Hitting your dog ...why you shouldn't

peasant

I think we're all agreed that you don't beat your dog up ...but some people seem to believe that a slap on the nose or other parts of the dog is an appropriate method of disciplining your dog.

It isn't !


For the following reasons:

- your hands are the source of food, of care, of help, of guidance. They put on leads, they clip nails, they inspect, they groom. They should NEVER be associated with pain or essential trust is lost.

- dogs (among themselves) have multiple ways to avoid conflict and violence (it doesn't help the survival of the pack if they constantly incapacitate each other). Violence does not earn you respect in the doggy world. At best it causes consternation, mostly it resuslts in distrust and in rare cases in retaliation. Never does it achieve anything (apart from short term consternation) in the long run it is absolutely counter-productive

- violence does not make you stronger/superior. To the contrary. In the eyes of your dog you are incapable of using the old and tried conflict avoiding techniques. You are socially inept, you are weak and that's why you resort to violence. In no way does it make you leader material. It just makes you a bully who can't be trusted.

And lastly:
-it's dangerous ..do it often enough and you will get bitten

easyeason3

Does holding your hand up & slapping down at the dog but don't actually slap him count? Kinda like if you were trying to swat them away from something?
I sometimes do this to my dog to get him to stop jumping up & he doesn't seem too bothered by it but knows that I want him to stop jumping. Not that it stops him half the time

Carlos_Ray

peasant wrote: »

- violence does not make you stronger/superior. To the contrary. In the eyes of your dog you are incapable of using the old and tried conflict avoiding techniques. You are socially inept, you are weak and that's why you resort to violence. In no way does it make you leader material. It just makes you a bully who can't be trusted.

Tell that to my spaniel that I beat seven shades out of every day...Seriously though, I agree with you about the whole not hitting dogs thing, but I really don't think they think that deeply into it.

I don't hit my dog because its cruel, not because I think he's judgemental.

easyeason3

easyeason3 wrote: »

Does holding your hand up & slapping down at the dog but don't actually slap him count? Kinda like if you were trying to swat them away from something?
I sometimes do this to my dog to get him to stop jumping up & he doesn't seem too bothered by it but knows that I want him to stop jumping. Not that it stops him half the time

That just results in "ooo! playtime!"

HxGH

peasant wrote: »

And lastly:
-it's dangerous ..do it often enough and you will get bitten

Why did you tell them?
They deserve a surprise! :P

MarkR

Dogs bit with their mouths, but also lick (well - same vicinity anyway). Why aren't they scared then?

Don't hit dogs though. Put them on the naughty step. Or take away their xbox.

easyeason3

bluewolf wrote: »

That just results in "ooo! playtime!"

Not if I use my 'angry' voice. Tbh it's probably the angry voice that makes him stop. Sometimes.

peasant

Carlos_Ray wrote: »

Tell that to my spaniel that I beat seven shades out of every day...Seriously though, I agree with you about the whole not hitting dogs thing, but I really don't think they think that deeply into it.

I don't hit my dog because its cruel, not because I think he's judgemental.

Your dog isn't judgemental, nor does it "think" badly of you.

Your dog is hard-wired by evolution to avoid violence as much as possible. It has instinctive, inbred as well as learned behaviours that follow one goal only ...to avoid violence.

When it does get attacked by its human leader it doesn't form a negative opinion ...it just doesn't understand. Violence is not part of ordinary dog "language" or behaviour. Violence only happens when things go seriously wrong or when the social interactions aren't working.

So ...when you hit your dog, you're basically talking to it in a "language" that it isn't programmed to understand or deal with, other than with fear, distrust, confusion or worst case, counter aggression.

easyeason3

easyeason3 wrote: »

Not if I use my 'angry' voice. Tbh it's probably the angry voice that makes him stop. Sometimes.

Yep it's all in the voice

easyeason3

bluewolf wrote: »

Yep it's all in the voice

No, I'm afraid it's all in my head

Dyr

peasant wrote: »

Your dog is hard-wired by evolution to avoid violence as much as possible. It has instinctive, inbred as well as learned behaviours that follow one goal only ...to avoid violence.

a) the dog is a creation of domestication, not evolution
b) violent behavior is inevitably present in mammals, it exists and it exists for a reason. Dogs hunt (violence), dogs defend territory (violence) dogs compete for mates (violence) dogs defend their offspring (violence).

peasant

Bambi wrote: »

a) the dog is a creation of domestication, not evolution
b) violent behavior is inevitably present in mammals, it exists and it exists for a reason. Dogs hunt (violence), dogs defend territory (violence) dogs compete for mates (violence) dogs defend their offspring (violence).

a) domestication is also an evolutionary process
b) please replace the generic term "violence" with "violence as a means to resolve conflicts within the group or pack" and then you have what I was talking about.
Just because a dog uses violence to kill its prey (for example) that is no justification for its supposed leader to hit it. Nor is the fact that in times of extreme stress or danger violence is one of the last two remaing options from the "fight or flight" behaviour of most mammals.

theghost

I don't beat my dogs but I have been known to give them an occasional (very rare) smack on the nose - backed up with saying "no" in a very stern voice - and have found it works wonders when all else has failed.

F-Stop

Dogs... you can't beat them.

peasant

theghost wrote: »

I don't beat my dogs but I have been known to give them an occasional (very rare) smack on the nose - backed up with saying "no" in a very stern voice - and have found it works wonders when all else has failed.

Try clapping your hands or stamping your feet (loudly) the next time

Myyra

I'll clap my hands if it seems my boisterous retriever girl wont calm down, she knows that means business combined with firm voiced "NO":D

belongtojazz

Mine think clapping hands is a positive sound, maybe cus I'm very girly at doing it so they think it is a round of applause like they used to get at training for being good :rolleyes:

So I slap a newspaper or whatever is handy on the table. That is usually enough to break whatever their concentration from whatever mischief they are working on

DonnchaMc

I dont agree wit hitting pets but i also dont agree with they dont understand violence, dogs arent stupid...

Dogs use aggresion in the same ways we do, verbal and physical..
Wild ANIMALS will growl 1st (verbal) if that doesnt work a bite (physical)
As humans we just tend to get the mix wrong, but we do that with everything we ever do anyway..

Im not saying hit your pet if he doesnt listen to the FIRM SHARP VOCAL COMMANDS but i wouldnt be afraid to POKE/PUSH him either, i find in the body is best and not with the intent to hurt but to get their attention and show you mean what you say

Also stay away from the face, however soft you might try to be its just wrong..

meitina

Mother always corrects the pup by biting .
what works -is a pinch to mimic that. no need for hitting.

lcrcboy

peasant wrote: »

I think we're all agreed that you don't beat your dog up ...but some people seem to believe that a slap on the nose or other parts of the dog is an appropriate method of disciplining your dog.

It isn't !


For the following reasons:

- your hands are the source of food, of care, of help, of guidance. They put on leads, they clip nails, they inspect, they groom. They should NEVER be associated with pain or essential trust is lost.

- dogs (among themselves) have multiple ways to avoid conflict and violence (it doesn't help the survival of the pack if they constantly incapacitate each other). Violence does not earn you respect in the doggy world. At best it causes consternation, mostly it resuslts in distrust and in rare cases in retaliation. Never does it achieve anything (apart from short term consternation) in the long run it is absolutely counter-productive

- violence does not make you stronger/superior. To the contrary. In the eyes of your dog you are incapable of using the old and tried conflict avoiding techniques. You are socially inept, you are weak and that's why you resort to violence. In no way does it make you leader material. It just makes you a bully who can't be trusted.

And lastly:
-it's dangerous ..do it often enough and you will get bitten

While I dont agree with hitting dogs or any other animal I dont think they look at you as weak if you hit. Often in pack situations alpha males will show agression ( in muiltiple forms from growling to biting to other agressive body language) to other males to inforce there dominant role in the pack, and this happens on other levels in the pack.

As said by somebody else here dogs bite but also lick to show affection they do not automatically distrust another familair dog due to the multiple uses of the dogs mouth the same can be applied to a humans hand

peasant

Ye don't have to take my word for it, read this (and the associated articles) instead

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/implications-of-punishment.php

KylieWyley

peasant wrote: »

I think we're all agreed that you don't beat your dog up ...but some people seem to believe that a slap on the nose or other parts of the dog is an appropriate method of disciplining your dog.

It isn't !


For the following reasons:

- your hands are the source of food, of care, of help, of guidance. They put on leads, they clip nails, they inspect, they groom. They should NEVER be associated with pain or essential trust is lost.

- dogs (among themselves) have multiple ways to avoid conflict and violence (it doesn't help the survival of the pack if they constantly incapacitate each other). Violence does not earn you respect in the doggy world. At best it causes consternation, mostly it resuslts in distrust and in rare cases in retaliation. Never does it achieve anything (apart from short term consternation) in the long run it is absolutely counter-productive

- violence does not make you stronger/superior. To the contrary. In the eyes of your dog you are incapable of using the old and tried conflict avoiding techniques. You are socially inept, you are weak and that's why you resort to violence. In no way does it make you leader material. It just makes you a bully who can't be trusted.

And lastly:
-it's dangerous ..do it often enough and you will get bitten

/lecture... :rolleyes:

rachums

so what do you suggest doing?
I do tones, clapping, not a lot works. were as my dad, who would do alot more slapping/light taps gets more of a reaction.