Do you think it is right for someone to punish an animal by hitting them ???

Question

I Personally don't think violence is a good method. I think it is very sick and inhumane. Well my mother's husband thinks this is lright and it absolutely disgusts me and he is starting to make my mom believe it is ok also.. What should I do???

Answer 1

NO hitting a dog is abuse just like with people. if a dog misbehaves you acn flick them on the nose. DON'T BEAT THEM!!!!

Answer 2

Hi, the answer is no. I didn't find the exact article I read on that but here's some of what I did find in the 'New Parent Guide' we got when we adopted our cat: (about their behavior) 'Assume your dog or cat has no idea what you want. Treat him as you would want to be treated if you were suddenly whisked away to a stranger's home in a distant land where they speak a strange language and have unfamiliar customs. Would you want to be yelled at and told you were wrong for doing something you had no idea was wrong in the 1st place? Or would you rather be applauded with praise and a reward for doing the right things you were gently shown how to do? Pets thrive on being rewarded. Initially it's important to praise them for the least effort, give them bits of kibble for doing what you want and stroke them calmly when they listen. Clarity also works to stop an unwanted behavior. THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANGER OR HITTING IN TEACHING. Instead calmly redirect to a behavior you prefer, then provide a reward when they perform the behavior'.- Sarah Wilson- you may write to her at: MySmartPuppy.com

From Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D. and Daniel Q. Estep, Ph.D at AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com:
'Your pet is not misbehaving out of spite or revenge. Pets do not plot ways to get back at people. They don't have a moral sense of right and wrong, so if you think your pet "knows better", you've arrived at the wrong conclusion. Pets can quickly learn which behaviors work'.
You may find the info you need to show to your mom & her husband to back up your beliefs, maybe that will help. I can tell you we used to hit our cats and all we accomplished was for them to be scared of us and run away, wouldn't respond when we called to them. One day they got out and I went after them, they never came to my call, why would they want to go back to being hit? So I lost them. It doesn't work and it's cruel. You can find a certified applied animal behaviorist at animalbehavior.org. I also subscribe to purinakittenwise.com, you might find good information there. The New Parent Guide (newparentguide.com) recommended these web sites:
The Latham Foundation for the Promotion of Humane Education: latham.org
HSUS Pets for Life Campaign: petsforlife.org
Good Luck

Answer 3

Absolutely not. No newspaper spanking either. We wouldn't want to be hit for misbehaving so what makes it any different for animals. My mother used to spank her dog with the newpaper. Then she started snapping at the newspaper boy. Natuarlly the dog went after who brought the papers that she got hit with. I made the paperboy put the papers down out of sight after she was going to snap at him. Then she was fine. She associated him with her spanking because she saw him holding the papers.

Pets are not stupid and they don't understand violence...In my opinion that is abuse! I may tap my dog on the snout lightly to make her associate that when I say no to barking...a tap on the snout makes it clearer to her what she is doing wrong and why I am saying no. Never hit a pet! They are sensitive and have feelings too! I would say ....ANIMAL ABUSE is the situation here. Ask your Mom if she would like to be treated like the pet? They are at our mercy and so unconditional...we should respect and appreciate their role in our lives.

Answer 4

Animals are like kids in a lot of ways. Kids don't associate being hit with whatever it was they did wrong, especially if the "punishment" comes awhile after, all they learn is fear. Assuming dog here...a better way to get the dog to behave better would be to show dominance, with out hitting. If the dog is submissive already, stare it in the eyes until the dog looks away. My Dad's dog, female, used to growl at my mom anytime she was near my dad. Mom finally said enough of that and showed who was Alpha Female Dog (don't know if I will be able to type b!#*h and have it show?) She grabbed the dog by the skin around the bottom of the throat, flipped her on her back and went nose to nose with the dog until the dog looked away. The dog never growled at my Mom again and was actually lovable towards her. Sounds "out there", I know. But even domesticated dogs feel like they are in a pack with their humans.

Answer 5

Tell her/him that u have done research and hitting an animal doesnt resolve anything, they dont know what they are doing wrong, they only feel the pain, when a pet is doing something wrong, it has to be trained not punish, is against the law maltreating animals and you can report it. And a person that maltreats animals can do it too to people, so i would say that that dude is not a save person. Kick him out! make his life miserable.

Answer 6

No No No! It is very inhumane to hit an animal. #1 it could hurt them. There bones arent as strong as ours. #2 it can make them turn against the owner.

I would take your Mom aside and explain how you feel about it. Then if that doesnt work, see if you can get them to let you have the animal.

If all else fails...you really should report it to the humane society.

Answer 7

theres a limit for everything. there is also a fine line between discipline and abuse.

a tap on the nose for doing something wrong is okay. if you are consistent in the punishment for a certain act eventually you wont have to do it anymore. but you shouldnt have to hurt an animal to train it.

it is inhumane because dogs are like young children. they dont know right from wrong right away and they have to be taught in a way they will understand and learn from. its really easy to take anger out on an animal but i would discipline a dog the same way i would a toddler.

you should do your best to keep him/them from doing it. get a spray bottle of water and try that instead....

if it persists-if the dog is soo bad that they have to hit it-then give it away to people who wont. dont stand for them hurting an animal.

Answer 8

Yes, that is definitely wrong. He sounds like a real prize. I have only ever tapped my cat on the back quickly because she was going after our new kitten, it is NOT necessary to hit, a small tap and a "no" will usually stop the behavior.

I think your mom should get rid of this husband and keep the dog instead.

Answer 9

It's ok to punish a dog by hitting them, but you must catch them in the act. In the wild wolves don't punish thier pups by sending them to the den, they give them a painful but non injuring bite. It's the only form of punishment animals understand. Their brains are not as advanced as ours. It's like smacking a small child on the hand. It stings but it doesn't injure them. It is not ok to beat the dog senseless to the point of abuse and injury, however.

Answer 10

All these people say that hitting a dog is wrong. Well, they are partly right. It's allright to tap the dog, hard enough to feel it, but not enough to hurt. In no way is it cruelty. I would never hurt my dog, and never think of it. You should talk to your mom about how you feel, I'm sure she would talk to her husband if she knows.

Answer 11

HECK NO!!!! IT MAKES ME WANT 2 CRY, I SWEAR!!!! TELL HIM TO STOP, THAT IT IS WRONG, JUST LIKE HIS pet hitting HIM!! god!!!!!! THAT IS JUST SO WRONG, ISWEAR, IF I SAW THAT MAN, I WOULD GO RIGHT UP AND START TALKIN' AND TEACHING HIM A LESSON!!!! u got to satnd up for what is right, hon!! that just will make the animal scared and hae a poor life. u need 2talk to ur mom about it, then talk to the other dude. it's just very inhumane and sick, YES!!!!
DO IT RIGHT, BABE!!
LOVE YA!!
HYPER