Should you tap/swat a puppy?

Question

I don't personal do this, but I know some people that do.
In order to train their puppy to not whine, urinate in the house, chew things up, etc., they rub their noses in it and swat them.
Does this method really work? Do you think it is abuse?
What would you sugggest is the best way to train your puppy yourself?

Answer 1

What I did when my dogs were puppies was take them to their 'mess' and make sure they know that's what I'm angry at (by pointing and bringing the puppy close to it) and firmly tell them 'NO!' or 'BAD!' If it was really bad (like destroying furniture) I would take two fingers and tap their nose. It doesn't hurt them because their sinus cavity is hollow (you can even hear it), but it does surprise them and they don't like it. All 5 of my dogs turned out to be great and don't have any bad habbits. If they do something wrong, they know that the 'NO!' means they got in trouble and they give me guilty looks. But I only do it now when my one dog Beau tries to pick fights with strange dogs.
It is only abuse if it is done more than necessary and the dog/puppy is in pain. A whimper is alright, but a cry means stop. If the dog cries with only one swat, then stop. He learned his lesson.

Answer 2

Grrr... I can't stand reading about shoving noses in poo, and spanking pups. While it *may* not be abuse, its does nothing to positively train the puppy.

also, I don't understand why people think that if they show aggression to their dog, the their dog wont be agressive? Think about it this way, *most* people who beat thier children, were beaten themselves, and passing it down to their children. Its not the same for dogs? Especially in dogs this would be more prevelant. We are thier masters, they learn almost everything from how we exude our energy, how we act towards others, and how clean/dirty we live.

The only swatting that I don't have any feelings on good or bad, is one finger UNDER the snout to lift the attention to you, as an alpha male does, or (I can't imagine doing this myself) grabbing the pup with the skin behind the ears and a quick (gentle) shake, and the pups mother would do. But ONLY because this is dog behaviour.

Since the nose cavity is in fact hollow-esc, it does so much MORE damage. It can damage the senses, by killing nerve endings, fracturing the bone! DO NOT DO THIS! It you hit a hollow log you will break it much easier then hitting a solid one, what in the heck are people thinking!

This time around with my new puppy, potty training is a whole new world to me, she is submissive, extremely different then teaching any other pup. You cannot shout or critesize a submissive dog. It makes potty training 10x harder. First, if you yell to stop when a submissive dog is peeing in the house, they will pee MORE! and if you tell them bad, again more peeing. Everytime you put down a submissive dog, they are reconveying that in thier brain, that they are not submissive enough. Pottytraining will take longer and longer.

Ahh, well my rant went on long enough, positive behaviour teaches positive learning, negative behaviour, teaches disobedience, and more mistakes.

Answer 3

Swatting, tapping, hitting, and rubbing a puppies nose in urine or feces are very ineffective methods. They only teach the puppy that you are scary and unpredictable.

If you catch your puppy in the act of doing something it shouldn't, a firm NO is enough let it know you aren't happy. Follow this by showing your dog what is the appropriate behavior. For example if you catch your dog peeing on the floor, tell it NO, and take it outside to finish. Praise lavishly when it does. If you catch your puppy chewing on something it shouldn't tell it NO wait a couple seconds and offer it one of its toys. Praise lavishly when the puppy takes it.

Also when you see your puppy doing things you want it to do on its own, praise it.

If you find a mess on the floor, or a chewed item after the fact, its to late. Trying to correct the puppy will only confuse it and make it fearful. Anything you find after the fact is the owners fault, learn from the mistake and supervise better in future.

Answer 4

Of course it DOESN'T work..and it's cruel too. The puppy needs plenty of attention and training, not scolding. You HAVE to watch a puppy every second it is loose in the house. The very second it starts to squat, Say NO, gently pick it up and take it outside. when it potties give it LOTS of praise !!! Also the BEST way to housebreak a puppy is the method called crate training. Do a search of that, read how it works, (and it DOES work) and in no time at all if you are very diligent and persistant, you will have a happy, housebroken puppy. Have patience and hang in there..good luck

Answer 5

Potty training a puppy is a lot like potty training a baby. Consistancy, patience and praise are KEY! Without either, you'll end up with a dog who does their business everywhere.

Feed and water your puppy at set times during the day. About thrity to forty five minutes after puppy's finished, take him/her outside and STAY OUT THERE until they do their business. When they do, make a big deal out of it and give a treat. They'll associate the good behavior with the treat, and will won't pee or poop inside anymore.

Remember, though, that like any baby, they'll have accidents. Clean it up (rubbing their noses in it doesn't help) and elimante the scent from your carpet. If you catch puppy at it, say "No!" in a firm voice (don't shout) and take him/her outside.

Swatting or tapping isn't abuse, and unless you starve your puppy or beat them with a belt, it's perfectly acceptable. At least to me. It's up to you. Above is my best suggestion for training a puppy. It's worked for me before. I got it from a neighbor who bred, raised and trained Rottweilers.

Good luck, and I hope that helps.

Answer 6

Puppies should not be punished for chewing or having accidents. They are babies and that's what babies do. Puppies need patience and understanding to grow into happy, well-adjusted dogs. If anything, the owner should be swatted for not watching their puppy.

Rubbing the nose in an accident grosses me out. Just think of it this way. That little nose that was just rubbed in pee is going to be right in your face in a couple of minutes. EEWWW!!!.

Answer 7

NEVER – under any circumstances – hit, kick, slap, swat or spank your dog! This serves no purpose whatsoever, other than to vent your own anger. It will, however, destroy your dog's trust in you as well as other people. Dogs who are hit and spanked become anxious, fearful and hand-shy (distrusting and scared of human hands reaching out to pet them). They can also become aggressive. Try picking up some books on positive training. They will help you make more sense of why dogs do what they do and how to properly correct them.

Answer 8

Nope, this is probably the worst way to do it.. If you remember that Aggression builds Aggression, then you'll see that one day, this will all backfire on your friends.. Obviously this is how alot of people trained in the past.. But we have all done things in the past that we now know is bad.. Littering, polluting the waters... etc... Live and learn :)

You know what you teach them when you rub their nose in pee?? That PEE is bad.. So next time they feel like they need to pee, they get nervous, and they will either try to hide it or hold it, and it's gonna come out.. They can get neurotic about it all, scared to pee cause they know pee is bad, and it gets you a smack, but what to do with it????

Patience, consistency, and repititon... If they don't know what you mean, or what you expect, they can't possibly be doing the right thing. You have to praise when you see or get the correct behaviour or response.. Then they know that they are doing good. Negative response isn't a good idea, because it is still attention.. If you don't see them pee on the carpet, you can't really say anything about it.. It's like you KNOW that they did it, but you didn't witness it, so you can't mention it.. If you see them, then you tell them NO and and you show them the correct thing.. IE.. Peeing on the carpet, if you see them squat to pee you say NO and you pick them up and you take them outside where they should go. Takes a few minutes to get over the shock but they'll finish peeing outside.. Then you praise them...
It is very easy, and very basic really.. You are trying to learn to communicate with, someone who doesn't know your language.. It becomes second nature.. You will be standing there talking to your friend, mid sentence you are saying ' good boy go peepee ' :)

You know what else helps too.. When you see your dog playing nicely or with his toys etc.. You tell him he is good. Even tho you didn't tell him to play with the toys, the behaviour he is displaying is something you like and you think is good.. When he is being quiet while you are doing something, or you he walked past the shoe and went to his own toys, you remember to tell him he is good.. He is building a database in his little head, of all the things that you say are good, remembering all the things that you said NO to... They really do want to please people, if you can teach them how to please you, and you do it properly, they are more than happy to do the good thing, rather than the bad thing.

EDIT:
Yes you CAN hurt them by whacking them on their little nose... I don't know why people think that this is okay.. It is definately not okay to smack the puppy on the nose.. I can think of no time where smacking a puppy on the nose is the proper response to anything they are doing... Stop doing this please! Aggression builds Aggression, and one day you will realize that when the Aggression comes back to bite you !

You do not take them back to a previous mess, they haven't a clue what you are talking about.. They know you are talking or yelling and pointing, but they haven't a clue, unless you catch them in the act..
Also putting puppies in time out is ridiculous.. Kids might learn something, but puppies don't know what the heck you are trying to teach.. HUH? sitting in the corner, what is it he is supposed to be thinking about?? He hasn't a clue!

Answer 9

>Way to go DP! I bet you have terrific pets!<
I totally agree with DP. Aggression does breed Aggression. Consistancy along with lots of love and attention is the key, catch em in the act, stop them with a quick firm "no" and take them out to the proper areas to 'go potty'. Also praise them when they do,and the rewards will show faster than you will believe! You must be really dedicated,it is worth it!

Answer 10

Eww. Never rub a dog's nose in excrement. Wanna see a fast way of making them ill? Yeah, do that. Urine can burn and feces has E. coli on it.

To train your puppy, best bet is to establish rules, give plenty of exercise, and be consistent.