I saw a discussion on Facebook where someone admitted they smack their dog every time it misbehaves. I’ve trained my dog successfully and have never laid a finger on him. He’s a rescue, and even after 10 years, he flinches if I move my hands too fast. It breaks my heart. It shows they remember. It’s not okay.
Cowards hit their dogs.
Corey said:
Cowards hit their dogs.
100% agree!
Corey said:
Cowards hit their dogs.
There’s a difference between smacking and a little corrective tap. Both are ‘hitting,’ but one is to get attention, not hurt.
People still do, but I don’t. I had a huge falling out with my niece because she smacked my dog. I threw her out of my house for that. My mom used to smack her dachshund, but it was a different time. It breaks my heart thinking about it. She regrets it now.
@Blair
You put your mom down? Sorry for your loss 
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Birch said:
@Blair
You put your mom down? Sorry for your loss
Haha, no! The dog was put down, not my mom 
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@Blair
Smacking, even as ‘correction,’ is still abuse.
Sky said:
@Blair
Smacking, even as ‘correction,’ is still abuse.
Agreed! That’s why I argued with her about it. She thought it was correction, not me.
@Blair
Yeah, it was more normalized back then when people didn’t know better. Smacking comes from impatience. I can’t imagine hurting my dog for doing something natural. Hopefully, more people will stop with all the info available now.
People who hit their animals shouldn’t have animals. All I need is to give my dog ‘the look,’ and he stops whatever he’s doing. Now, my cats? They don’t care at all .
Ripley said:
People who hit their animals shouldn’t have animals. All I need is to give my dog ‘the look,’ and he stops whatever he’s doing. Now, my cats? They don’t care at all
Same with my parents’ dog! Never hit her, but just point, and she stops. It’s about consistency, not punishment.
I’d never hit a dog for training. The only time I’d get rough is if they were being aggressive or putting someone in danger. Smacking doesn’t help with behavior—it just confuses the dog.
Dani said:
I’d never hit a dog for training. The only time I’d get rough is if they were being aggressive or putting someone in danger. Smacking doesn’t help with behavior—it just confuses the dog.
Exactly! Hitting after a dog misbehaves doesn’t even make sense. They don’t connect it to the behavior, and it just feels like abuse.
@Pax
Punishing after more than 6 seconds is pointless. It just adds trauma.
Dani said:
I’d never hit a dog for training. The only time I’d get rough is if they were being aggressive or putting someone in danger. Smacking doesn’t help with behavior—it just confuses the dog.
Defending in an emergency is different. But using force as training? Nah, that’s just unnecessary.
Dani said:
I’d never hit a dog for training. The only time I’d get rough is if they were being aggressive or putting someone in danger. Smacking doesn’t help with behavior—it just confuses the dog.
This wasn’t the topic, but okay…
Lots of so-called trainers have been exposed as abusers. It’s just like Monty Roberts says about horses: ‘No hitting, no forcing, no pain of any kind.’ That applies to dogs, too.
I play rough with my dog, smack her belly, butt, etc., but I’d never hit her for bad behavior. That would confuse her. It’s all about context, and smacking for play is totally different from punishment.
@Frost
Yeah, mine loves rough play too, but he won’t do it with me because he’s scared of hurting me! Haha.