Spanking, beating, and hitting a dog, is sometimes used as a form of dog discipline or dog punishment.
After all, biting a dog’s ear worked for Cuba Gooding Jr. in the movie Snow Dogs.
Therefore, will such pain based techniques work for us too? To answer this question, we must consider how dogs learn.
Dogs learn through conditioning.
- They repeat behaviors that get them good results, and
- They stop behaviors that get them bad results.
Based on this, there are two schools of thought for stopping problem dog behaviors – reward obedience training and aversive obedience training.
Is It Bad to Beat or Hit a Dog?
Spanking, beating, and hitting a dog are all aversive techniques. Pain is delivered to sensitive areas of the dog, such as his ear or muzzle, when he performs a bad behavior.
The argument for this type of dog discipline, is that the pain will discourage a dog from repeating undesirable actions. Every time our dog does something bad, he gets an unpleasant result (pain), which will hopefully dampen his resolve to perform the same behavior.
However, the problem with aversive training, is that it is risky, too personal, and there is no good way to redirect the punishment.
Our dog knows that the pain originates from us, and is not a natural result of his actions.
As a consequence, our dog may end up learning the wrong lessons, including:
- Hitting, slapping, and biting is a fun game that my owner plays with me. Let me try playing it with him, and with others. A dog may arrive at this conclusion, when the pain is not delivered with enough force. Too much force, however, may result in fear aggression.
- A person’s hand or face coming toward me, is a bad thing. I should run away from people, or bite the hand or face that is a threat to me.
- My owner, or a person coming toward me, means pain. I should stay away from people, or keep them away by growling and biting.
If we do not deliver the pain with good timing, with the proper force, and in exactly the right circumstance, our dog may get confused as to why he is getting punished. He may become fearful and stressed, because he is unsure how he can stop the pain from recurring.
As a result, spanking, beating, and hitting a dog may lead to even more behavioral issues, including fear aggression as well as submissive urination.
For these reasons, using physical techniques to punish a dog, is not very good dog kung fu.
If Not Beating or Hitting a Dog, Then What?!
If beating or hitting a dog does not work, then how can we teach our dogs right from wrong?
How can we get our dogs to behave and not engage in destructive behaviors?
The answer lies in the other school of dog discipline, namely reward based techniques. Some positive based authors that I like include Patricia McConnell, Karen Pryor, and Suzanne Clothier. Contrary to what some may say, reward based methods does not just involve “giving food to our dog”. Rather, it allows us to gain pack leadership through the proper control of resources.
We may not realize this, but we already control all of our dog’s resources. For example, we decide when he gets to walk, when he gets to eat, what and how much he gets to eat, when he gets to play, what toys he gets to play with, when he has to go to sleep, what he can chew on, and much more. All we need to do, is teach our dog this fact –
He is NOT in control, WE are.
For example, if my dog jumps on me and bites my hand during feeding time, I tell him that this behavior is unacceptable, by using a no-mark. Then I ignore him, and he does not get his food, until he has calmed down. In this way, he learns that –
- Waiting calmly for his food in a down position = Get food quickly,
- Jumping and biting = Food preparation stops.
If he continues with his bad behavior, I say Time-out, and I remove him to a time-out area. This teaches him that if he cannot behave around people, then he does not get to be with people.
We respond to all other bad behaviors in a similar way – by restricting our dog’s access to his most desired resources, and only giving him rewards when he has earned them through good behavior.
Different dog behavioral issues will involve different tactics, but the overall strategy is one of resource control and proper management.
But Dogs Hit, Bite, and Physically Correct Each Other …
A common argument used to justify physical corrections, is that our dogs do that to each other, therefore, it must be natural and right.
It is true that dogs will sometimes hit and bite each other as a warning, or to correct behavior. Dogs also hit and bite during play. They are able to do this, because they have very good control of the placement and force of their bites.
However, dogs are not humans and *we* are not dogs. We do not have the same physical strengths or control as our dog. We do not have sharp teeth or claws, we cannot run very fast, and our jaws are not very strong.
This is why it is a very bad idea to physically challenge stray or loose dogs. Logic dictates that we do not wrestle, hit, or physically engage with unknown dogs, that may be aggressive. Similarly, we should not slap, beat, or hit our own dog either. Rather than do a bad job at pretending to be a dog, we should play to our human strengths.
As a human,
- We can open and close doors.
- We can drive to the store and buy food, toys, and other good stuff.
- We can open sealed bags, cans, bottles, and more.
- We can reason, build, and develop long-term plans.
In essence, our human abilities give us control of *all* the things that our dog needs or desires. This makes us into natural leaders, because by controlling the pack’s resources, we control the pack.
Finally, when a dog physically corrects another dog, the other dog may decide to fight back.
A puppy may allow an adult dog to correct him initially, but when he grows up, he may learn to respond in-kind with aggression. For this reason and more, I do not allow my dogs to physically correct or bully each other. As pack leader, I set the rules, and I enforce them through the control of resources. If there are any conflicts, my dogs will alert me. I will then do my best to resolve the conflict in a fair and consistent way, which does not involve any hitting, biting, or puncture wounds.
Just because a dog may sometimes hit and bite other dogs, does not mean that hitting and biting is good, effective, or even particularly humane. The assumption or assertion that physical punishment is better because our dogs do it, is a logical fallacy. In fact, there are many things that dogs do to each other and to other animals, that we need to manage, redirect, and retrain. This includes –
- A dog’s drive to hunt neighborhood cats,
- A dog’s instinct to guard resources (with aggression if necessary),
- A dog’s inclination to bully a weaker dog,
- A dog’s impulse to fight-back, and more.
Does Beating or Hitting a Dog Work?
Pain based techniques may stop problem behaviors in the short term, but it is not the most effective type of dog discipline.
There are many difficulties and risks that may cause our dog’s behavior to degrade, rather than improve. Using it to stop one problem behavior, may inadvertently cause five other bad dog behaviors to crop up. In addition, the effect of beating or hitting a dog may degrade over time, as our dog gets habituated to the pain.
In contrast, reward based methods are safer because there is little danger of our dog becoming fearful, aggressive, or stressed. We are not delivering any pain to him, but simply withholding the rewards that he has failed to earn.
- Reward based discipline encourages our dog to figure out how he can get in our good books, because that is the quickest way to get what he wants most.
- Aversive dog discipline, on the other hand, encourages a dog to avoid us because there may be pain involved.
Ultimately, resource based training allows us to forge a stronger bond with our dog, and makes him into a responsible canine, who works for what he wants.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
~~ [Mahatma Gandhi]
I Have A 5 Going On Six Weeks Year Old Pitbull he will not go to the bathroom outside but as soon as I bring him in he goes on the floor and not even on his training pads I tryed whipping him often when he do not listen to a command but I see it’s making him fearful to come around and he run a hide as well as he will ignore me when I call him and I would go have to pick him up and take him where I wanted him to follow me. So what would you think would be the perfect training for him to understand and start to learn? Thank You
Some of my experiences with potty training my Sibe puppies-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-potty-training-facts-and-myths
Some of my experiences with building a strong bond with my dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/build-a-strong-bond-with-your-dog
A bit more on how I discourage undesirable behaviors and encourage good behaviors during puppyhood-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy
I have a dilemma. My female, lab mix is developing aggressive behavior, especially regarding her crate. My boyfriend was very harsh with her when we first got her at only 5 weeks. I thought she was naturally skittish and spooked easily. The more I read the more I figure his “training” is what has molded her. To say things have been tense in our house is an understatement. I hope that is enough background. I need to know what to do to ease her fears and I hope to reverse any damage done to her. She is in training classes, starts intermediate classes soon. Please help
Hello Pam,
Desensitization exercises were helpful to my Sibes, who were initially afraid of loud noises from the garbage truck and from singing coyotes. Here is a bit more on desensitization and retraining the fear response.
Here are other common techniques that people use to address dog anxiety and fear.
I stumbled upon your website by accident and it just so happens that I could use some help in your area of expertise. This is a wonderful website BTW. Thank you for taking the time to help so many dogs and their owners co-habitate more peacefully š
My Satchel, a Shepherd/Lab mixed pup, is just over 6 months old and I am training her to be a Mobility Dog. She is my first puppy, but somehow with a lot of love and a lot of treats, I have managed to train her to do many things. She is wonderful.
Now the problem…. I CANNOT get her to approach a person (known or unknown) or another dog CALMLY (or politely at least). What do you recommend?
I have found desensitization exercises to be a good, controlled way to train my dogs to be more calm with other dogs and people. It has been helpful with my dog’s fear issues, and also for controlling excitement.
A big problem with people greetings is that *we* often reward a dog for the wrong behaviors. There are many people who will give eye-contact to an already excited dog, or call to him. This rewards the excited behavior with attention, which encourages more of that behavior during the next meeting.
Training a dog to be calm with people, will likely also require some control and limitation over the people he is allowed to meet.
Hi I just bout a little 8 week old Pomeranian pup and im having trouble training her to go to the toilet on her pad. Whats the best technique to use to get her to go to the pad to do the toilet ?
Here are some of my experiences with puppy potty training.
i have a 3 month old husky i dont know what to do i jus got him 4 days ago and everything me and my husband call his name he will not come into 5mins later he know how to sit and everything but only wanna do it when he feels like it he jus wont listen all the time
Congratulations on your new puppy.
Sibes are a pretty independent breed, so they can be a bit more challenging to train. What has worked well with my Siberian Huskies is to identify what motivates them most, and then tie various behaviors (for example coming to me) to those rewards. I also follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program.
Here is a bit more on-
1. How I train my Husky puppy.
2. How dogs learn.
3. Various techniques on how to train a dog to come when called (recall training).
Hello there!(:
I have two dogs, a 1 year old female maltese and a 4 month old male herding dog. The problem is that when I take them out to the bathroom they will leave if I leave them out more then 5 minutes. The male won’t leave if I take him out by himself but if I take out both then they go out far into the alley. How can I stop them from doing this everytime?
With my Shiba, I did not have a backyard during his puppyhood days, so I would take him out on-leash. Then, I can mark the behavior and reward him when he is done. Another possibility is to train a good recall.
SO i have a 5 month old labrador/terrier mix named Loui – so far his potty training is good with the training pads.. when it comes to urination he is EXCELLENT he does it on the pad n if no pad hell cry for us to let him out… but occasionally when he gets left alone or FEELS like it he will “do his business” (#2) under the bed ! (or on it!) This causes daily clean up and t does get annoying and frustrating. He climbs on the bed on his own while I am not there which is another issue He will not Learn. He has a habit of licking NON-STOP everything he gets his mouth on to the point of leaving massive puddles behind from the licking. When disciplining him I say No.. DOES NOT WORK.. Hit with a newspaper, or sandal LIGHTLY on his butt and STILL doesn’t learn, I Give him treats, and it worsend the situaution as he listens MORE when there is a treat in my hand.. What am i doing wrong because I am to the point of taking him back to the shelter but I really dont want them to put him down or anything…PLEASE HELP !
It sounds like the licking and pooping may be the result of stress. When under extreme stress, dogs may sometimes perform displacement behaviors (e.g. excessive licking) in order to cope with the stress. People do similar things – we pace, we pull at our hair, etc. Dogs chew, lick, and poop.
To reduce stress for my dogs, I give them a consistent routine, a consistent set of rules, and a consistent way of training. I follow the NILIF program and use resources to motivate them, redirect their energy, and help them build confidence.
Here is more on-
Dog separation anxiety.
Dog anxiety and stress.
How dogs learn.
sometimes there is no recourse but to hit. my gfs’ roommates’ dog jumps up on me (with poopy paws)and mouthes any flesh she can get. Her owner refuses crate training and leaves the dog on the patio of the apartment virtually all day til the evening. So when she rusehs to jump on me she gets hit with a metal yardstick. The owner doesnt know how to raise a dog and she spoils the crap out of it. So Iam in a no win situation b/c my gf cant move out for at least another year.
As you say, this is first and foremost a people issue. As such, the solution also lies with the people involved.
The dog does not know how to meet people, because she has not been taught to do so in a consistent way. Hitting her will likely teach her to fear people, and this may ultimately result in fear aggression.
Hi! Great post on how to rightly discipline a misbehaving dog! I am already doing everything that you have specified (time-out zones for me are ‘go to bed’ and a strong NO as well as looking directly into the dogs eyes disapprovingly!) My questions are, is the dog able to relate what the punishment is for? (I do it immediately after mine does something undesirable) AND how long should these time-out zones last to drive home the point that the dog misbehaved and this behavior is unacceptable since I am the pack leader. Having said that, we have an adorable small one that is pretty much in tune with us. Thanks in advance for the reply! š
I usually start with very short timeouts (1 minute or less). If the dog continues with the behavior after he comes out of timeout, then he goes back in for a slightly longer period.
I only reserve timeouts for serious offenses, e.g. biting on people when they already know that it is against the rules. I do not give timeouts to puppies who are still learning the rules. In fact, Shania has never been to timeout, and Lara has only been for a handful of times. Sephy is more of a regular, but even he, only goes about 10 times or less per year.
I also do not use timeouts right away. First, I no-mark (ack-ack) to let my dog know that it is an undesirable behavior. Then, I give him an alternative command. This lets him know what *to do* instead. My Sibes are usually very happy to follow my lead at this point.
Here is what I do for timeouts with my dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-biting-how-to-stop-puppy-biting#timeout
As for being pack leader, following the NILIF program works best for me.
I have 3 dogs all different in their own way. I have a small chihuaha who is just always frightened but plays a lot with my pitbull. My dogs never get out if the gate is open but lately the small one keeps getting out through the smallest hole possible. I have spanked him and assertive no. I have left him on timeout and even have poured water on him . Even though it seems like he learned his lesson he continues to do it. I don’t know what else to do with him , i show all my dogs equal love & reward them for being well disciplined. I have gotten frustrated to the point that i have wanted to kick him out since he keeps getting out. Its a very small hole & even tho i have covered it up he still finds a way , Do you have any advice on what can help me or what i can do ?
Hello Jose,
One thing I have observed with my dogs is that they usually do not generalize a “rule” across different objects and environments. For example, like you, I teach them all door manners so that they do not bolt out doors or gates. However, my Sibe puppy recently dug under the fence while chasing after a gopher. We now place concrete slabs all along our fence line to prevent digging and it has worked out well.
In terms of “correcting” the behavior, I have observed that it is necessary to catch them in the act so that they can associate the consequence with the behavior. Any corrections after the fact have no effect on my dogs.
Here is more on my experiences with dog escapes.