hitting dog?

Question

My friend and i both have gotten our puppies at the same time.... hers a chihuahua and mine a shih tzu.

Max (mine) is very smart he can do tons of tricks and the dog trainer said he was one of the smartest in his classes... however he has a chewing problem (he does it when i am not there) and sometimes whines to be with me.

everytime we talk about our problems she always suggests hitting him till he whines.... I hate this advice and sometimes we get into arguments over it. she obviously hits her dog so hard that she makes him cry and supposedly this makes him stop doing whatever it is he was punished for.

ive tried tapping max while forcefully saying no when i catch him in the act but i dont want to hurt him or have him fear me rather than obey me

what do you think

you say they only whine when they are physically hurt not sad.... then why do they whine when they want to go outside, or when they are locked in a room and want to be with you?

i would think that is whining b/c they are sad....

but yeah i agree that he is prob in physical pain in that situation

well she just told me that he "yelps" when he is hit... is that any different?!

Answer 1

I think when the two puppies have grown into adults and you meet up with your friend one day. You will find that you who isn't hitting the puppy will have a much nicer, well rounded dog who respects you..
Your friend will have an aggressive out of control dog that no one wants to be around, can't be around other dogs, and well if she still has it, has absolutely no respect for her at all. Likely nips at her, or destroys everything she owns.

Don't be like your idiot friend because you feel like she is getting the training done faster. Sure her dog might seem to be learning quicker, but he is learning out of fear.. When she needs him to listen to her, he'll be high tailing it out of there and she'll maybe realize where she went wrong.

Whining is stress, not that they miss you, or are freaked cause you are gone, they think that we should all be together all the time. Some dogs can't handle being out in the house while you are gone, too much to guard and watch. That's why the crate training works.. Keeps them out of trouble and keeps away the stress of having to guard everything. Don't encourage whining by giving attention when he does it.

Answer 2

Hitting is wrong. Just shows you're a bully. Your friend is abusing her dog and should be reported to the authorities.

Puppies go through a chewy stage that can last for months - and longer. It's part of owning a puppy. Interesting how shelters are full of 1 - 1-1/2 year old dogs that have chewed everything in the house.

Talk to your trainer about crate-training Max. That can help a lot towards the whining and even the chewing.

Puppy-proof your house, as best you can. Put things he shouldn't have in a safe place - like behind shut doors. Put the computer in its own room if possible - don't leave things for him to chew on.

Then limit Max' toys to one or two at a time. If he has tons of toys, he'll think that EVERYTHING in the room is his to play with.

When you're away, limit his access to the rest of the house and supervise him when you're home.

Answer 3

A dog is not a child, a dog is not a child, repeat this to yourself over and over, a dog is not a child. While a child will understand why its being hit a dog will not understand. They will start to view you as unstable human and one to fear. They will distrust you and be very wary of you. A dog that is hit NEVER learns his lesson, he never understands why he's being hit therefore hitting will NEVER fix the problem behavior it will only reinforce it. If the dog is doing something wrong such as pottying on the floor, HIT YOURSELF, because you didn't teach him to potty correctly and you weren't paying attention to get him out when he needed. Instead you ignore the accident and praise him when he goes outside that way you reinforce him pottying outside and ignore the going inside so he stops. The saying goes, a behavior reinforced [given attention] will be repeated, a behavior not reinforced [ignored] will stop. So if you yell, or hit then all you are doing is reinforcing the BAD behavior which means he'll keep doing it. You must ignore a behavior you do not like and only reinforce a behavior you do like. For example. The dog jumps up you yell or hit or say down.....this is reinforcing the JUMPING. You come home he jumps up you IGNORE he stops jumping and you greet him for having all four paws on the floor, this reinforces the down, the dog learns to stop jumping because he gets no attention for it. You come home and find he's chewed your shoes 2 hours ago, however he's just run up to greet you, you start yelling BAD DOG and hit him for chewing your shoes, the dog thinks he's being punished for greeting you, so he learns that your home coming is something to be feared and starts shaking when he hears you walk in the door. Be careful when you give attention to the dog, even negative attention like yelling or hitting is attention and you might be rewarding the wrong behavior. You can easily redirect a bad behavior into a good behavior and then reward that. For example, the dog crowds you while you're in the kitchen and barks for attention instead of yelling to shut him up, instead, redirect him to sit THEN give him attention, that way the dog learns that being quiet and sitting gets him attention. Please pick up a book on Positive Reinforcement training and learn how to PROPERLY CORRECT a dogs behavior. Smacking will eventually make the dog aggressive and he will sooner or later turn on you and fight back. If you don't want to ruin this dog then learn how to properly correct his behavior without having to use force either physically or verbally. A dog learns so much quicker and is more of a willing learner when positive reinforcement is used. They eventually shut down and become aggressive and fearful if you keep going the way you are going. Remember you need to think like a dog because a dog cannot think like a human. Good luck

Answer 4

The fact that someone thinks that it's ok to hit your dog untill it cries does not need to own a dog.And it's just taking advantage of the breed. If it were a pit bull or a larger dog i bet she would not try this method. Buy some bitter apple spray and spray it on the area's that you don't want him to chew or get a watter bottle with just water and spray it on his nose when u see him doing it. I have a golden retriever and he puts everything in his mouth so i can understand where your coming from. Taking him for daily walks helps me out alot and teaching him new tricks puts the focus on you and not on what he's chewing. Most dogs do it most in teething or strees stages. Doing something that takes his mind off of chewing changes alot of it's behavior.Or just making sure his favorite chew toys are in arms reach and replace what he is chewing on with something he is supose to chew helps also.You have to think like a dog to better understand it's needs.It needs to know that chewing on something's is wrong but hitting your dog kills the companionship and also makes him lose all respect for you as a leader.

Answer 5

Thats stupid advice!!!!!!!! If hes a few months old that hes probably teething what you should do is buy him lots of chew toys then wheneveryou leave get a play pin or something and just leave it in there until you get back. Leave chew toys and water and food and a place where it can got to the bathroom in the pin.
For the whining dont leave with giving him so much attention so he doesnt notice as much just say bye pat him and leave eventually hell get used to the idea

Answer 6

You can't be serious can you? No one should ever hit their dog to make then stop doing something. Give them a firm "NO" and move him away from the area when they do something you don't want them to. Keep at it. Give him a box of doggy toys to take his mind off other things. You need to keep at it when you see him doing something wrong. You may have to try to put your pup in a portable kennel while you are gone. Make sure you give him toy and a blanket.

As for the trainer who said to hit your dog, that person has NO business being a trainer. How is hitting a dog is going to help? It's not, It will only make the situation worse.

It is called abuse... If this was a child that was being hit, would it be any different? Heck no , It is still abuse.

Answer 7

You shouldn't hit a dog. He won't understand why you're doing it and won't change. He'll just be terrified of you because you're abusing him. You'd have to hit him pretty hard to make him whine. That is very cruel.

You don't have to hit a dog to train him. Positive reinforcement methods are much more effective. It uses the dog's natural learning processes to pair rewards with doing the right thing. It's also important to do what you can to help the dog do what's right. This means crating him while you're gone or taking him out often if you're potty training him.

Please show these answers to your friend. It's not fair to hit a defenseless little dog.

Answer 8

Get some training. Only a weak handler hits a dog. Ive got an APBT who chews only on his bone and is very well behaved all around without formal training, who has never had a hand layed on him. You dont even need to yell, just be dominant with your dog not aggressive. Your dog needs to respect you not fear you. Your friend needs anger management and you may want to look into behavior modification if its a pretty well behaved dog with a specific problem.

Answer 9

NO, do not hit your dog. This will only cause aggresion from him. Your friend hitting her dog is not right under NO cirrcumstances. Thats just wrong. To get you dog to stop chewing (in most cases) Just buy LOTS of toys and sit down with him and show him that those are his and that he can chew on them whenever he likes. Then take him to whatever he is chewing on of yours and tell him no in a stern voice then hand him his toy and be happy and say this is yours, good boy, blah blah. then look at your stuff and again in a stern voice say no, do this a few times. If you catch him chewing on your stuff tell him no then give him one of his toys and repeat steps above, Good luck

Answer 10

Give this to your friend:

A Dog's Prayer
by Beth Norman Harris
Treat me kindly , my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for although I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have be do.
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.
When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements. And I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in the land, for you are my god and I am your devoted worshipper.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food so that I may stay well to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready willing and able to protect you with my life should your life be in danger.
And beloved master , should the Great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather, hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest... and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I draw, my fate was every safest in your hands.
http://ra.nilenet.com/~gaska/dogpray1.html