Should you scold your dog?

Don’t you just want to scream at Fido for being a bad dog when you get home and discover that he chewed up one of your shoes to the point where you need new shoes?

Your dog may even appear to you to be guilty and have that expression. ”.

A 2009 study found that dogs do not experience guilt and that when we perceive the characteristic “guilty look,” we are only anthropomorphizing them and attributing human emotions because we believe they are aware of their wrongdoing. Instead of focusing on whether the dog was guilty or not, Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard College in New York came to the conclusion that “a better description of the so-called guilty look is that it is a response to owner cues.”

As responsible dog owners, we should make use of this knowledge to facilitate communication with our dogs.

Make sure the timing is right if we want to reprimand our dog for gnawing on our shoes so we don’t confuse him and punish him when we don’t need to. (The goal of perfecting the timing of your verbal correction is to make sure you are giving the dog corrections only when they are necessary and minimizing the number of corrections you give. ).

Only at the time of the infraction must any type of correction be put into effect. This means that as your dog is grabbing your shoe for a chew or as he is causing damage, you should correct him verbally. The dog will know you are punishing him for even interacting with the shoe, which should be off-limits to him, when you scold him while he is grabbing your shoe. (For information on how to stop your dog from chewing inappropriately, see my earlier article “Stop a Dog from Chewing Everything in Sight. ”).

See how the dog’s emotions alter in response to the woman’s cues by watching this brief video of a “guilty dog”:

Dogs don’t have memories like humans do; they only live in the moment. Scolding your dog for an error he made three hours prior will have the same impact as a sudden reprimand.

It’s a myth that your dog will feel bad for urinating on your rug if you poke his nose in the mess and yell at him. The “guilty” expression your dog is giving you is actually just a reaction to you freaking out.

When a dog is being verbally corrected, its body language is likely to show a head down, rapid blinking, yawning, ears down, and turning away. According to behaviorists, these are calming signals that dogs communicate with one another to tell other animals to calm down.

Your dog is therefore attempting to calm you down by giving you a “guilty look,” if you can call it that. Your dog would respond the same way if you yelled at him right now for something he did minutes or hours ago if you were to approach him.

As a trainer, I frequently witness people reprimanding their dog ineffectively when it ignores their calls to them.

When the dog returns, the owner will become furious with it for not responding to the recall. When your dog comes back to you, yelling at him won’t make him more responsive to the recall. By verbally correcting your dog when he approaches you, you actually end up punishing him for approaching you.

In order to avoid confusing the dog and to maintain an upbeat and positive training environment, it is best to avoid using punishment when teaching the recall.

I always advise people to use as few corrections as possible when training their dogs. Discipline and shaming shouldn’t take up more than 10% of your training schedule. Having said that, timing your corrections when you believe your dog needs them is crucial for their effectiveness and to keep your dog from becoming confused.

Correct and Redirect

You can’t exactly just let your puppy keep acting in an inappropriate way, especially when he’s being trained. After all, we are still discussing training your dog to obey commands, just in a more constructive manner. Get your dog’s attention to divert him from what he’s doing if he’s engaging in inappropriate behavior. This could take the form of a loud clap or a loud noise to startle him and cause him to stop what he’s doing. Redirect him to something constructive that is okay for him to be doing as soon as he stops acting out, like chewing on his favorite toy. Any behavior that you don’t want your dog to exhibit can be addressed in this way, including:

Going potty indoors – this is a very common thing in any dog’s behavior when they are new to your house. If you catch your pup in the act, there is no need to scare or dish out physical punishment. Being afraid can just cause more accidents, and that is exactly what we’re trying to shy away from. Instead, interrupt what he’s doing, and take him outside. Then, enthusiastically reward his behavior when he does successfully go outside, simply to let him know that he’s done a great job! This will teach your dog the difference between what is right and what is wrong.

Misbehaving on a walk – some dogs either simply won’t heel, will stop dead in their tracks and refuse to move (especially if they’re puppies), or will bark at every dog they see. Get your pup’s attention to move him away from this behavior, whether that’s gently tugging on his leash, or making a loud noise to get his attention. Once he starts showing good behavior, reward him like he’s just taken his first steps.

Chewing on anything but their toys – all dogs simply adore their toys. But, let’s face it, they probably love your slippers more! It’s something different for them and, as a bonus, they smell like you! However, you don’t want to go through life with your favorite slippers full of holes. Next time you see your dog chomping away at your silky slippers, distract him, remove your slippers from his mouth, and redirect his toward a toy. Always encourage him positively once he moves on to his actual toy.

Recognizing and Rewarding the Positives

Your dog’s main objective is to praise you, his one and only, the center of his little world, because we all want to be recognized and praised for what we are doing right, and animals are no different. If your dog is heeling nicely on a walk, you might not think to reward him for good behavior—you might just chastise him when he tugs on his leash and assume that he knows he’s doing a good job the rest of the time. But you should be reinforcing that good behavior. You can reward your dog for positive behavior by:

Giving them treats – though this is very good reinforcement as part of his training, make sure that you don’t give your puppy too many, or break up his favorite treat into small pieces. Nobody wants a tummy ache!

Giving them physical affection – a scratch behind the ears or a good pat goes a long way.

Praising them verbally – an enthusiastic “good dog!” will get that tail wagging

The Don’ts of Disciplining a Dog

You love your pets like family, so you would never want to physically punish your dog. It goes without saying that even if you are extremely frustrated, you should never touch your dog to discipline him. Never hit, shake, or intimidate your dog for any reason. It’s time to hire a professional trainer if you ever feel like discipline is getting out of your control, or you can ask friends or family for help. Physical discipline also can make the problem worse. Dogs find it difficult to relate punishment to the wrongdoing, so they are unlikely to alter their bad habits and are more likely to become fearful and less receptive to commands.

Do not yell or scream at your dog; just as you can tell the difference between a bark and his play sounds, your dog can distinguish between your normal voice and shouting voice. However, if all of your corrections are just loud noise to your dog, he will eventually start to tune you out. Or, worse yet, screaming might frighten or excite your dog, which might encourage bad behavior. Keep a calm voice and use clear, simple commands.

Don’t rub your dog’s nose in an accident: A puppy may need some time to figure out where to relieve himself. Due to the fact that dogs frequently mark their territory outdoors, it can be challenging for puppies to learn to refrain from doing so indoors. They use the smell they emit to communicate with other animals. Even if they are aware that they shouldn’t enter the house, they might not comprehend the seriousness of their behavior. Avoid punishing your dog by rubbing his accident on his nose. This might lead to anxiety problems or sever the relationship between the pet and owner. Clean up the mess and redirect your dog outside.

“To prevent frequent urination in the same household spot, remove the scent of previous urine marks with a good enzymatic cleaner,” recommends Vetstreet.

Don’t allow inappropriate play: A puppy’s behavior won’t always be the best as he learns. You must be very clear about which items belong to him and which are off limits because there are so many tempting things in your home. Chewing is one of the most typical behavioral issues that pet owners face. Keep your shoes hidden or limit your dog’s access to certain areas of your house if you want to prevent your dog from stealing your shoes. Don’t let a behavior continue because you think it’s cute or because you believe the child will outgrow it. Teach him how to play properly from the very beginning.

FAQ

Do dogs understand when you scold them?

Learned Behavior In the study, dogs acted guilty when their owners reprimanded them, whether or not they had actually committed the offense. This suggests that dogs are likely to pick up on the fact that they can make their pet parents happy by acting sad very quickly.

Is it OK to hit your dog to discipline him?

Spanking or hitting your dog as a form of discipline can have a negative impact on your bond with them. Your dog may develop a number of behavioral issues if you begin using force to discipline them. Insecurity and fear are two common issues that hitting your dog will bring about.

What do dogs feel when you scold them?

It is never enjoyable to scold and punish your puppy, either for you or for him. It leads to hurt feelings, anxiety, and lack of trust. Considering your furry best friend, this could be the worst scenario imaginable due to a single incident of inappropriate behavior.

Why shouldn’t you scold your dog?

“A pet may learn that something is unpleasant through punishment, but it does not learn what is desirable,” “Punishment may make something unpleasant for a pet to learn, but it does not make a pet learn what is preferable.” Instead of punishing undesirable behavior, training should place more emphasis on rewarding desirable behavior.