How much is too much corporeal punishment to a dog?

Question

A fellow pet owner advised me to spank her with a closed fist. I do so only when she goes to the bathroom on the carpet. She is resiliant to being house trained. Her hip has poped out of joint twice, but, obviously, I do not spank hard enough to break her leg. I think that it is redundant to visit the vet with this because if I had enough money to bring an animal to the vet then I have enough money to have kids (and visit pediatricians) that I do not yet have.
My boston terrier is 4 months old and doesnt use that leg to walk. Do you think that she will outgrow her limp since the leg will grow (especially leg muscles) and mateur from here on?

Answer 1

NEVER hit your dog!!!!!!!!!!!
If you cannot train your dog without physical abuse then you need to find her someone to live with who can.
Dogs do not understand being hit and will only learn to fear and resent you.
If you don't have enough money to afford vet visits you should not own the dog. Case closed. I hope you at least have the sense to give this poor animal another chance at a good life with a loving family.
If I even had the slightest clue where you were I would be calling the Humane Society right now instead of typing this.
After reading this a second time in utter disbelief...
If you can't use large words correctly, try not to do so.
I pray you never can afford to have children, I'm not sure you are capable of doing that without being abusive, either.

Answer 2

Puppies as young as 4 months old have weak bladders. Animals are just like humans. Some days they need to go to the bathroom more often than others. Here are some tips you might find helpful. 1) try giving her ice instead of water. When she laps up the water, she is taking in a large amount of water in a small period of time, which equals the need to go use the bathroom more often. The ice should help quench her thirst. 2) Try taking her out around the same time everyday and everytime she does her business, praise or give her a reward. You have to be consistent.
Anyway, you should never "spank her with a closed first." Obviously, dislocating her hip is a sure sign of too much corporal punishment. Also, whether or not she will outgrow her limp, only the vet can answer that. Having puppies can be costly with vet visits and vaccinations. If you can't afford that now, it would be a good idea to find a good home for your terrier and adopt a hamster or gerbil instead.

Answer 3

First of all get your dog to the vet and get her thoroughly checked. If she is limping then she is in serious pain and needs treatment immediately. If you are not going to take her to the vet then you need to take her to a shelter, or the SPCA, or the Humane Society and sign her over so that she can get the treatment that she desperately needs. The longer you leave her in this state, the greater the chance that she will have to have the leg amputated.

Secondly, if you have taken her to the vet and she is treated for her leg then you need to go out there and learn about how to raise a puppy the right way. Anyone who recommengs physical punishment in a human context is not a good trainer - you shouldn't hit your dog with a hand, fist, or rolled up newspaper, and you shouldn't kick them either. Learn a corrective noise that you use IMMEDIATELY. Dogs only associate their behaviour with the punishment for a few seconds so you need to catch her in the act.

Your best source of information would be your local public library - you can borrow a range of books for free so the only thing you need to spend is your time. There are a couple of good authors out there who specialise in working with the dog psychology - Jan Fennell is one, and the other is Victoria Stillwell. You may also want to learn about clicker training which is fantastic and quick because the dog is rewarded for good behaviour so they work towards pleasing you rather than worrying about what is going to make you angry. The best book for basic clicker training is Click for joy.

Please think about what is best for your dog and if you don't have the time and patience to deal with accidents until she is nearly a year old then find her a new home. Hopefully the outrage that people have expressed here will make you realise that you have done something majorly wrong and that you will learn from your mistake and do what is best for the puppy.

Answer 4

Is this a serious question? If someone hit you with a closed fist until your hip popped out you would call the police. STOP beating your dog!!!! Your fellow pet owner friend is a moron. Dogs are trained with treats not spankings or abuse. Get off your bum and take the dog outside to pee, when the dog's finished, give it a treat. At 4 months, you should take the dog out about every 2 hours, even at night. (It's a baby animal.)

If your dog is limping and not using a leg, it needs to go to the vet. You've probably done some damage so cough up the dough and take your poor animal to the vet. Who in the world gave you an animal to care for?

Answer 5

it is NEVER ok to hit or use physical punishment on your dog.

AND
if you dont have the money to take the dog to the vet then you shouldnt own a dog!

your dog has a limp and possibly dislocated hip and possibly dysplasia.
both hitting your dog AND refusing veterinary care (due to lack of money) is ABUSE!

its likely that by hitting her and leaving her leg untreated you could have done perminent damage to that leg.

if i were you id find a new home for your dog untill you have the money to properly care for it, veterinary AND training.

if you refuse to do that at the very least NEVER hit your dog again, its barbaric abuse!
if your dog is having accidents its because your not watching her close enough. she shoudl be crated when you cannot supervise her and she should be taken outside to go potty every 4 hours at the LEAST. a 4 month old puppy can hold its bladder up to 4 hours IF properly trained...to do that start ttaking her out every hour and PRAINSING her with love, affection and treats when she potties in the right place...
once shes not having accidents anymore extend the time to every 2 hours working towards every 4 hours...by the time she turns 5 months you can go up to 5 hours and 6 months 6 hours...small breeds should NOT be expected to hold it for more than 6 hours as it can do damage to the liver and kindeys.

buy a bottle of natures miracle and throughly clean any spots on the carpet shes had an accident with the natures miracle then steamclen all carpets.

if you dont clean it with an enzamatic cleaner shell keep returnign to that spot.

luckily shes young and you might not have done any truly seriously hard emotianl damage to her yet, however dont be suprised if she cowers when you try to show her effection.

Answer 6

Any phyical punishment to a pet is wrong. You should train them with love and rewards for doing good. If you weight 120 pounds and the pet weighs 15 or 20 pounds you can permanently injure the pet. It is against the law to injure an animal. You could receive a fine or imprisonment for this action. Ask a dog groomer or trainer or go to the library and take a book out on how to train an animal. If you were my master and I was your pet, I would leave home and find a kinder and more intellegent owner.

Answer 7

I think the answers you have gotten are sufficient, as for name calling I dont think there have been enough.
You need to take the dog to a vet, and advise the vet that you have been hitting it, and that is why her hip is messed up. There is no reason for a 4 month old puppy to have a dislocated hip, and if she cant walk on it then she is in pain.
second of all, you need to go and find someone that is twice your size and ask them to ball their fist up and repeatedly hit you in your hip until your hips pops out of joint twice and see how you feel. Believe all these people when they say you dont deserve to own an animal, you should be charged with animal cruelty and put in jail, you are the lowest form of human life!!!!

Answer 8

Humm I have two German Sheperds. I never have hit them and I try not to yell. What is does is cause the dog to have a major confidence issue which can lead to alot of misbehavior. Peeing on the carpet is one. It might to from there to even biting you. The dog has to be on a certian schedule. If not it will continue to disobey. Dont hit the dog. If the hip is in any kinda shape now at such a young age then it will only be worse when it gets older. If the dogs ears are back when you come near then that is a bad sign. You've gone too far. Time out in a crate is a good way to punish the dog nest time. You should take it to a vet to get the hips xrayed.

Answer 9

Hi,
When you hit your dog, AFTER she has used the bathroom and is doing NOTHING WRONG, you are sending mix signals. It would be like hitting a baby AFTER they ate something they weren't supposed to in the first place and you hit them when they are playing with their toys or something. Several things wrong with that.
#1. You shouldn't hit them!!!!!!! Especially if you are causing her hit to pop out of place! You don't see anything wrong with that? Especially also since she is such a small dog. You probably will cause a fear issue if that goes on, causing her to become aggressive towards you possibly.

#2. You are sending the signal that she is being punished for doing what she is supposed to when you hit her when she is doing something right!!!

#3. It is YOUR FAULT SHE DIDN'T GET TO THE BATHROOM IN TIME! As her dog owner, you need to take her out as often as needed. If you skip and she pees or poops on your carpet, then it is YOUR FAULT because YOU did not take her out in time.

As for out growing it, I don't know. I still can't see how you think it is okay to POP HER HIP out of place, as long as you don't break her leg!!! That is the stupidest thing I have heard!!!!! YOU should take her to the vet, because you could of done something else to her! That must be classified as animal cruelty.

Answer 10

You've already displaced her hip, and no, it won't go back in by itself. Dogs are fairly sensitive to people. They can't be housebroken before the age of 3 months; to expect otherwise is to expect the impossible, and not even torture will succeed. They can be trained to go to a specific spot where you've laid down newspapers by catching them in the act and yelling "Bad dog!" as you put her on the spot you want. Anything more is excessive.
Punishing a dog makes it aggressive. It may not bite you, but it will sure want to bite something, and that something is usually another dog or someone's child. You don't sound like a fit dog owner. I'd give it to someone who can properly care for her.