hitting dog on nose causes loss of sense of smell..?

Question

when we were housetraining our puppy we gently tapped him on the nose and said 'no' every time he went to the bathroom in the house.. my uncle recently told me that this can cause a dog to lose his sense of smell.. is this true?!?

(and to all of you who are saying i 'abuse' my dog.. you're being absolutely rediculous.. do you know what the word 'gently' means..?! i did have a training book and that was one of the methods it said to use.. and trust me, there were much crueler methods than a light tap on the nose.. my dog is not agressive and not hand shy.. i am not at all cruel and abusive towards my dog, and it really hurts and angers me to see that people wrote things like that.. he's honestly treated like or if not better than a human baby.. so i'd really appreciate it if i could simply get an answer instead of people i don't even know bashing me for "dog abuse"..)

Answer 1

That will not damage the sense of smell!

However, just try not to believe everything you read next time as this really isn't the best way to potty train a puppy by any stretch of the imagination.

For your next puppy, try following the advice on this page...
www.lockeyebc.com/info.html

& don't worry...your pup's sense of smell is just fine, I'm sure!!

Answer 2

Yes, it can cause loss of sense of smell. It can also cause a dog to be untrusting..and head-shy. Just as if your parents smacked your nose for not being born potty trained. Your uncle is correct.
Edit:
You asked if it could cause loss of smelling, and I answered honestly.
I have potty trained over 300 dogs, of all ages, and many breeds, homebred and rescued . I have never ever had to resort to 'tapping' the nose for any training. That is an insult in doggy language..sorry if you are offended.
You got an answer from a 'pro'..and not just an opinion.
If your uncle brought it up, I suspect that he saw an 'irritated' tap? Once you begin 'tapping', it nearly always escalates to 'smacking' when the trainer becomes frustrated...That is why no pain or threat of pain should ever be used in dog training.

Edit: Re-read your question. You use the word 'hitting' in the initial question..and then softened it to 'gentle tapping'..which is right? Your uncle is correct about 'hitting' the nose.

Answer 3

Hitting a dog on its nose may cause damage to the olefactory nerve consequently interfering with the dog's sense of smell, but I doubt that a blow to the nose would be fatal under normal circumstances.

However hitting a dog on the nose for any reason whatsoever is unforgiveable... it would be the equivalent of kicking your baby (toddler) in its genitals.

Treat pets as you would your own family, you wouldn't shove your babies nose in its mess, don't do this to a puppy.

Their are many web sites on "toilet training your dog", I suggest if you want to be a responsible dog owner you shoud check them out.

......

PS Their is no such thing as a "gentle tap on the nose" for a dog. Its just cruel.

Answer 4

I don't know about that but you should never hit a dog. Punishment aggresion, people cause this form of aggression by being abusive and overly dominant in trying to correct or punish their dogs. How else is a dog to respond if you yell at, point a threatening finger or newspaper at the dog, or worse than that, hitting your dog? This includes wrapping the dog on the nose or under the chin, chasing or cornering them with anger, standing over them in a threatening manner, or frightening them with angry reprimands. Dogs at the wrong end of this people behavior will respond aggressively sooner or later. Dogs respond the best with positive reinforcement. Rewarding for good behavior will get the best results!

Answer 5

DO NOT HIT THE DOG, a puppy will have accidents & use the crate training method, make the crate his sanctuary, no one messes with him in it, it's his PEACE place & get him on a feeding schedule, they usually potty after about 30 minutes after eating & take them outside after a good play with the puppy, when the puppy does right, PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE him, rub his chest ( their fav spot ) & keep tiny treats with you so he knows reward for doing right :) Crates are great for dogs, puppies.. keeps them safer & out of trouble, they don't like to potty where they sleep, but it should not be too big, just enough to stretch out & turn around, if you can't use a crate, use a confined space about the size a crate would be as I described. It's hard to have crates for a small puppy who will get large, but when it's pretty much grown up, a crate is a good thing to have for any dog !!!

Answer 6

Yes this is true.! Always treat your puppy gently - do not hit them over the nose they have fine membranes in their nose that you will damage and can consequently ruin their sense of smell. REWARD IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN REPRIMAND!

Answer 7

That is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. If that were true, none of the dogs I have had would've been able to smell anything (they were all alittle dense when it came to house training). He definately doesn't know anything about dogs. Now, I could see him saying that if you were doing more than just tapping him on the nose but it still wouldn't affect his sense of smell.

Answer 8

No, it doesn't make him lose his sense of smell. What it does is make a dog hand-shy, that's why you shouldn't do it. Your causing your dog to become afraid of a person's hand coming close to him - a good way to turn a dog into a fear biter.

Answer 9

I am a dog trainer. This method as said before does scre the dog and my make them afraid of you. But this is not true but be ind to your dog and always lets him/her have fun the have feelings too. Your welcome.

Answer 10

yes! THERE IS NEVER EVER A REASON FOR YOU TO HIT YOUR DOG!!! Especially on the nose. If you would have bought a book on how to raise a puppy properly, you would have known this!!!