What's Wrong With Spanking Dogs?

Question

I don't mean smashing them... I mean lightly tapping puppies' lower back just so they can barely feel you and saying "BAD" when they've just crapped on the expensive rug.

Answer 1

Spanking dogs simply doesn't work. It makes them hostile and/or fearful of you.

I've had much more success making really loud noises when they do something I don't want them doing. I stomp my feet really loud or shake a can full of coins as I say, "NO!"

Answer 2

I just love how some people say ' i would never hit a child or animal'. My dogs and children have always had the same punishment. If they do something either dangerous or highly undesirable they get a swat with a rolled up newspaper. Mind you my dogs are twice the size of my kids so they probably feel it less. As for dogs becoming "hand shy" they generally only do so if you smack them around the face often. If a dog gets hand shy after a few small taps then they probably have other issues and will probably be overly sensitive and have problems any way. A small tap does nothing more than reinforce the behaviour you are exhibiting that they have done real bad and a light smack should not be employed unless you catch them in the act. Although if you use it when they are doing something they have to, just in the wrong place, they will misunderstand and think they are in trouble for crapping and will just try to hide it from you the same as kids would. I personally just remove the dog from the rug when they do it, put them in the right area and reward them when they get it right. For all those people filled with righteous indignation about spanking, get bent, its my choice about how i discipline my pets and kids and you have no right to judge me for it, because how sure are you that your method would work for everyone.

Answer 3

For those of you that think you can spank a dog to house train it, you seem to be unaware of how often spanking or otherwise punishing a dog for going potty in the house actually teaches it a different lesson -- the dog learns not to go to the bathroom *in front of you*. Your puppy didn't learn not to pee in the house, your puppy learned not to pee when you're around. Then your puppy goes and sneaks off somewhere to find a hidden corner to pee in, and you say "Aha! The puppy knew better... that's why it hid!"

Er... no. At the risk of repeating myself, it hid because it learned exactly the lesson you taught it.... no more, no less. Don't pee in front of the human.

Spanking is "wrong" because it is NOT the most effective way to teach your puppy what you WANT it to do. It only teaches it what you don't want it to do, which is probably not quite the lesson you think you're teaching. Yes, go ahead and interrupt the pup if you catch it in mid-pee and get it the heck outside. This should be all you need. If you are tapping to interrupt the puppy, I wouldn't consider it a spanking. If it's after the poop is over with, then there's no point... they won't connect the two things.

Incidentally, your puppy doesn't know the difference between cheap flooring and an expensive rug. That's a pretty pukey reason to justify a punishment.

Answer 4

Lightly tapping a puppy is not spanking a puppy or hitting a puppy. You do want the puppy to know that going potty inside is not okay, but the dog will potty train faster if there is a lot more of taking it outside to potty and praising it when it goes where it is supposed to and making sure it has plenty of opportunities to do that.
Best would be a combination of NO when it is happening and quickly taking the dog outside to go where it should Then praise it if it even acts like it is pottying.
Sorry about your expensive rug.
One of my pups chewed a hole in a wall on impulse and I was livid. It was at that impulsive and chewing stage and was unsupervised for too long of a time. I was home and she was sitting at the door and looking out of it and I wasn't watching and then I got my surprise.
I definitely told her NO.
No parent is perfect. You just don't want to "spank" your dog if you want it to trust you and be confident.

Answer 5

Spanking dogs is not appriopriate. They don't understand the wrongness of having done something to go with the hit, they just know they got hit.

Especially if you catch the dog in the act...act immediately and show them the correct place to do it. Spanking a dog will just cause them to be afraid of you, your hand, or other people's hands.. secondly if they do connect the pooping with the spanking they'll just keep going in the house but instead of doing it in plain sight they'll try to hide it to avoid the spanking. They won't think to go to the right place to avoid the spanking like you would hope they would.

Secondly, would you spank a human back, especially while they're developing??! Gosh, I hope not.

Use treats, praise and consistency for good housebreaking and there's always going to be an accident whether young or old so get yourself some good biological cleaner with enzymes to break down bio matter..Orange TKO (all natural made of oranges) or Nature's Miracle

Answer 6

I disagree with the first responder. I would no more spank a dog than I would a child. Spanking doesn't teach them anything and makes them fearful and can make them aggressive. Dogs learn by firm reprimands and kind words and rewards. Spanking a dog particularly a puppy is cruel and abusive.

Answer 7

A light tap on the nose will affect the puppy more. It's natural instinct that they will respond to your donimance if you tap them on the nose. But I don't believe corporal punishment will help so much with house training. Instead, be sure to praise the puppy when he goes to the bathroom in the right place, presumably outside.

Answer 8

How does hitting their back teach them that crapping on the rug as you so eloqently put it is bad? What does a slap on the behind and their excriment have to do with one another?

Dogs have to learn commands. A slap is not a command. I can't say "sit" when I want my dog off the couch - I need to say "off". I can't say "down" when I want my dog to stop jumping, I need to say "off". Down means to lay down, and Sit means to sit. Off means to get down, Enough means to stop whatever it is she's doing that's annoying me.

Different commands mean different things. A slap is a slap. How do you slap differently to communicate?

Besides, if the dog just crapped on the expensive rug, you should have been watching him OR you left him alone too long. Dog's will tell you when they have to go, you just have to be paying attention.

Answer 9

Go for it... Tap away!
It isn't really an effective way to train, in fact its often counter productive. Attention of any kind (good or bad) will often encourage the unwanted behavior. Correct verbally but More importantly reaffirm good behavior.

Answer 10

Spanking puppies and rubbing their nose in it is old school. There are possitive training methods that work just as well. I recomement going to Petsmart or another place that will show you positive training methods.