog that respects you as alpha, you never again want to deal with an untrained dog. And you have to earn the dog's respect. The book "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete is one I often recommend to people, because it very clearly covers dog mental stages of development and how dogs communicate and tells how to use alpha dog language to correct the dog and train the dog in a way the dog understands. Thats how Cesar on TV has such good control over his dog pack, by being the fair but firm alpha dog of the pack and communicating in a way the dogs easily understand.

Answer 4

Me thinks thou doth protest too much.

Dogs do need boundaries. Physical corrections are not warranted in most cases, however. Perhaps your dog is okay with it (though, frankly, I would be curious to see your dog's behavior), but that doesn't mean that all dogs will be. The problem with Cesar's show is that people see it and think they can do it to their own dogs. NO method is going to work for every dog. At least you can't hurt your dog if you screw up using positive reinforcement or verbal corrections; you CAN hurt your dog and yourself if you misuse physical corrections. (And if you think that everything on tv is acceptable, you need some more exposure to the real world!)

Regarding scruffing, a mom dog may do this with her pup, but only after a series of escalating corrections that didn't work - it wouldn't be her first choice. And, it is a PUPPY correction. It would never be used on a pup over 8 or 10 weeks of age, and certainly not on an adult dog. Doing this to an adult dog is inappropriate.

Answer 5

You say you shake your dogs, that can have harmful effects on their neck, back, and head area. There is nothing wrong with correcting, as long as it is not abusive.

Edit: Here's a good article in it includes:

"If you've tried punishment and it hasn't worked, you should definitely stop using punishment and use only positive reinforcement instead. And never use physical punishment that involves some level of discomfort or even pain, which may cause your pet to bite to defend herself. Holding the neck skin and shaking your dog, or performing "alpha rolls" (forcing your dog onto her back and pinning her on the floor), are both likely to result in bites. Also, punishment might be associated with other stimuli, including people, that are present at the time the punishment occurs. For example, a pet who is punished for getting too close to a small child may become fearful of, or aggressive to, that child—or to other children. That's why physical punishment is not only bad for your pet, it's also bad for you and others."

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/positive_reinforcement_training_your_dog_with_treats_and_praise.html

Answer 6

Well, he's going through a lawsuit right now but it has nothing to do with a correction but rather the way someone at his facility exercised a dog (on treadmill) and the dog had what amounted to be a heartattack and died.

Corrections are great if done properly. I personally do not advocate grabbing your dog and shaking it to bits (my dogs weigh 5lbs and 15lbs respectively). A dog can love you and not respect you, those are two different things. I agree with correction, but done with a dominant dog collar or prong collar so that the dog is not damaged in the process and so that he learns to fear the correction, rather than fearing the handler.

I do not agree with ONLY treat training. Sometimes the dog isn't going to think the treat is worth the command. Treats should be given only if the command is executed perfectly.

I like Ed Frawley's philosophy on dog training, but everyone has their opinion. Here's a link to his podcast explaining his theory: http://www.leerburg.com/podcasts/edsphilosophyofdogtraining.mp3

Cheers.

Answer 7

>>>a mother dog grabs and shakes there young by the scruff of the neck to get them to listen<<<

That is a myth. In 14 years of raising dogs I have NEVER seen a mother dog do this.

What she does do is make a lot of noise and hold her jaws on their muzzle (usually) or neck (rarely). She does not apply pressure and she does NOT shake the puppy. The puppy reacts by lying down and crying.

As for Milan, he is an idiot.

Yes, dogs need to be corrected, in the sense that they must be stopped from doing the wrong things AND SHOWN HOW TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS. But if regular physical punishment is required to make your dog behave then there is something missing in your relationship with him.

Answer 8

different things work for different dogs. ours listens if we clap or snap, she's only 5 months old, but thats all she knows. she also knows that if she gets out of line her daddy will flip her on her back and crawl on top of her until she calms down. the little dog whisperer "bite" works sometimes, but its really the noise she reacts to. the doesnt like her scruff grabbed, we did that once when she was REALLY biting and she yelped so loud and hated us for a while, we will never ever do that again, but my old pup actually liked being held by her scruff when she was little, it wasnt a discipline thing she just liked being held like that, i dont know why, she was weird.

Answer 9

Grabbing your dog and shaking is not correcting bad behaviour, it is physical punishment. Would you do that to a child?

There are much better ways to correct a dog's bad behaviour, other than physical punishment.

Just because your dogs are not aggressive with you, it does not mean that it is an acceptable way to treat them. Dogs who are abused still look up to their owners, play fetch, etc.

What you are doing is not animal abuse, really, it's just an ignorant way to correct your dogs.

I suggest you read up on proper behaviour correction, and if your dogs are exhibiting a lot of bad behaviour, work with a proper trainer to help fix the problems.

Answer 10

You're right, the other people are wrong. If you don't correct your dogs' bad behavior, they'll walk all over you. Remember, dogs are pack animals. They need an alpha to tell them what to do, and unless you're the alpha, you're going to be walked on. They'll see you as just another animal in the pack and you run the risk of seeing bad and destructive behavior if you are not alpha. Establishing dominance is very easy and essential to a good bond between you and your pack. Those who say not to correct the behavior have no clue and are probaby walked all over by their kids and animals.

Keep doing what you're doing. The others are just wackos without a clue.