how do you show a dog your disappointed in it?

Question

today i had to run to the store, instead of putting my puppy in the bathroom where she would have no room to move, i just put her in my bedroom and made sure there was nothing that she could chew up on the floor and put her toys in there. shes about to be 5 months old, she KNOWS right from wrong, but i guess sometimes she just acts on impulses like we do. she managed to get onto my bed (i have one of those tall ones, its probably about 4 feet off the ground.) and get onto my nightstand and dresser and tear everything off of it and tear it up. she also somehow managed to OPEN a dresser drawer and get my clothes out of it. she tore my tv wire out of the plug, she didnt chew the wire, but thats not the point. i couldnt believe she did that. i was gone for 10 minutes at the most. she didnt potty at all, which is good, but to me, i felt like this wasnt one of the times to just tell her she was a bad girl, i spanked her ONCE and told her she was a bad girl, (details coming ... )

but i know i cant just keep telling her shes a bad girl, after awhile shes not going to remember why. but what i want to know is, you remember how it was when your parents said they were disappointed in something you did and it hurt alot more than just knowing they were mad at you? i just want to know if theres a way for my puppy to realize that im disappointed in her .. if that makes any sense at all. i dont want to have to get her a play-pin type thing to put her in while im gone, but at the rate im going im gonna lose everything i own cause shes going to eat it while im gone.

look, dont give me a "dont spank your dog" and for your information she was STILL chewing on my clothes when i walked into the room, she didnt stop, so technically YES i caught her in the act.
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but i didnt know if not talking and not paying attention really worked, i guess thats what i was trying to find out .. thanks :D

Answer 1

if a 5 month old pup is the same as a one year old baby i guess you cant put her in school huh? or maybe i'm wrong for not putting my 1 year old daughter in school yet? I'm confussed please explain this? oh & i guess my daughter should have been potty trained 6 months ago.
and i know for a fact dogs know when they have done something wrong. just today my dogs chewed up 2 books. when i came home they were hiding from me before i even got through the door. they knew they did something wrong before i did! i also had a previous dog who would let me know when she did something wrong. how can a dog act guilty but yet not know they've done something wrong. so i believe it is perfectly fine to punish a dog by showing them what they did wrong no matter how long ago they did it that day. they are not idiots, must of them are smarter then half of humans. you dont need to hit them usually just yelling at them hurts their feelings, & i agree to ignore them for sometime. i always lock my dogs in their room for a little while when they are bad.

Answer 2

Welcome to the puppy years.

Dogs are very much like children...they need and thrive with boundries set by their caretakers. You confused her by putting her in a room with all that stimuli (where as she is used to being in the restroom.) It's sort of the same as taking a child into a candy store...they will be excited. She was excited to investigate and play with all the things in that room.

I know you don't want to hear this next part, but it is the truth...
First, don't ever spank your dog, especially a puppy. That teaches them nothing, except maybe to fear and disrespect you. Second, if you don't want your puppy to stay in the restroom while you are gone, get a crate. They are a humane way to keep your dog safe (think about if he chewed that cord while it was plugged in...) and keep your house intact. Most dogs love their crates...mine runs in, tail wagging when I tell him I'm leaving. This will also help keep the dogs from having accidents in the house, because if you have the right size crate, they are not very likely to potty where they must lay.

Finally, you can let a dog know you are disappointed with them. But it is much easier once your dog is older, you've had more time to bond and establish a good relationship (you the alpha.) I have a dog a little over two years old and now he is at the point where if I even scold him, he knows he messed up. He will pout for a while and then come with what I call "sad ears and eyes" to get attention from me. However, this scenario would never fly with my lab puppy.

Answer 3

Dogs don't 'get' disappointment and they don't understand why they get yelled at or hit after the fact. They just think that we're crazy unpredictable people. A 5 month old pup doesn't have any concept of 'right' from 'wrong'. Dogs repeat behaviors they get rewarded for, so running around ripping up stuff when left alone is rewarding to a dog. In order to prevent inappropriate behavior you need to create situations in which the dog can't practice them. Then you teach the dog what you want them to do.

I would suggest finding a puppy training class, cause spanking a dog, however gently does not teach a dog anything except that you might at any time hit it. Dogs, let alone puppies, need to corrected immediately, seconds count and the best training teaches the dog appropriate behaviors, not just stops inappropriate ones. They're not as smart or as wily as you think.

www.fearfuldogs.com

www.fearfuldogs.com

Answer 4

OK you don't want people to say it was wrong to spank your dog but believe me it is not the way to reprimand the dog as it will only make her afraid of you. So I will move on from there and just say that when my dog does something wrong and I'm not happy with her, I just ignore her for a while and don't give her cuddles or anything. I also give her a really sad look (like she does to me sometimes) and it works. She usually then goes on her bed and checks from time to time if we are ready to make up and it works wonder. I leave her alone all day and she has never ever made a mess. But my dog is a fully grown adult so all the other advices you got from other users are probably much better

Answer 5

Crates work best of all. Think of it as giving her her own space and keeping her safe.
I speak from experience. The cost of a crate and the time it takes to get a pup used to it is far less money and time than having to rush your puppy to the vet because it just swallowed a batterie when it chewed up your remote controle. It is easier than pully yarn or plastic from your puppies butt in the front yard. It is less of a hassle than cleaning up after every outing and not knowing what to expect when you walk in the door.
Crate training is great training.

From what you have said, you have taught your puppy that it is unsafe to chew material in front of you.
Remember, dogs do not understand right and wrong... just safe and unsafe.
Check out the "Culture Clash" and "the Power of Positive Dog Training". Both are great books to help deal with puppy issues.

In the meantime, check out these helpful articles.

Answer 6

A 5 month old puppy is (ALMOST) the same as a 1 year old human baby.

Do you expect a 1 year old to listen, follow directions, and always do the right thing?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Do you expect them to understand every word you say and never make a mistake?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Do you expect them to understand that "mommy will be right back"?

NO!
When you leave, just like little kids, they consider you lost forever. As far as they know, they're on their own, which is frightening (children scream when left by parents, some dogs do too.) and boring.

You need to educate yourself about dogs.

I'm sorry if I come off as rude, I just want you and the puppy to be happy and have a long life together.

Puppies need constant supervision or confinement until at least 1 year of age.
NO ACCEPTIONS!

Puppies and dogs don't understand "disapointment". The best thing you can do is set rules, and praise the behavior you want.
The only thing spanking does is make her afraid of you, and avoid your touch. Is that what you want?

IT'S A DOG, NOT A CHILD!
You MUST remember that.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!
Take an obedience class.
A "puppy preschool" class will work wonders for you and your pup.
Petsmart has a wonderful program.

EDIT:
A.niral has a good point about being hit over the head for something you did yesterday.
But, more accurately, it's like hitting a baby on the head for something they don't remember doing yesterday, AND they've never been told is wrong. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

OK, fine, ALMOST like a 1 year old baby. Happy?
My points are:
The dog is too young to understand.
The dog can't be expected to understand due to it's age.
The dog doesn't want to be left alone, shouldn't be left alone at this age.
I truly believe this person AND THE PUPPY will benefit from puppy preschool.

Answer 7

I save a spank for when they've been especially naughty, or for multiple repeat offenses.

mostly, if they've done something, i can point at in an say in a grumpy voice 'what's this?!' and they will look ashamed, and supplicate, because they know they upset me.

A spanking thing would be if they were trying to get up on the table, or for digging (not at first, but she keeps doing it) just one sharp quick smack on the rump, not enough to hurt, but enough to let them know that the behavior has a consequence they really don't like.

Always always assume your dog will misbehave, especially for the first year and a half. Puppies are more like kids than dogs are. Even dogs need to be watched most of the time. And if it can't learn to behave, then pen it. simple. not what you want, but could be your only option.

Answer 8

In order to show the dog that you are disappointed, you must catch the dog in the ACT of doing what its not supposed to be doing. You can then verbally show your displeasure by saying "noooo" or whatever word you use. To spank the dog AFTER the event is totally useless and EXTREMELY counter productive as your dog does not know what it did wrong. Its like getting hit over the head for something you did yesterday.

Answer 9

Your dog is not being naughty to aggravate you, even tho it may seem like it. Striking a dog is never the answer.

The problem is that you need to train yourself to understand that your dog is a dog and will act like a dog. She doesn't know right from wrong, she's a dog not a person. You left her in a room where there were things to tear up. Hopefully you've learned not to do that any more.

If you have to leave the dog in the house unattended, use a crate. It makes the dog feel safe and makes it impossible for her to 'misbehave'.

Show your dog you are proud of her, not disappointed, she just won't get it.

And please stop hitting your dog. Really.

Answer 10

you should be happy your dog is still there this morning my puppy who was not even 5 months old got hit by a car and died i used to get so mad when i came home to a mess of chewwed up papers and stuffed animals of my sons but i would let him chew the whole house if it would bring him back so just be happy u still have her and sh'e safe!!