Disciplining dog?

Question

Sometimes my dog comes into the house with rocks and flowers and dirt and tree branches and my parents always get mad at it because it gets the house dirty. My dad hits my dog to punish him but that doesnt seem to work. Neither does yelling at it. He always reacts by barking at us and biting us and it hurts like hell. What should i do?

Answer 1

Dogs don't discipline each other by barking, which is what your dog hears when you yell at him.

He needs to learn first that you are alpha not him
then he needs to learn what no means, which means you need to learn about and take him to an obedience class.

There they will teach you how to talk to your dog in a way that he will understand.

Dogs want to please us, but when we treat them like humans they are confused and can't respond.

Answer 2

If a dog is carrying rocks and branches and things into the house (normal dog behavior) then why in heavens name would he associate that with hitting and scolding? Of course that doesn't work... the dog just thinks your father is attacking him. He's most likely barking back at you because he's confused, and he's likely biting you all out of self-defense. If I came up to you out of the blue and smacked you in the face, what would you do? Again, remember that you have NO IDEA why I just smacked you.

If you want to fix the problem, first, STOP the hitting and yelling. Second, don't allow the dog in the house if he is carrying rocks and flowers and things. It's that simple. If the dog is allowed free access between the house and yard, then stop. He should have restricted access until he understands the rules, and the rule is that the door does not open if he is carrying 'forbidden' materials from the yard. You almost don't even need to say anything to the dog... simply don't open the door until he drops the item. The problem here is that your dog doesn't understand what you want from him -- as far as he is concerned he's just acting like a dog. Help your dog understand what he should be doing instead.

I really hope you're able to address this problem both with your dog and with your father, because the current path you're on would be a great way to create a dangerous dog and at best, will hurt the relationship between your dog and your family.

Answer 3

When your Dad hits and yells at the dog, the dog loses all respect for him. The dog thinks that your Dad is out of control and he barks at him as he would someone acting strangely. Your dog becomes agitated and bites most likely out of fear.

When you say that your dog brings these things into your house, are you saying that he picks them up in his mouth or that he is bringing them in his hair? If he is bringing them in with his mouth, you can teach him 'off' or 'drop it' or 'leave it' commands. He does not get into the house without dropping whatever it is. You can convince him that this is a good idea by offering him a small treat in exchange for dropping whatever he has.

When he drops the item, you open the door.

If he is simply getting dirty, you need to have a brush and a towel handy at the door. If he is excessively dirty and matted then you will have to give him a bath, trim his hair or hire a groomer to clip his hair shorter. Some dogs do look strange after being shorn but it beats being yelled at or hit.

Answer 4

I don't really want to give advice that results in a dog staying in an abusive home.. but since I doubt a random stranger can convince you to rehome your dog..

Dogs dig for a few reasons, the three I've encountered most are 1) Way too much energy. 2) There nails are getting too long, and 3) It's in their breed's instincts.

1 and 2 are easy to take care of, and you should be dealing with them whether he was digging or not. Walk your dog frequently, and tip his nails once a week. Dogs should go on two walks a day, and atleast one of them (Recommend the first walk) should be a long one. How long depends on the breed and what their "Job" is. Retrievers need longer walks than show breeds for instance.

If it's raining that day, or you're not feeling up to it you can even use a treadmill (supervised) on a low speed according to The Dog Whisperer. I haven't tried this though. Or you can try to burn out his energy playing fetch in the yard or rough housing (But not HITTING..)

But listen, you can't punish a dog. In the time it takes for you to find out what the dog did, and catch him to punish him.. he's already forgotten. He's not putting two and two together, he's just thinking "This guy is mean, I'm going to defend myself." All you can do is try to prevent the behaviour.

Answer 5

You seem like the only one who cares enough to help this poor fellow. Yelling and hitting your dog will only do exactly what he does. Bites and Barks. You have to gently tell him no each and everytime he brings something in that he shouldn't. Go to the door before he comes in and take it from him and tell him no. When you get him in find something he can have. You know he is either looking for something to eat, play with , or just chew.He is trying to bring what he uses as toys outside in. Find out what he wants. And there is all kinds of wonderful healthy chews that you can buy him to keep him from dragging stuff from outside. And what about toys? Does he have toys. And the barking and biting you can stop that . It will take time, but be firm and say quiet. When he listens give him a treat. Getting him to never bark is not a good idea , dogs bark. But it sounds like he is trying to tell you something. My Freddie barks at me when he wants to go out. He barks at me when he wants water, and he barks at me to let him up on the couch. The biting must stop, just put your hand around his muzzle when he does and gently say no. Over and over again if you have to. The biting you are talking about may also be his way of playing with you, but he is getting frusterated with trying to get your attention. There are too many people who get pets and think they don't have to do anything with them but feed. Pets are like little children. They need not only food and water,but a warm place to sleep,and also to feel loved and safe. This poor guy dosen't seem to be getting through. If the barking and biting dosen't stop take him to a trainer.

Answer 6

Every time your dog brings something into the house just pick him up, without looking at him and drop him back out side. Then when he doesn't bring anything into the house reward him. It might take some time and patience, but your dog should get it. you might not want to hit your dog either, the more you hit the more aggressive he will become.

Answer 7

It bothers dogs if someone yells at them since they have very sensitive hearing, and neither does hitting.Dogs respond to the tone of a voice.so if you use a deep voice without yelling he may get the point.Hitting the dog doesnt do anything, so you may want to try grabbing the dogs ear and twisting it just a little bit but use a firm enough grip.usually the dog well yelp if it hurts them, if it doesnt stop!you could cause damage. you could also try keeping the dog aways from potted plants or just keep it outside. if none of this works then...you'll have to find another techique.

Answer 8

stop hittin the dog that dont work because agression breeds agression yelling wont help either your dog needs to have things to do when its outside so give it some bones or toys and keep an eye on your dog when its out. when it goes for something its not supposed to have redirect your dog to what its allowed to have its called training for a reason it takes some time good luck

Answer 9

Well depending on what kind of dog you have,certain methods comne in handy others don't if people told you not to hit the dog because its being a dog thats not always true,dogs are domesticated animals and can be tought the difference between right and wrong wild aninals cant always do this as fast so if youre dog was wild then yeh you can say hes just being him/or her my old dog never got hit in the face but sometimes hed get locked in his caged,or slaped on teh bottom,other times wed show him what he did wrong by shoving his face toward what ever mess he made and then put him in the cage by him self,after time passed he was whole new dog,obidient,clean,and believe it or not one time he chewed up my mom's slipper and as soonas we said no bad dog he put himself in his own cage.

Answer 10

STOP...AND I REPEAT 'STOP' HITTING THE DOG. He's just being a dog. Get a can or jar and put in a handful of pennies and shake it at him when he misbehaves. Also get a spay bottle and fill it with plain water and give him a couple of squirts when he misbehaves. DO NOT HIT HIM.